Talent Development Sustainability
Basic Concept
People are one of our greatest assets, and the growth of our human capital is the source of our company growth. We conduct a broad range of HR development programs based on the belief that developing employees to have high-level perspectives, innovative qualities, and imagination, and sharing a diverse range of knowledge creates a strong organization.
We launched a new HR system in FY 2022 to pass down the GOLDWIN DNA that has become our legacy over more than 70 years and produce human capital to drive business growth. Our newly established HR Management Policy sets forth “Even amid an uncertain business environment, develop and secure professional human capital to enable sustainable company growth” as our Basic Policy of Human Capital. We have defined our model HR based on this, and it also forms the cornerstone of our HR development.
Human capital with advanced specialization able to demonstrate imagination with a customer focus
Human resources capable of seeing things from the perspectives of others and conceptualizing and promoting new businesses by thinking differently to others and applying high levels of expertise (knowledge and skills)
Human capital able to independently perform their roles and responsibilities and take on challenges
Human resources who have a keen awareness of the roles and responsibilities required of them in order to achieve results as a team (organization), who take responsibility for their actions, and who are willing to take on new challenges.
Human capital who respect individuals’ attributes, embrace teamwork, and achieve growth
Human resources who, in addition to maximizing their individual abilities, take full advantage of the resources of the team (organization), and who promote business from the optimal company-wide perspective
Talent Development
To support the individual growth of employees, we have established our training system from a long-term perspective. It comprises four main types of training: level-based training, management-level training, selective training, and companywide training. Our HR development programs use a combination of internal and outside instructors and aim to create various opportunities that spark imagination and innovation. In FY 2022, we focused on implementing training for a wide range of employees with the aim of increasing engagement through direct dialogue between top management and employees in order to foster a corporate culture. This included Chairman Training and President Talk & Training sessions. We also launched a new supply chain management training program for select employees to nurture leaders capable of efficiently managing the entire supply chain. In FY 2023, we will expand the program to include a wider range of employees.
| FY 2019 | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual hours of companywide education and trainings taken | Total of 218 people | Total of 399 people | Total of 309 people | Total of 1,246 people |
| Total cost of companywide education and trainings | 74.51 million yen | 77.34 million yen | 46.67 million yen | 50.25 million yen |
| Training hours per employee (average) | 2.01 hours | 2.64 hours | 2.39 hours | 3.64 hours |
Company Level-based Trainings
We provide trainings corresponding to different company levels, from new employees to mid-level employees and managers. We support employees so that they can acquire the skills they need to perform their current job duties with the aim of raising the level of our organization.
| Training | Training hours per person (hours) |
Participants (person) | Training purpose and content | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2019 | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2022 | |||
| New employee training | 78 hours | 40 | 29 | 34 | 13 | This training is designed to have talent engaged in processes from planning and production to sales at a sports manufacturer, experience jobs other than their own, and leverage this experience in their work. New graduate employees and mid-career hires regularly participate in this training at Goldwin Tech Lab, our R&D center. New employees learn about our corporate history in the archive corner, and learn the basics of manufacturing by practicing sewing to create their own sports apparel. |
| Mid-level employee training | Not held | 22 | 19 | 14 | Not held | Employees gain an understanding of their own interpersonal style, and study key points in deepening ties with others (social skills in interpersonal relations). Employees gain experience-based understanding of model ways to have a team with strong ties. |
| Post-promotion training | 4 hours | 60 | 49 | 38 | 58 | Training to improve mindset and motivation, targeting employees promoted from part-time sales positions |
| Mid-career sales employee training | 3 hours | 11 | 43 | 28 | 25 | Training to improve mindset and motivation, targeting mid-career sales recruits |
| Basic sales training | 38 hours | 11 | 15 | 15 | 7 | Basic sales training for new graduate sales associates |
Management-level Training
Employees in managerial positions receive training to improve the management skills they need to have when managing an organization. With the introduction of the new HR system in FY 2022, we have held evaluator study sessions and feedback interview briefing sessions to ensure a better understanding of the system and to share the evaluation axes.
