Policy on Human Rights
Skylark Group Human Rights Policy
Our human rights policy is to clearly fulfill our responsibility as a company that understands and respects the human rights of all people.
Basic Approach to Human Rights Policy
We understand and endorse the following international principles and standards to be observed with respect to human rights.
- International Bill of Human Rights (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights)
- International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
- Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Scope of Application
- All executives and employees of Skylark Group
We will strive to create an environment in which officers and employees can work in a safe and secure workplace free from discrimination and with a sense of fulfillment, as "beings whose human rights are to be respected. We also understand that our officers and employees are "beings who should respect the human rights of others," and we will put this policy into practice.
- All business partners of Skylark Group
We will continue to encourage all our business partners to support this policy and work together to respect human rights. If a business partner is found to be involved in human rights violations, we will encourage them to take corrective action.
March 10, 2023
Approved by the Board of Directors
Human Rights Due Diligence
We promote human rights due diligence based on the following process in accordance with the procedures set forth in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We are working on the management of human rights risks by continuously implementing the PDCA cycle to prevent negative impacts on human rights.
Human Rights Risk Assessment
Identification of Human Rights Issues for the Group
In order to clarify potential human rights risks in our group's business activities and value chain, we have identified possible human rights issues by referring to international guidelines such as the International Bill of Human Rights, the International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Global Compact 10 principles, and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as follows
＊ Identified Human Rights Issues
Power harassment, Sexual harassment, Excessive and unreasonable working hours, Occupational health and safety, Consumer safety and right to know, Human rights issues for supply chain, Human trafficking, Rights of foreign workers, Under/unpaid wages, Right to access remedy, Right to collective bargaining, Forced labor, child labor, Right to privacy, Discrimination, Gender-related human rights issues, Rights of local residents, Caregiver harassment, Maternity/paternity harassment, Freedom of association, Freedom of residential relocation, Bribery/corruption, Equal pay
Identification of Groups at Risk of Human Rights Challenges
We conducted an assessment of the identified risks of the Group's possible human rights issues with respect to their manifest and potential impact on our own employees, women, children, indigenous peoples, migrant workers, local communities, business partners including third parties, suppliers, and consumers.
In conducting the impact assessment, we prioritized our responses in terms of the severity of the negative human rights impacts and the likelihood of their occurrence in our human rights agenda, and developed the following human rights risk map to identify priority issues for our company.
Human Rights Risk Map
For the areas of human rights that we must respect, we have prioritized our response in terms of the items and the severity of the negative impact on human rights and the likelihood of their occurrence, and have developed the following risk map.
Promotion System for Respect for Human Rights
Integration into Internal Departments and Procedures and Implementation of Appropriate Measures
The Group will establish a human rights due diligence mechanism in accordance with procedures based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to prevent or minimize adverse human rights impacts.
If it becomes clear that the Group's business activities are causing or contributing to human rights abuses, the Group will work to correct or remedy the situation. In addition, even if our business activities do not cause or contribute to human rights violations, we will work to correct them if our products and services are directly involved in human rights violations due to our business relationships.
Under the supervision of the Board of Directors, the Sustainability Committee and the Risk Compliance Committee, both chaired by the President and Representative Director, will play a central role in this process. Under the umbrella of the Sustainability Committee, a Human Rights Subcommittee, consisting of members of the Human Resources Division, Purchasing Division, and Administration Division, has been established to take measures to respect human rights.
Follow-up (Tracing) Survey
The Sustainability Committee monitors compliance with the Human Rights Policy and tracks and evaluates the effectiveness of measures with respect to respect for human rights.
We monitor and audit all suppliers on a regular basis (once every two years in principle), regardless of whether they are in Japan or overseas and regardless of the size of their transactions. Through such monitoring and auditing, we identify suppliers with high risk of environmental and social problems and provide guidance and supervision to all suppliers through feedback. For details, please see Supply Chain
Disclosure of Information
Dialogue and Consultation with Stakeholders
In implementing our human rights policy, we understand the importance of responding from the perspective of stakeholders who may be affected by human rights violations, and we will engage in dialogue with them. In addition, we will strive to continuously improve our efforts to respect human rights by continuing dialogue and consultation with relevant stakeholders on cases of human rights violations, and by utilizing the opinions of outside experts on human rights.
