Respecting Diversity
Employment and Promotion of Diverse Human Resources
Canon's corporate philosophy of kyosei calls upon us to work to achieve a sustainable society in which all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, can live harmoniously and work together into the future.
Canon respects cultural diversity, and actively pursues fair employment and promotion practices without regard to gender, age, or disability.
Promoting Success for Women
Canon Inc. supports women in developing their careers by creating a work environment in which women can remain active.
As of the end of 2011, the average length of employment at Canon Inc. was roughly equivalent for men and women: 16.1 years for men and 15.9 for women. There are now 167 women who hold positions at the level of assistant manager or higher, and among those 59 have attained full managerial rank.
Canon will continue to recognize the individual aptitudes and skills of employees, positively expanding the scope of activities of female staff.
| Category | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | Definitions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of employees | Male | 18,739 | 20,824 | 21,259 | 21,772 | 21,511 | Employees (other than directors) at Canon Inc., not including employees dispatched within and outside Japan |
| Female | 3,641 | 4,588 | 4,424 | 4,247 | 3,938 | ||
| Total | 22,380 | 25,412 | 25,683 | 26,019 | 25,449 | ||
| Average age | Male | 39.5 | 39.6 | 39.0 | 39.7 | 40.5 | Employees (other than fixed-term contract employees) at Canon Inc., not including domestic/overseas dispatched employees |
| Female | 38.6 | 38.4 | 37.3 | 38.3 | 39.5 | ||
| Total | 39.4 | 39.4 | 38.7 | 39.4 | 40.4 | ||
| Average years of service | Male | 16.1 | 15.7 | 14.6 | 15.4 | 16.1 | |
| Female | 16.9 | 16.1 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.9 | ||
| Total | 16.2 | 15.8 | 14.4 | 15.2 | 16.1 | ||
| Number of managerial staff | Male | 3,978 | 4,090 | 4,029 | 4,129 | 4,159 | Graded employees (mainly full-time or part-time employees) at Canon Inc., not including domestic/overseas dispatched employees Percentage of female managerial staff indicates the overall share of managerial positions held by females |
| Female | 51 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 59 | ||
| Total | 4,029 | 4,144 | 4,084 | 4,185 | 4,218 | ||
| Percentage of female managerial staff | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.4% | ||
| Number of hires | Male | 726 | 792 | 985 | 335 | 320 | Employees hired through regular recruitment (not including mid-career hires) |
| Female | 82 | 146 | 137 | 36 | 59 | ||
| Total | 808 | 938 | 1,122 | 371 | 379 |
Promoting Employment of Persons With Disabilities
Respecting the ideal of normalization* as advocated by the United Nations, Canon actively employs persons with disabilities. We are striving to enhance our capability to accept such employees through various means, such as improving our facilities for barrier-free access. Moreover, each year we conduct interviews with new employees who have disabilities and their supervisors. Our goal is to create a more comfortable work environment for these employees.
As of the end of 2011, Canon Inc. employed more than 367 disabled persons as full-time employees in an array of positions. This brings the percentage of disabled employees to 2%, which is higher than the 1.8% rate mandated by the Japanese government.
We will continue our initiatives to expand employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
- *The Ideal of Normalization
According to the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons in the United Nation's International Year of Disabled Persons, society is made up of many different types of people and it is normal for people with and without disabilities to co-exist in all settings. Therefore, we should create an environment in which everyone can live and work together.
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employees | 288 | 328 | 341 | 365 | 367 |
| Percentage （%） | 1.86 | 1.78 | 1.83 | 1.93 | 2.00 |
Disabled Employee Support Forum
In February 2012, Oita Canon and the Gyoun Welfare Association held the Disabled Employee Support Forum at Canon Inc.'s Oita Manufacturing Training Center. The event, aimed at promoting employment of intellectually challenged persons to concerned parties from governmental bodies, welfare organizations, educational institutions, and private companies, welcomed approximately 160 participants.
Participants from welfare organizations and private companies presented reports focusing on the forum's theme of "Achieving a society in which the severely disabled can continue to work." Oita Canon reported on its efforts to deal with the issue of supporting employment of the intellectually challenged, and described its efforts to expand job fields for the disabled through the use of karakuri (mechanical tools). The Gyoun Welfare Association introduced Canon Wind, which is managed through a division of duties between a private sector company and a welfare organization based on their respective strengths.
Canon Wind was established in 2008 as a joint venture by Oita Canon and the Gyoun Welfare Association, and currently employs 18 workers involved in pre-assembly work for digital cameras, packaging of equipment included with digital cameras and the like. During the forum's keynote speech, Canon Wind was given high marks for achieving a 100% employee retention rate.
