Education and Training for a More Capable Workforce

Detailed Job-Level Training to Enhance Knowledge and Skills

The Company has developed an education and training system that is organized by job-level and covers over 30 topics, mainly for store employees. In group training (conducted a total of 619 times as of March 31, 2015), e-learning, and on-the-job training, we set high expectations for employees. By linking performance evaluations to internal qualifications, we are enhancing staff knowledge and skills, as well as boosting motivation, and improving service quality in stores. We also devote significant effort to training to help mechanics and inspectors gain national qualifications, and are seeing a steady rise in employees who have.

Status regarding Acquisition of Primary Professional Qualifications

*Numbers of employees with qualifications are for the entire AUTOBACS chain, as of March 31, 2015.

Career Development Support

Various Support Systems to Help Employees Build Their Careers by Themselves

Career Development System

To have all employees accumulate knowledge and experience, develop an understanding of various work settings, and deepen their knowledge of the Company, we implement job rotations every few years. When individual employees identify their preferences and aptitudes, and take the lead in broadening and deepening their careers, the entire organization is invigorated. The Company conducts career-design training for mid-level employees to encourage them to keep their future careers in mind as they go about their daily work and develop as professionals.

Cafeteria Plan

In addition to training that targets specific career levels, we have created a “Cafeteria Plan” under which employees can participate in correspondence courses or public seminars offered by outside education organizations, and receive support for obtaining national qualifications. The Cafeteria Plan helps employees take the lead in developing their own careers. We provide up to ¥100,000 of financial support per year that employees can use to take any of around 160 courses, and roughly 350 use this system in a typical year. Employees who pass a national qualification examination designated by the Company are paid incentive bonuses of up to ¥500,000.

Creating Friendly Work Environments

Promoting Working Environments that Are Safe and Healthy for Individuals

Worker Safety and Health

The Company Group believes the health of employees is critical for its own continuous growth and works to promote good health for employees. We have, for example, established the AUTOBACS Osaka Health Center, where we hold health management training. This training is mandatory for employees who have received a diagnosis of a lifestyle-related or other disease in a regular physical examination and been instructed to participate by a physician. Initiatives such as these led the Development Bank of Japan to award the Company an “A,” the highest level on the “employee’s health management rating” it uses to set financing terms. To maintain or improve working environments, we also stress in store-manager training the importance of maintaining safety in stores and preventing employees from working an excess number of hours.

Mental Health Care

Mental health checks are conducted by outside specialists for all employees, and there is a system employees can use to consult with outside cooperating institutions if they feel the need to.

Employing Older Adults

To transfer to younger employees the skills and experience of people near the end of long careers, the Company Group actively hires older adults, including our own employees who have retired at the mandatory retirement age. During the fiscal year just ended, the Company hired ten people (including our own rehires) over age 60, bringing the total number of such older employees to 54.

Internal Reporting System

The Company Group has implemented the “Orange Hotline,” an internal reporting system to prevent and swiftly address misconduct or unethical actions by executives or employees of the AUTOBACS chain. Internal and external contact points are available for people wanting to use the system.

Advancing the Careers of Women

Valuing Diversity and Creating Working Environments where Women Can Thrive

Expanding the Support System

The Company is enhancing its system for supporting employees raising small children. Examples of its features include childcare leave that can be extended to cover the first 18 months following the birth of a child, the option to work shorter hours up through the child’s 10th birthday, orientation for employees returning to work following childcare leave, and paid half-days off. To date, 100% of Company employees who have taken childcare leave have returned to work, and, as of March 31, 2015, eight employees have used our childcare support system. Going forward, we plan to encourage male employees to take childcare leave and will do even more to create working environments that are attractive for women.

Support for Female Employees

To help female employees meet both work and childcare responsibilities, we invite an outside expert to conduct a workshop at our headquarters nine times a year. Now, we are planning to expand the audience for these workshops by holding them at more locations and by creating video recordings that can be viewed at other locations. We are also working on activities that will lend women even greater support in building careers.