Education and Awareness Activities
We will focus on education and awareness activities to promote understanding and effective implementation of our human rights policy.
- We will continue to provide appropriate training for directors and employees of our company and group companies to ensure that the human rights policy is integrated into all business activities of the Shanghai Group.
- We will also conduct awareness-raising activities to inform and educate all our business partners about our human rights policy.
Disclosure and Monitoring
We will disclose information on our efforts to respect human rights on a regular basis through communication channels, such as Skylark Holdings website, in order to monitor compliance with our human rights policies and to ensure accountability.
Inquiry Counter
By establishing multiple consultation services with different content, we have established a system that contributes to daily care and support as well as early detection of human rights risks and appropriate measures.
| Target |
Name |
Contact |
Content |
Employee
|
Harassment Consultation Desk |
External Specialized Contact |
Consultation on general harassment |
| Employee Consultation Desk |
Internal Human Resources Department |
Consultation on general harassment |
| Whistleblower Consultation Desk |
External Specialized Contact |
Whistleblowing regarding fraud and legal violations
|
| Health Consultation Desk |
External Specialized Contact |
Health, counseling, and other consultations |
| Next Generation Development Consultation Desk |
Internal Human Resources Department |
Consultation on childcare, childcare leave, etc. |
| Global Human Resources Consultation Desk |
Internal Human Resources Department |
Consultation for foreign employees on concerns and worries related to daily life, work, and employment |
| Customers |
Customer Service |
Internal Customer Service Department |
General consultation with customers |
| Business partners |
Dedicated whistleblower contact point for business partners |
External Specialized Contact |
General consultation from business partners |
Initiatives for Foreign Workers
Employment of Foreigners
Skylark Group has approximately 2,000 foreign employees of various nationalities working in about 26 countries. Regarding the acceptance of technical intern trainees from Vietnam, which began in 2016, approximately 200 people are currently working at the company's food and logistics plants. In 2022, a new system of specified skills has introduced to promote the activities of foreign human resources.
|
FY2017 |
FY2018 |
FY2019 |
FY2020 |
FY2021 |
| Employment rate of foreigners |
2.27% |
2.70% |
2.72% |
2.28% |
1.92% |
| Actual number of foreign employees |
2,409 |
2,986 |
3,089 |
2,266 |
1,876 |
※Employment numbers have decreased in FY2020 and FY2021 due to COVID-19
【Examples of Store Initiatives】
For foreign employees working in our stores, we have prepared videos explaining basic operations that can be viewed on tablet terminals. The video is available in four languages (English, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese) and the manual is easy to understand visually to ensure smooth acceptance of foreign employees.
In addition, to ensure that foreign workers can work with peace of mind, we have set up a dedicated telephone line for foreign workers called the "Global Human Resources Desk" within the company. We are working to improve the system. In addition, we are working to further expand the complaint and consultation services for foreign workers by providing information on external consultation services as part of our efforts to support foreign workers.
【Technical Internship Program】
After the technical intern trainees arrive in Japan, we familiarize them with the legal protection system for foreign workers, including labor-related laws and regulations. We also maintain close contact and consultation with the Technical Intern Training Organization for Foreigners throughout the apprenticeship period to enhance the effectiveness of our respect for human rights.
In addition, in cooperation with the supervisory organization, we confirm the proper management of respect for human rights at the sending organization. In accepting technical intern trainees from Vietnam, we limit the number of sending organizations to those that are members of the "Vietnam Association of Sending Agencies" (VAMAS), thereby promoting ethical and fair sending in compliance with not only Vietnamese domestic laws, but also international laws.
As a company that respects human rights, we will continue to make every effort to ensure that the technical internship system is used in a manner that takes human rights into consideration.
【Skills-specific Program】
From 2022, we have begun hiring based on "specified skills," a status of residence for foreign nationals with skills related to food and beverage manufacturing.
We are working with support organizations and consultation services for foreign employment support to provide an appropriate working environment in accordance with the operational guidelines.
Furthermore, in 2023, we hire interpreters as full-time employees and actively lean on them in terms of both time and content to improve the treatment of foreign workers so that they can lead their lives with even greater peace of mind and safety, thereby improving respect for the human rights of all foreign workers.
Other Key Initiatives
For details, please see Approach to Human Rights