Display corner featuring mechanical tools used at Canon Wind
Disabled Employee Support Forum
Re-employment after Retirement
Canon Inc. wholeheartedly embraces and promotes the concept of active aging to maximize the wealth of experience and knowledge of its veteran staff. In 1977, Canon Inc. was one of the first companies in Japan to set its retirement age at 60. In 1982, we introduced a system for re-employing retired employees until the age of 63.
In 2000, we partially revised our system for re-employment after retirement and introduced a system of open recruitment for re-employment posts. Further, we raised the upper limit for re-employment to 65 in 2007, and in 2009 introduced a framework that allows part-time work, providing re-employed staff more flexibility in selecting their work patterns.
In 2011, 171 (55.3%) of the 309 employees who reached retirement age chose re-employment, with 540 working under this system by the end of that year. These veterans work effectively, putting their experience and expertise to good use in various ways, such as handing down their skills as "master craftsmen", or acting as prior-art technology examiners, promoters of intellectual property, career counselors, and quality or environmental inspectors.
The employment of senior citizens is an issue faced by Japanese society as a whole, and Canon Inc. will fulfill its corporate social responsibility by continuing to promote employment measures for seniors.
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employees reaching retirement age (No.) | 193 | 269 | 267 | 234 | 309 |
| Re-employed (No.) | 90 | 138 | 151 | 139 | 171 |
| Re-employed (%) | 46.6 | 51.3 | 56.6 | 59.4 | 55.3 |
| Employees using the re-employment system (No.) | 220 | 296 | 361 | 451 | 540 |
Hiring and Utilizing a Global Workforce
Canon conducts business globally, employing more than 190,000 employees around the world. As the globalization of the marketplace continues apace, Canon seeks to become even more internationally competitive through active efforts such as the localization of human resources and promoting international personnel exchanges.
Promoting Localization at Group Companies
Following our corporate philosophy of kyosei, Canon seeks to prosper together with all of the countries and regions of the world in which we operate, building better ties as we move forward with globalization.
As such, Canon appoints appropriate personnel, regardless of nationality, as presidents and managers of overseas subsidiaries in each country and region where it operates.
| The Americas | Europe | Asia (Excluding Japan) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presidents | 53 | 75 | 25 |
| Managers | 82 | 93 | 80 |
Promoting Hiring of Non-Japanese Employees
Canon Inc. began actively recruiting non-Japanese university graduates in 2011 with the goal of bringing onboard superior talent from around the world, irrespective of nationality. This resulted in an increase in the number of non-Japanese university graduate hires, from two technical staff in 2010 to 10 technical staff and four clerical staff in 2011.
We are seeking to promote further hiring of non-Japanese employees by training personnel conducting job interviews, and at the same time we are following up on the progress of non-Japanese recruits by conducting interviews with their direct superiors and other such measures.
Active International Personnel Exchanges
Canon established the Canon Global Assignment Policy (C-GAP), an international assignment system for our global Group companies, in 1998.
C-GAP is a system that provides local hires with broader opportunities for service throughout the world as "global assignees."
This program creates active international personnel exchanges, not only to other countries from Japan, where Group headquarters are located, but also from other countries to Japan, from the United States to Asia, etc. The goal is to promote global business cooperation and the development of human resources capable of functioning at the global level.
C-GAP is a global personnel policy shared by our Group companies, and personnel regulations in Japan, the United States and Europe are established based upon it. Combining these regulations allows them to share basic philosophies and structures, while providing for flexibility in dealing with the special characteristics of each region, such as laws and culture.
Intercultural Training Seminars at Operational Sites in Europe
As a global company that maintains production sites and business offices throughout the world, Canon works hard to create a workplace environment and a corporate climate that respect diversity, and encourage employees, who are of a variety of nationalities as well as ethnic, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, to respect the individuality of their colleagues.
Canon Europe, which manages sites in a number of countries and regions, has since 2008 been holding Cross Cultural Awareness Workshops to provide opportunities for learning to work effectively in a multicultural setting.
The participants use analysis tools to examine and discuss cultural issues, and to try to find ways to solve the issues that arise in a multicultural environment.
These workshops were held 25 times in 2011 at four sites in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria, with a total of approximately 500 participants. This represents a broad increase over the previous year in regard to the number of sites and participants. As a result, cross-cultural understanding and respect for cultural diversity among employees have continued to grow. We are planning to continue with these workshops while also considering the possibility of expanding the number of countries and regions where the workshops are held.
Intercultural training seminar at Canon Europe
