Skylark Group is practicing sustainability management to realize our Purpose, which is "Contributing to Life Enrichment and Advancement of Society by Creating the Future of Dining".
In our corporate management, we recognize the growing importance of value co-creation with a wide range of stakeholders, including our customers, business partners, employees, shareholders and investors, local communities and stakeholders*, and the global environment. Accordingly, we are committed to appropriate collaboration with these multi-stakeholders. These efforts are led by our Sustainability Committee, which operates under the supervision of the Board of Directors. The committee is chaired by the President and COO, with its members including the Chairman and CEO, Executive Officers, and presidents of our Group companies.
*Local communities and local stakeholders
We value our connection with the local communities where our stores are located, and in accordance with our Stakeholder Engagement Policy, we identify people in the community who are impacted by our business activities. Specifically, these include local residents, municipal governments, local organizations such as NPOs and NGOs, local schools and educational institutions, and the local media. Our engagement strategy views collaboration with these local stakeholders as a key element. Among them, we strive to identify potentially vulnerable people and understand the potential inequitable impacts of our business activities. This includes considering the needs of those in economically challenging situations (economic criteria), the elderly (social criteria), and those who may be disadvantaged by living in specific geographic areas (geographical criteria).
We believe that the appropriate distribution of revenue and results generated through value co-creation and productivity improvements to our stakeholders is essential for sustainable economic development. Therefore, we consider it important to reinvest in our employees and give due consideration to our business partners, and will advance the following initiatives.
1.Giving Back to Employees
We have set "Positive Work Environment / Employee Engagement" as one of our most important values, and each and every employee works together with his or her colleagues to create a cheerful workplace.
We will focus on maximizing added value by actively investing in the growth of all employees and the creation of a safe and secure living environment, thereby ensuring the sustainable growth and productivity of our group.In addition, as a human resource development policy, we believe that the growth of human resources is the greatest growth strategy, and in order to improve employees' knowledge and individual skills and maximize educational opportunities, we have established an environment in which employees can learn what they want to learn when they want to learn it without any burden, according to training content and purpose, including group training, web training, on-demand training and e-learning, and on-site operation training.
We practice employee development training with the goal of instilling our corporate philosophy, Purpose, Mission, and Values and enabling each individual to embody them.
In addition, with regard to raising wages, we are responding flexibly and promptly by taking a sincere approach through labor-management consultations, introducing a childcare support allowance system, and providing a temporary inflation allowance, while taking into account our profitability as a company and social conditions.We are also actively working to improve employee engagement by expanding non-wage benefits and offering a variety of work styles to suit life events.
We aim to continuously return profits to our employees through ongoing investments in human resources, such as the implementation of employee surveys on the workplace and work for the purpose of improving the workplace environment and human resource development, and the introduction of "Meeting For You," a one-on-one meeting for subordinates to further strengthen communication between supervisors and subordinates.
2. Consideration for Business Partners
We will continue our efforts to comply with the contents of the Declaration of Partnership Building.
3. Initiatives for Local Communities and Other Stakeholders
To ensure we grow and develop together with local communities, we promote the following stakeholder engagement activities at all of our stores.
Assessing Community Impact
To regularly assess the potential impacts of our business activities on local stakeholders, we have established a "Customer Feedback" system. This system allows opinions and requests from customers and local stakeholders, gathered at our stores and through the Customer Service Office, to be viewed daily by all management levels and departments, enabling swift improvements. Through this process, we reduce confusion that can arise from miscommunication and mitigate potential issues.
Clear Communication Channels
We maintain diverse channels to ensure smooth communication with local stakeholders. These include in-store surveys, direct dialogue with our employees, inquiry forms on our website, and participation in local community events.
Enhancing Stakeholder Communication
We are advancing initiatives that empower stakeholders to more proactively share their opinions and requests with us. These include enhancing the information we disclose on our website and in-store ordering terminals, as well as providing forums for exchanging views.
Regular Surveys and Reviews
To understand how our engagement strategy is being received, we regularly conduct surveys and discussions. We then analyze the results and use them to drive improvements.
Identifying New Concerns
To promptly identify emerging concerns in the local community, our store managers actively engage in local activities. This allows them to understand the needs of the community as we aim for a better coexistence.
Grievance Tracking System
We manage all complaints and communications from the local community, overseeing the entire process from receipt to resolution. This includes considering preventative measures against recurrence and managing the number and details of all cases. Through prompt and appropriate responses, we strive to secure the trust of the local community.
https://corp.skylark.co.jp/en/sustainability/governance/human_rights/
We sincerely engage with all opinions and requests we receive and seek to create value through management guided by ESG perspectives.
February 9, 2024
Approved by the Group Sustainability Committee