| Training | Training hours per person (hours) |
Participants (person) | Training purpose and content | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2019 | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2022 | |||
| New leader training | Not held | 24 | 23 | 30 | Not held | This training creates the foundational knowledge and base for GOLDWIN managerial positions for employees assuming their first managerial position. |
| New manager training |
21 hours | 13 | 25 | 16 | 90 | The following three areas form the training curriculum designed to have employees make contributions as managers leading the future of GOLDWIN. (1) The basic roles managers are expected to perform (2) Skills to get the most out of teams, and skills to direct and support team members (3) Self-understanding as a manager |
| Basic management training | 15 hours | ― | 85 | 27 | 21 | Training to understand the role of store managers |
| Middle management training | 36 hours | 4 | 0 | 10 | 15 | A program of 12 training sessions for general managers and above to systematically acquire the management skills needed as business leaders and to cultivate a companywide management perspective |
| New area manager training | 0 hours | 0 | 20 | 6 | 0 | Training for recognizing the role of area managers in achieving sound store operations |
| New supervisor training | 3 hours | 26 | 30 | 19 | 21 | Training to learn the supervisor duties of new store managers |
| Management training | 11 hours | Not held | Not held | Not held | 126 | Training for employees in positions of general manager to improve their management skills (7 sessions in 2022) |
| Evaluator training for the new HR system | 2 hours | 126 | Evaluator study sessions and feedback interview briefing sessions following the introduction of the new HR system, to ensure a better understanding of the system and to share the evaluation axes | |||
Selective Trainings
We select high-performing employees for strategic development as future management candidates. We encourage them to acquire practical knowledge and specialized skills through various trainings. In FY 2022, we held a two-day, one-night Chairman Training program for mid-career recruits in the Toyama area, where the Toyama Office is located, to better foster a corporate culture. We also held a Supply Chain Management Training program for select employees to nurture leaders capable of efficiently managing the entire supply chain. In FY 2023, we will expand the program to include a wider range of employees.
| Training | Training hours per person (hours) |
Participants (person) | Training purpose and content | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2019 | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2022 | |||
| Selected young employee training | 20 hours | 6 | 0 | 18 | 6 | Program designed to train selected employees in the logical thinking skills that businesspeople should acquire in order to continue to achieve results (problem-solving, communication, decision-making skills, etc.) |
| IFI training |
Not held | 1 | 1 | 7 | Not held | (MD course) Program to acquire knowledge on marketing, branding, merchandising, etc., as well as to learn practical information linked to sales, such as strengthening sales skills, VMD, and inventory control (Store operations course) Program designed to develop store personnel capable of increasing brand assets, including sales promotion, strengthening sales skills, store operations, and VMD |
| Customer service training | 14 hours | 0 | 60 | 40 | 80 | Training program to learn service styles and to acquire customer service skills that inspire customers |
| Leader development training | 14 hours | 0 | 0 | 7 | 19 | Training for leaders to learn how to effectively nurture subordinates |
| Chairman Training | 13 hours | 211 | A two-day, one-night Chairman Training program is held for mid-career recruits in the Toyama area, where the Toyama Office is located. On the first day, participants listen to a lecture from the Chairman about GOLDWIN’s history, before visiting the Remembrance Monument, which honors our predecessors who played a supporting role in the company’s development, as well as GOLF CLUB GOLDWIN. On the second day of training, after visiting GOLDWIN Logitem, which is responsible for our Group’s logistics function, participants listen to a lecture about manufacturing with top athletes, before taking part in technical training on printing and sewing at GOLDWIN TECH LAB as an opportunity to get firsthand experience in manufacturing. The training program is designed to allow employees to experience GOLDWIN’s history and corporate culture, and to understand our technological strengths. | |||
Companywide Trainings
We have developed various training programs for all employees. We encourage employees to take these trainings to help strengthen our HR capabilities. In FY 2022, the president of GOLDWIN held President Talk & Training sessions to heighten engagement through direct dialogue and exchange of opinions with employees. Training was held in groups of 20–25 and targeted employees in non-sales positions. In FY 2023, the training program will be expanded to include sales associates.
| Training | Training hours per person (hours) |
Participants (person) | Training purpose and content |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2022 | |||
| President Talk & Training | 2 hours | 773 | A program designed to instill GOLDWIN’s philosophy by having the president communicate and share the company’s philosophy and vision for the future directly with employees |
Other Training Programs
School of S2AT
GOLDWIN has been running the School of S2AT since November 2020. S2AT stands for Sports, Science, Art, and Technology. Described as an in-house university for all employees, the aim of this original training program is to nurture the creativity of each and every employee. The program regularly invites people who are active at the forefront of their respective fields, and is facilitated by employees to refine their intuition and sensitivity through various hands-on experiences in the field. In FY 2022, a total of six online training sessions were held.
