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Human Resource Development
Policy and Basic Concept
Ricoh is entering a period of major changes that include transitioning from a manufacturer of office automation equipment to a digital services company and introducing a business unit structure. In line with these changes, it is essential for all employees to grow into "autonomous human resources" who think for themselves and move on their own following the guidelines of the "Ricoh Way", which is the basic philosophy of the Ricoh Group. At Ricoh, we are promoting the fostering of a corporate culture that makes the most of the work and career autonomy of each employee, individual and organization in the Group—even those that are resistant to change and diversity—through diverse training, multifaceted personnel evaluation systems, and a fulfilling career support system.
Basic Policy on Human Resource Management by Function
The development of an employee’s abilities is based on the concept of self-improvement, and each employee is assisted in gaining useful expertise.
In order to achieve this, we have established the “Ricoh Group Education Policy” as follows.
Ricoh Group Education Policy
Ricoh is committed to:
- Providing opportunities for all employees to grow to their fullest potential.
- Developing role model leaders with high performance who exemplify The RICOH Way.
- Cultivating executives and business/technical professionals who can contribute to the business performance in a global market.
(Cited from Ricoh Group Standard Ricoh Group Human Resource Management Regulations Article 7. (updated on 2020.04.15)
Structures and Systems
Training system
The Ricoh Group has established a human resource development system based on the following two points to promote autonomous learning in the workplace and to develop human resources in line with management strategies. The system consists of "training by job title" and "training by purpose”, so that employees can take the training programs necessary for their positions and job categories.
All employees, regardless of their positions or job titles, regularly attend programs designed to instill in them the values that they as Ricoh Group employees should possess. These programs cover topics such as "Ricoh Way" and "Customer Satisfaction" as well as the "digital human resources development" necessary in the process for Ricoh's transformation into a digital service company.
Training programs by purpose
We have established original training programs in line with Ricoh leadership, such as manager capability improvement and global executive selection education, together with external educational institutions. In addition, we provide programs for newly appointed managers and experts to acquire basic knowledge and management skills at the same time as their arrival at their new positions in order to ensure that they improve their capability from the time they start their new positions.
Digital talent development
We opened the Ricoh Digital Academy in 2022. We designed the curriculum to encourage all Group employees to enhance their digital proficiencies and help create and accelerate digital services. We have identified several digital professional skillsets that we particularly aim to reinforce. These are business producers and designers, cloud architects, data scientists, and information security experts. We seek to increase the number of employees with Ricoh Digital Skills Level 2 or above to 4,000 in Japan under the 21st MTS.
Personnel evaluation system
The Ricoh Group has adopted a goal management-type personnel evaluation system to provide appropriate treatment and personal distribution according to the achievements and abilities of employees, and to improve the growth of individual employees and the achievements of the organization.
In the six-month evaluation cycle, employees set goals at the beginning of the term then make efforts to achieve the goals through their daily work. Finally, they look back on their achievements at the end of the term to receive an evaluation. During this evaluation process, managers provide feedback and advice at work to their subordinates appropriately so that employees can achieve their goals and grow more accurately.
We also encourage feedback through daily flexible communication to encourage each employee to aim for further development and higher-quality performance.
The end-of-term total evaluation of all employees is determined through a relative assessment based on two axes: performance results and the expected behavioral outcomes that the company demands from employees.The evaluation results are reflected in bonuses and other compensation.
Additionally, we have implemented an initiative to conduct 360-degree feedback, targeting employees in management positions to evaluate them comprehensively from various angles.
Career support system
The Ricoh Group is promoting employee career development support based on the idea that "employees themselves must take ownership of their careers" so that employees do not rely on the company for their own career development.
By utilizing their manager’s feedback and advice during job performance evaluation and the following career support systems, employees can autonomously form their career plans. It helps them achieve further success in their current departments, improve their skills, and realize transfers to other departments that they want to go.
Career design training
The Ricoh Group provides employees with career design training by their job titles and occupations, not by age group, so that they can receive programs that suit their career challenges regardless of age. We also distribute e-learning programs related to career design that all employees can use. It helps them easily experience the concept of career design.
In-house recruitment / in-house side business system
Ricoh Co., Ltd. has introduced a system called "in-house recruitment" and "in-house side business" in order to foster a culture in which employees autonomously form their careers and strive to realize their career goals. "In-house recruitment" is a system that allows employees to apply for recruitment of departments looking for human resources on their own initiative. "In-house side business" is a system in which employees can use part of their working hours to take up the challenge of creating work, themes, activities, etc. that they want to try in the company in parallel with their main business. These systems encourage employees to take on challenges and provide opportunities for them to play an active role. They also contribute to the growth of both employees and the company because they lead to the mobilization of human resources across departments and the expansion of contribution areas of employees’ talents.
* "In-house counseling" is an initiative only of Ricoh Co., Ltd.
