List of DE＆I-related topics

In seeking to encourage all eligible male employees to take childcare leave, the SMBC Group is striving to achieve the following targets:
(1) Male childcare leave utilization rate*: 100%
(2) Number of days of childcare leave taken by male employees: average of 30 days or more (until the child turns two years old)

• Childcare leave utilization rate: conforms to the concepts underlying the Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace.

As the working population declines and the need to maintain and enhance economic and social vitality becoming a major challenge, it is important for companies to upgrade their competitiveness by strategically developing and retaining human resources. With the number of two-income households on the rise in recent years, it is also vital to create environments where employees with diverse values can balance work and family in accordance with their lifestyles and work enthusiastically with a sense of fulfillment.

Encouraging male employees to utilize childcare leave will not only help men understand and engage in childcare, but also create a flexible and comfortable working environment where all individuals regardless of sex respect and accept each other’s diversity.

With this perspective in mind, the SMBC Group will continue urging men to take childcare leave.
We will further accelerate the growth of the SMBC Group as a whole by enhancing our ability to communicate the Group's unified vision.

• Nikkei "Smart Work Management" survey
This survey examines four areas: ability to make effective use of human resources; ability to foster innovations, ability to find new markets, and management foundation required for sustainable corporate development. Companies are evaluated and given "stars" (up to five) based on the results of questionnaire surveys conducted targeting companies/consumers as well as on publicly available data.

• Certified Health and Productivity Management Organization
Since fiscal 2016, METI’s Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations Recognition Program has recognized organizations with outstanding records in health management, based on their engagement with local community health initiatives or health promotion activities promoted by the Nippon Kenko Kaigi.

Each company of SMBC Group is working to raise its employees' awareness of LGBT issues and change behavior through establishing consulting services for the parties concerned, developing an inclusive environment such as enrollment of same-sex partners in the in-house employee welfare system, and implementation of training seminars to help employees better understand LGBT issues. We believe continuous efforts such as these regarding LGBT issues led to our receipt of the "Gold" rank on this occasion.
Moreover, we have also commenced with initiatives to improve our customer services, including SMBC Banking Corporation's joint-liability housing loans for same-sex partners launched in February 2020.
In order to offer our customers further higher-value services, we will continue to promote and enhance diversity and inclusion, positioning it as "core to our growth strategy" of SMBC Group, and will endeavor to create a work environment in which all employees will be able to demonstrate their abilities to the fullest at each of their workplaces.

• Nikkei "Smart Work Management" survey
This survey examines four areas: ability to make effective use of human resources; ability to foster innovations, ability to find new markets, and management foundation required for sustainable corporate development. Companies are evaluated and given "stars" (up to five) based on the results of questionnaire surveys conducted targeting companies/consumers as well as on publicly available data.

The SMBC Group was highly evaluated for the following efforts: 1. engaging in multilaterally and continuously raising awareness of managerial-level employees; 2. moving ahead with establishing a work environment and rules that enable employees to work flexibly in accordance with their lifestyles, values and tasks; 3. clarifying a policy to promote women's active involvement in the workforce as a business strategy and involving the management to take the lead and commit themselves to the policy; and 4. disclosing information about such initiatives and achievements appropriately.

• Nadeshiko Brand
The Nadeshiko Brand is an initiative launched in fiscal 2012 to introduce Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed companies excellent in women's empowerment as attractive stocks to investors who attribute importance to medium- to long-term enhancement of corporate value when making investment decisions, thereby encouraging companies to accelerate women's empowerment measures.

In March 2020, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation) was recognized for the fourth straight year as a "2020 Certified Health and Productivity Management Organization (Large Enterprise Category)" by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

List of the recognized group companies

• Nikkei "Smart Work Management" survey
This survey examines four areas: ability to make effective use of human resources; ability to foster innovations, ability to find new markets, and management foundation required for sustainable corporate development. Companies are evaluated and given "stars" (up to five) based on the results of questionnaire surveys conducted targeting companies/consumers as well as on publicly available data.

Each company of SBMC Group is further improving its environment for LGBT people, including holding training seminars to help employees better understand LGBT issues, offering consulting services to the parties concerned, and applying in-house employee welfare systems to same-sex partners. Moreover, SMBC Group sponsored Tokyo Rainbow Pride, the largest LGBT-related event in Asia, and is promoting understanding about LGBT people through the voluntary participation of its employees in the event.

We will continue to promote and enhance diversity so that all employees will be able to demonstrate their abilities to the fullest at their workplaces.

In order to provide employees with an environment where they can take on new challenges more easily without being trapped in stereotypes, precedents and established ideas, we implemented a "dress code-free" system to allow employees working at the head office to freely choose what to wear at the office, on a trial basis in July 2019 and on a full scale in September of the same year.
Through this system, we will encourage employees to think and act independently toward the reform of our corporate culture.

SMBC Nikko Securities will enhance its system to support the development of employees, deeming it essential for the company to do the following as a precondition to provide customers with excellent services: consider supporting employees' self-development as a means to foster the effective use of the time saved through the promotion of work style reforms and thereby help enhance their abilities.

In addition to continuing giving financial support for employees to acquire the AFP, CFP, securities analyst and other qualifications and participate in self-development training, SMBC Nikko Securities will also launch in fiscal 2019 an incentive program to encourage employees to acquire qualifications and will financially support the payment of annual fees to the qualification awarding bodies. Moreover, we will give financial support for sales personnel to acquire relevant qualifications.

We will continue to think from the viewpoint of customers to deliver even higher value to them along with reliability and safety, under the brand slogan, "Share the Future."

