Communication with Employees
Philosophy Dialogue Meetings
In February 2020, we redefined the UACJ Group philosophy and established a dedicated department with the aim of instilling the philosophy and forging a new corporate culture. Since April 2020, this department has been advancing initiatives as an organization that reports directly to the president.
Philosophy Dialogue Meetings provide an opportunity for dialogue between senior management, such as the chairman, presidents of Group companies, and manufacturing plant managers, with the aim of instilling our philosophy and improving employee engagement. The number of times that these meetings have been held and the number of participants (Group total) since April 2020 are as follows:
- Fiscal 2020: 174 times and 970 participants
- Fiscal 2021: 253 times and 1,436 participants
- Fiscal 2022: 470 times and 2,644 participants
- Fiscal 2023: 256 times and 1,751 participants
Connect Sessions
As a new opportunity for internal dialogue, UACJ has been holding Connect Session townhall style meetings since May 2024, in which the president visits domestic and overseas bases to speak directly with employees.
These sessions aim to provide employees with topics and information on aluminum trivia and its uses, which are then spread by word of mouth to participating UACJ Group employees, their families, friends and acquaintances, sparking interest in aluminum and UACJ. The sessions also seek to promote understanding by having the president himself speak about the key points of the fourth mid-term management plan, announced in May 2024.
A total of 27 sessions were scheduled for fiscal 2024, with 21 having been completed as of the end of November. Participant comments have included: "It sparked my interest in aluminum. After the session, I immediately shared what I’d learned with my colleagues at work and they got excited too," "The session did a good job of getting the president's thoughts across," and “I found it very satisfying to be able to discuss matters in a casual setting conducive to dialogue."
Taking this feedback into account, we plan to continue these sessions next fiscal year as well.
Promoting Communication
UACJ has set up suggestion boxes at its workplaces so that employees can freely submit their requests. In response to an employee request to put into a place a system for giving each other compliments, we rolled out Unipos to promote greater communication, foster a culture of praise, and instill the Group philosophy.
Unipos is a web service that allows employees to send messages of gratitude and praise on an open timeline. Since posts can be accessed equally by anyone regardless of department or position, Unipos provides an opportunity for employees who have not been in contact for years to get in touch and encourages interactions between departments, thereby helping to energize communication.