Overseas language training
To develop global human resources who will support our business overseas, we invite regular employees and contract employees (including sales associates) who have been with GOLDWIN for three or more years to participate in our overseas language training program. Applicants need to be recommended by their supervisors to apply, and following a document screening and interview process, final selections are made by the Executive Management Meeting. The departments to which selected employees will be assigned upon their return to Japan are decided in advance. They then spend six months living with a local family while improving their language skills and gaining experience working at a local Goldwin store. Between FY 2018 and FY 2020, two employees took advantage of this training program. So far, the program has been implemented in the US. The program has been suspended since FY 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but is scheduled to resume as soon as the situation allows.
“GREEN IS GOOD” sustainability workshop
Under a banner of “GREEN IS GOOD,” GOLDWIN aims to reduce its environmental impact and develop environmentally friendly products. By developing products and adopting mechanisms that are considerate to the environment, we strive to make contributions, however small, to the creation of a sustainable society. We hold regular sustainability workshops to unify our approach toward the environment and to proactively apply it to our future product planning. In addition to holding lectures on environmental issues, we also run workshops on different themes each time to raise awareness for the environment. In FY 2022, a lecture and workshop on GREEN IS GOOD was led by the GOLDWIN Group Committee, a group of GOLDWIN employee representatives. Kenji Takasugi of JEPLAN, INC. was invited to talk about environmental issues related to clothing and about the process from collection to recycling. In the workshop, based on the content of Takasugi’s lecture, participants experienced the task of sorting clothes by looking at the composition labels of actual clothing placed in the collection boxes set up in our stores. The COVID-19 pandemic meant in-person participation was limited to 19 sales associates and 17 office workers, with other employees participating online or watching the archived workshop after the event.
Universal Manners training
The diverse experiences and backgrounds of individual employees are the driving force supporting and growing business. At GOLDWIN, we have been promoting diversity inclusion based on the belief that respecting diverse perspectives and values is important to achieving sustainable growth and improving corporate value. As part of our efforts in FY 2022, we held training in universal manners for participants to gain understanding and basic knowledge of people with disabilities, LGBTQ people, and people from other diverse groups, and to learn how to support them. Toshiya Kakiuchi, Representative Director of the Japan Universal Manners Association, was invited to present a lecture to all employees on the theme “Barrier Value: Transforming Barriers into Value.” The talk was presented online and archived for viewing later. In FY 2023, we will also be subsidizing employees to take the Universal Manners Certification Level 3 course.
“Sales Convention” customer service role-playing contest
The GOLDWIN Group has placed a strong emphasis on interactive communication, proposing new experiences to customers by directly informing them through point-of-sale interactions at directly managed and self-managed stores about the functions and uses of the products it plans and develops, as well as about situations in which its products should be worn and precautions that should be taken. One way that we aim to improve the customer service skills of our sales staff is through our annual “Sales Convention” customer service role-playing contest. The convention was shelved in FY 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but is scheduled for resumption as soon as the situation allows.
Training for overseas assignees
GOLDWIN Group provides pre-deployment training for employees who have been selected for overseas assignment. Apart from language training, participants undertake comprehensive learning about the various procedures for passports, visas, insurance, medical checkups, and so on, as well as about life in general on assignment, such as housing and education for children. There were no overseas assignments in FY 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they will be resumed as circumstances allow.
Career Development Support for Employees
GOLDWIN provides a variety of support, such as through workshops and interviews, as well as assistance for skills testing, to help employees develop their diverse talents and achieve their career aspirations. We also have a system in place that makes it easier to reflect the wishes of employees when deciding where they are assigned. Another way we support the further career development of our employees is by subsidizing their fees for various certifications and qualifications aimed at improving their manufacturing techniques and skills and improving the quality and performance of our textile products. In FY 2023, we also plan to establish a system that backs up the career development of employees by increasing the number of interviews employees have with their supervisors each year from two to four.