• Nadeshiko Brand
The Nadeshiko Brand is an initiative launched in fiscal 2012 to introduce Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed companies excellent in women’s empowerment as attractive stocks to investors who attribute importance to medium- to long-term enhancement of corporate value when making investment decisions, thereby encouraging companies to accelerate women’s empowerment measures.

In February 2019, Sumitomo Mistsui Financial Group was recognized for the third straight year as a Certified Health and Productivity Management Organization (large enterprise category for 2019) by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

• Certified Health and Productivity Management Organization
Since fiscal 2016, METI’s Certified Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations Recognition Program has recognized organizations with outstanding records in health management, based on their engagement with local community health initiatives or health promotion activities promoted by the Nippon Kenko Kaigi.

• Nikkei "Smart Work Management" survey
This survey examines four areas: ability to make effective use of human resources; ability to foster innovations, ability to find new markets, and management foundation required for sustainable corporate development. Companies are evaluated and given "stars" (up to five) based on the results of questionnaire surveys conducted targeting companies/consumers as well as on publicly available data.

• PRIDE Index
The PRIDE Index initiative was launched in 2016 by "work with Pride" to rate measures implemented by companies and other organizations for sexual minorities. The voluntary organization started this initiative with a view to encouraging companies to promote steadfast diversity management for LGBT people.

In June 2018, Sumitomo Mistsui Financial Group was selected for inclusion in the MSCI Japan Empowering Women (WIN) Select Index, which is composed of companies highly evaluated for women’s empowerment.

• MSCI Japan Empowering Women (WIN) Select Index
Based on data about the employment of women and other data disclosed in line with the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace, Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) of the U.S. gives scores to companies in a multifaceted way to choose those that are excellent in gender diversity. GPIF has adopted this index for its ESG investment.

SMBC Nikko Securities was recognized as a 2018 Certified Health and Productivity Management Organization (White 500) in the initiative implemented jointly by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Nippon Kenko Kaigi.

We will continue our efforts to provide employees with workplaces where they can work with vigor, maintaining and promoting their health and keeping a good work-life balance. We will also foster our health management to further increase our corporate value.

• Voluntary organization "work with Pride"
It is a voluntary organization that encourages companies to promote diversity management for LGBT people.

SMBC and NICHIIGAKKAN CO., LTD. will implement measures for the company-led childcare business, which is promoted under the leadership of the Cabinet Office.

Specifically, in order to deal with the shortage of childcare facilities in the city center, NICHIIGAKKAN will expand its childcare business, for which SMBC will rent a part of its building, where NICHIIGAKKAN will establish and operate childcare facilities. NICHIIGAKKAN filed necessary applications to and has obtained approval from the Cabinet Office for the operation of such facilities at three locations within the 23 Special Cities in Tokyo. Also, in Osaka City, the company plans to file an application to the Cabinet Office to open childcare facilities for employees of local companies as well as for local residents.

SMBC has concluded an agreement with NICHIIGAKKAN for each of the childcare facilities to be operated in Tokyo and Osaka so that the bank’s employees can also use the facilities, which will support the earlier return of those on childcare leave to their workplaces. We will continue to conduct activities that contribute to local communities.

SMBC Trust Bank Ltd. acquired the top-rank (third-stage) "Eruboshi" certification from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare based on the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace.

• Certification stages
There are five evaluation items for Eruboshi certification: (1) ratio of successful to total job applicants by gender; (2) length of service by gender; (3) work style, including working hours; (4) rate of female managers; and (5) diversity of career paths. If a company meets the requirements for one to two of the items, for three to four of the items, and for all five items, it will receive "first-stage," "second-stage," and "third-stage" Eruboshi certification, respectively.

In March 2017, SMBC was certified by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as a company committed to work style reforms under the Tokyo Work-Style Reform Declaration program implemented by the government to increase momentum for work style and holiday reforms since fiscal 2015.

SMBC will foster work style reforms, including reducing long working hours and increasing work flexibility, to help individual employees to achieve growth and demonstrate their abilities, which will lead to the improvement of the entire bank’s productivity.

You can see SMBC’s work-style reform declaration at the website of the Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs, Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

SMBC’s declaration:

• Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)
International action guidelines designed for the creation of working and social environments where women can demonstrate their potential fully and enhance their abilities, are evaluated fairly for their efforts, and can display more of their abilities for society.

Cedyna Financial Corporation acquired the second-stage Eruboshi certification from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare based on the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace.

• Eruboshi certification
Based on the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace enforced on April 1, 2016, companies that formulated an action plan for women’s empowerment, made a notification about the plan, and met certain standards for the implementation of women’s empowerment measures can acquire "Eruboshi" certification from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare by making an application for the certification.

• Declaration on Action by the Group of Male Leaders Who Will Create a Society in Which Women Shine
In March 2014, a kick-off meeting for "Supporting Women to Shine" was held at the official residence of the Prime Minister under his own initiative. Since then there has been a nationwide movement among male leaders in various fields to give more support for women to shine. In the Declaration on Action announced in June 2014 by the Group of Male Leaders Who Will Create a Society in Which Women Shine, the male leaders declare that they, as business leaders, will take the initiative to foster measures to increase the motivation of women and help them make the most of their abilities.

• IkuBoss
IkuBoss refers to an ideal boss who gives enough consideration to the work-life balance of subordinates and other workplace staff, supports them in developing their own careers while enjoying their personal lives, makes achievements also in terms of organizational business performance, and can enjoy both work and private life themselves.