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Building Healthy Working Environments |
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| Keeping working hours reasonable & ensuring adequate vacations |
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| Honda has always been an industry leader in introducing shorter workweeks. We instituted a five-day workweek in 1972. Other initiatives enjoyed by associates for more than 30 years include the banning of overtime on Wednesdays and some Fridays, and the introduction of a policy encouraging all associates to use their full vacation allotments. As a result, regular working hours in FY2007 averaged 1,968 per associate and total working hours averaged 2,018. In the same year, associates averaged 18.56 paid vacation days, which puts Honda in the top tier of the automobile industry. |
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| Balancing work and family life |
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In accordance with Japan’s introduction of new laws governing parental leave, Honda submitted a two-year plan to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in April 2005.
Under this plan, Honda revised its parental leave policy in FY2007. Under the previous system, a parent could take leave until his or her child was 18 months old. Taking into accountthe timing of children’s admittance into daycare institutions, the new system allows parental leave to be extended until the April after the year the child reaches the age of three. The provisions for exemptions from overtime have also been revised. Previously they applied until the child reached the age of three; now they apply until the child enters elementary school.
Honda will continue to strive to provide working environments that help associates strike a balance between work and family life, encouraging everyone to realize their dreams, take initiatives to achieve personal goals and pursue the careers they desire. |
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| Keeping everyone healthy |
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| Honda offers ongoing, comprehensive health promotion plans to encourage associates to stay healthy and avoid lifestyle-related illnesses. Associates are offered many opportunities for regular exercise, an important means of maintaining good health. We also offer various forms of health management to help ensure that associates do not damage their health through overwork. Supervisors are trained to detect and help prevent mental health problems, while associates are provided access to counselors for guidance on health issues. Other forms of health guidance are also provided. |
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| Understanding the associate’s perspective |
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| As part of our effort to promote a positive working environment, every three years we survey all associates on how they feel about their work and working environment. The surveys cover a broad range of issues of concern to associates, and the results are applied to enhance personnel management and theworking environment. |
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| Keeping doors open |
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| • Making sure everyone has someone to talk to |
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| To help make sure everyone at Honda has a happy and positive working experience, Honda staff s the health centers at its facilities with professional counselors. |
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| • Sexual harassment policy |
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| To help prevent sexual harassment—and ensure swift and appropriate resolution should it occur—since 1999 Honda has provided clear channels through which associates are empowered to report and discuss any incidents of sexual harassment or related concerns. |
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| • Retirement planning seminars |
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| To help associates plan for retirement, Honda offers life-planning seminars focusing on issues such as health maintenance, finances and active living. |
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| • Protecting personal information |
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| To protect associates’ personal information, Honda has implemented a comprehensive information and privacy policy. |
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| An active labor union |
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| Honda has a collective agreement with the Honda Motor Workers’ Union. The company and union have enjoyed cordial, mutually supportive relations, engaging regularly in frank exchanges on key issues such as occupational health, safety, and the maintenance and improvement of employment conditions and labor stability. In collective bargaining and discussions at the labor-management committee, both sides strive to appreciate the other‘s positions and approaches with regard to production and sales activities. Differences of opinion are respected. Both sides work together to overcome challenges, strengthen bonds of trust and increase mutual understanding. Company and union have cooperated in a manner worthy of Honda to create and maintain a strong foundation for the development of positive working environments and growth for all. |
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Occupational Health and Safety |
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| Occupational health and safety: our fundamental approach |
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In the spirit of our founder’s words, “No safety, no production,” and in accordance with the principle of respect for the individual, Honda considers the safety and well being of all associates among its principal responsibilities. We strive to ensure workplace safety, as well as traffic safety for associates on their way to work. Honda is clearly defining its principles and practices and striving to be a world leader in the area of occupational health and safety.
In FY2007 we strengthened measures to ensure workplace safety, focusing on preventing accidents in the workplace, reducing the risk of fi re caused by explosions and avoiding occupational illness. We’re setting the bar high on workplace safety and applying the entire organization’s resources to achieve the goal of good health for all. |
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| Occupational health and safety promotion system |
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Health and Safety Oversight Committee |
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Checks to ensure that all health and safety policies are being implemented in workplaces throughout the company in accordance with predetermined rules and guidelines, and reports these results to the director responsible, the occupational oversight committee, and the person responsible for overall health and safety in the workplace. |
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Equipment Safety and Reliability Committee |
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In addition to verifying the safety of new or modified equipment prior to use, this committee also has specialists check to confirm that existing equipment is being maintained according to the rules, and then reports these results to the Health and Safety Management Center. |
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Mechanical Equipment Safety Standards Committee |
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Establishes and revises equipment safety standards in accordance with legal requirements and other related standards. |
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Health and Safety Supervisors’ Committee |
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Deliberates on activities pertaining to overall occupational health and safety, including disaster prevention, traffic safety and health management, and determines specific policies. |
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Health Management Center Directors’ Committee |
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Company physicians meet to deliberate and determine policies concerning physical examinations, health maintenance and improvement policies, compliance with legal reforms, and corporate inquiries. |
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Ergonomics Committee |
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Examines and determines policies for preventing musculoskeletal and other injuries due to work-related stress. |
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