Career and Development (C&D)
Once a year, GOLDWIN has all employees in positions of general manager and below (including contract employees) fill out a career development card. It is an online questionnaire that asks employees about their views on their own careers and about work-related challenges. The questionnaire also includes items related to staff transfer requests, which are used as a basis for companywide personnel allocations. Career development cards allow employees to tell the company how they want to work in the future and to be proactively involved in selecting the department and location where they work.
In FY 2022, 103 office workers and 161 sales staff put in transfer requests, of which 17 were relocated to the department of their choice.
Internal Recruitment System
When launching a new department, we conduct internal recruiting as required so that the desired personnel can be assigned to it. Applicant employees are rigorously selected from among those who are determined to meet the necessary criteria for the work following a screening by the new department and by the Human Resources Headquarters. Internal recruiting occurs irregularly and was not conducted during FY 2022. As a transfer mechanism that places emphasis on the wishes of employees, we plan to conduct internal recruiting from FY 2023 onward, depending on circumstances.
Assistance with skill tests, etc.
GOLDWIN supports the further career advancement of its employees by subsidizing the examination fees for various examinations and qualifications with the aim of improving their manufacturing abilities and skills and the quality and performance of fiber products.
| Certification/qualification | Frequency | Subsidy | Number of currently certified employees | Employees certified in FY 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ready-Made Womenswear and Childrenswear, Grade 1 and Grade 2 | Once every year | Company subsidizes 50% of the examination fee | 23 | 2 x Grade 1,1 x Grade 2 |
| Textiles Evaluation Specialist (TES) examination | Company subsidizes 100% of the examination fee | 90 | 7 | |
| Ready-Made Womenswear and Childrenswear Pattern Making, Grade 1 and Grade 2 | Once every 2 years | Company subsidizes 50% of the examination fee | 10 | 0 |
| Sewing Machine Maintenance, Grade 1 and Grade 2 | Company subsidizes 50% of the examination fee | 41 | 2 x Grade 1, 3 x Grade 2 |
Career Counseling Office and Career Workshops
Employees are given regular career consultations in order to 1) be able to objectively view their own situation in the context of social changes, 2) become aware of and understand the changes and apply them to their own situation, and 3) have opportunities to consider their own strengths and skills to survive and thrive in the future.
We also hold age-specific career workshops once a year for employees aged 50 and 55, 40 and 45, and 30 and 35, providing them with an opportunity to reflect on their own careers according to their specific stage in life.
In FY 2022, 32 50-year-old and 15 55-year-old employees attended the 50s Career Workshop (32 50-year-old and nine 55-year-old employees attended the follow-up session); 20 40-year-old and 14 45-year-old employees attended the 40s Career Workshop (14 40-year-old and 10 45-year-old employees attended the follow-up session); and 17 30-year-old and 12 35-year-old employees attended the 30s Career Workshop. Furthermore, the Career Counseling Office offers individual meetings with career consultants throughout the year for anyone interested.
Feedback from users
(Helpful comments)
Comments from employees in their 30s
- With more and more people working remotely and joining the company mid-career, it was nice to be able to connect with people about my age from other departments.
- It was useful to learn about the attitudes and approaches to work by people of the same age.
- I was able to get my head around my own career, not only by input, but also by output, especially in group work, and through feedback from the instructors and other participants. I feel that the output was especially good.
Comments from employees in their 40s
- Looking back on my career, I was able to rediscover my own strengths. I gained new perspectives by talking to people with various different careers and to similarly aged people from other divisions within the company.
- It was good that I could reframe and reflect on my own career through communicating with the group. It was also good to learn about people from my generation.
- At this age, we are not new graduate hires, so there were many things I could relate to, realize, and learn from.
Comments from employees in their 50s
- It was an opportunity to think about how I work and how I feel in my 50s.
- It was a good opportunity for me to re-examine my own past career and to think about how I will spend the next 10 years from various perspectives.
- I was able to reaffirm my own past career. Also, hearing about the concerns and thoughts of others in my generation was both reassuring and helpful to me.
Future Issues
Under the new HR system that we started in FY 2022, we are putting effort into presenting the company’s development policy and model HR more clearly to employees. In order to maximize human capital, we aim to run a system that accelerates the self-development of employees and inspires them to take on challenges, by proactively providing training designed to develop potential and creating an environment in which individual employees can consider their own career development. We will also inform every employee in a clear and simple manner what support measures are available for them.