Performance of human resource development
| Scope of Survey | unit | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average hours of training & development per employee | Ricoh Group total (Data coverage 100%) |
hour | 22.2 | 19.3 | 38.0 | 45.1 |
| Average amount spent on training & development per employee | Ricoh Group total (Data coverage 100%) |
JPY | 63,000 | 83,751 | 90,712 | 92,495 |
Initiatives
Manager training
The Ricoh Group in Japan provides Basic Management Training to newly appointed managers and experts to encourage them to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills within one month of assuming their new positions.
To achieve ongoing organizational goals, we aim to maximize the capabilities of the organization which managers are entrusted with. To improve practical skills, we provide training in accounting, appropriate disclosure of corporate information, basic business management, and basic CS knowledge. To create a psychologically safe work environment for their members, we provide personnel and labor management training, daily management to prevent overwork, and mental health education to provide more practical content along with skills training.
To support members' self-motivated growth, we also provide education on people management and 1-on-1 meetings to ensure acquisition of basic knowledge and skills as a manager.
We aim to achieve management transformation and improve organizational capabilities by educating all managers on the role of a manager, interviewing skills (1-on-1), how to conduct performance evaluations and evaluation feedback interviews, psychological safety and individual strengths to create a stronger organization and generate results, assertion, creating a workplace with high D&I, and management that leverages the strengths of each individual, at the Management College after acquiring the basic knowledge and skills in Management Basics.
These initiatives have yielded positive results in the 2022 fiscal year's 360-degree feedback evaluations, with a 1% improvement in empowerment towards subordinates and a 0.5% increase in transformational capabilities. Additionally, based on the results of the engagement survey, the percentage of respondents indicating "fully engaged" has increased by 3 points compared to the previous year. This indicates that the enhancement of managerial skills is consistently leading to improved employee satisfaction.
New employee training
According to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, there is data showing that 31.5% of new employees leave their jobs within three years. (As of October 2022)
The Ricoh Group provides training for new employees both during the prospective employee period and after joining the company so that they can engage in their duties with confidence and play their roles actively.
During the prospective employee period, with e-learning they learn the "work etiquette" that they should acquire as a businessperson and the "logical thinking" that is the basis of how to proceed with work. After joining the company, new employee training focuses on fostering " autonomous thinking and action" and "putting oneself in the shoes of work partners and customers," and through more practical training, cultivates the skills and confidence needed to be successful in the fields.
In addition, Ricoh Co., Ltd. supports the growth of new employees by conducting follow-up training every year for up to three years after joining the company. Moreover, we also provide young employees with generous support such as follow-up interviews to those who wish so that employees can realize their ideal state through work.
As a result of building support systems, the retention rate at the three-year mark has remained above 90%, and the engagement survey results among employees in their 20s show a high level of "fully engaged" individuals at 22%, compared to the overall average of 18%.
* Specific training content and schedule depends on the company to which they are assigned.
New employees taking training (held online)
Employee degree / certification acquisition support system
To help employees grow into "autonomous human resources", the Ricoh Group has systems to support the learning of employees.
For example, we provide training throughout the year to improve employees' business skills and strengthen their global responsiveness, such as carrying out lectures to pass the PMP® exam, which is a qualification for project management.
In addition, Ricoh Co., Ltd. also operates a "skill-up support special long-term leave system" that allows employees to take long-term leave to acquire business qualifications like degrees from graduate schools, MBAs, and MOTs in Japan and overseas.
Matching talent management with in-house posts
Ricoh Co., Ltd. is promoting a system in which employees register their skills, careers, and tasks they want to challenge as well as their hobbies and interests in the human resources database. By centrally visualizing and analyzing the collected in-house human resources data, the company can grasp what kind of human resources are in the company and utilize them for personnel strategy. We also utilize collected information for in-house job offers taking skills and backgrounds of employees into account, training support to further develop individual strengths, and promotion of communication between employees based on each other's skills and backgrounds. In addition, by linking with the above-mentioned in-house recruitment and side business system, the data is also utilized for matching works that employees want to challenge with the in-house posts.
Industry-government-academia collaboration
Ricoh Co., Ltd. strengthens industry-academia collaboration activities by participating in government R & D projects and concluding comprehensive collaboration with research institutes such as universities. Through these activities, we aim to return our knowledge to society, develop new technologies and provide employees with opportunities to learn.The development of joint training programs based on these partnerships deepens employee learning.
For example, Ricoh Co., Ltd. started our next-generation digital printing technology joint research course with Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2019. We carry out basic research specializing in elemental technologies that are the core of next-generation digital printing technology. We also conduct research activities focusing on inkjet technology that leads to high-speed and high-resolution image formation technology.
Ricoh Co., Ltd. is also actively engaged in public-private partnerships, and regularly seconds employees who want to ecperience working in public institutions. It is a great career advantage for an employee to experience work that is not available within our company and interacting with the people in government offices contributes to the expansion in an employee's range of knowledge and insight.