In today’s globalized market where free trade is on the rise, companies have a significant impact, both positive and negative, on human rights. Operating worldwide, the JVCKENWOOD Group recognizes the need to respect the human rights of all stakeholders that have an interest in its operations, including employees and suppliers, while ensuring fair labor practices. We are taking a wide range of measures to fulfill our responsibilities as a global company by sharing our human rights policy and initiatives across the Group while establishing and administering a relevant management system.
The JVCKENWOOD Group respects the human rights of all stakeholders who are concerned with its business activities and supply chain. The Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights was issued by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2011 against a backdrop of growing concern over the impact of globalizing corporate operations on human rights. They provide steps in which business should take to prevent or mitigate the negative impacts on human rights that could happen within its business operations and supply chains. In addition, the Government of Japan launched Japan’s National Action Plan (NAP) on Business and Human Rights (2020-2025) for promoting respect for human rights in the context of business activities in October 2020. To be in line with the principles and NAP, the JVCKENWOOD Group established the JVCKENWOOD Group Human Rights Policy to clearly express its commitment to respect human rights.
This policy requires not only our own officers and employees, but also all external partners in the value chain, including business partners and suppliers that may have an impact through our business. We will actively work to address this issue appropriately through stakeholder engagement. The Group will continue to promote activities to respect human rights within its business operations.
Under the supervisory responsibility of the CEO, JVCKENWOOD Group's Sustainability Management Office takes the lead in implementing risk management related to human rights. In addition, the Sustainability Management Office. conducts annual risk surveillance at all business sites that specializes in human rights risk. We have also established a company-wide system in which matters identified through risk surveillance that require company-wide initiatives through the Enterprise Risk Management Conference.
Please see Enterprise Risk Management for specific risk surveillance mechanisms.
As a company engaged in global manufacturing, the JVCKENWOOD Group recognizes the need to consider a wide range of human rights. We consider not only the human rights of our own employees, but also the human rights of local residents who may be affected through our business activities, and human rights in the supply chain.
Since 2021, we have been conducting an annual human rights risk surveillance process for our global workforce. In December 2022, based on the results of human rights risk surveillance, international norms, domestic laws, and trends in each country, the company-wide risk management meeting identified four salient human rights issues.
1. Employee Labor Management
The JVCKENWOOD Group strives to properly manage employee working hours, breaks, and holidays in accordance with local labor standards laws and Group company's employment regulations. In addition, we are actively working to reform work styles by making working hours visible, promoting the use of planned leave, and promoting telework.
2. Protection of Consumer Personal Information
The JVCKENWOOD Group complies with the laws, guidelines, and other norms of each country regarding the protection of personal information, as well as the JVCKENWOOD Group Privacy Policy. We have established rules, manuals, and guidelines for the safe management of personal data, and also have taken appropriate measures to ensure the safe management of personal data. (Including personal data handling rules, training for employees, etc.).
3. Discrimination and Harassment of Employees
The JVCKENWOOD Group clearly states "Respect for Human Rights and Elimination of Discrimination" as part of its commitment in the "JVCKENWOOD Group Human Rights Policy". We respect basic human rights and prohibit all forms of discrimination based on race, creed, age, social status, family origin, nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation/gender identity, and disability are prohibited.
We also respect the human rights of workers and do not tolerate inhumane treatment, such as mental or physical abuse, coercion, harassment, or the performance of any act that could lead to such treatment.
4. Forced Labor and Child Labor in the Supply Chain
The JVCKENWOOD Group has established the "JVCKENWOOD CSR Procurement Guidelines" and asks our business partners to understand and cooperate with these guidelines. We disseminate the specifics of the "JVCKENWOOD CSR Procurement Guidelines" to our business partners at partners' meetings and ask for their cooperation in our ongoing SAQ surveys.
The JVCKENWOOD Group will strive to identify, avoid, and mitigate negative impacts on human rights by conducting human rights due diligence on its business activities.
The JVCKENWOOD Group requires all its employees complete Human Rights e-Learning in order to understand human rights initiatives based on the JVCKENWOOD Group Compliance Code of Conduct. In the training conducted in 2021, the new Human Rights Policy was explained in detail to disseminate and raise awareness among employees. In the questionnaire survey conducted after the training, 76% of the participants of this training answered that they had changed their awareness of human rights. We are also actively working to raise awareness of human rights among our employees by focusing on issues such as promoting diversity and preventing harassment in new employee training and managerial training.
The JVCKENWOOD Group maintains a whistle-blower system that enables employees to report on possible violations of any law or regulation, the JVCKENWOOD Group Compliance Code of Conduct, and other internal rules. There were no incidents related to human rights violations occurred in FY2021.
The JVCKENWOOD Group has released the following statements in its efforts to prevent slave labor and human trafficking in its business activities and supply chains in compliance with the UK Modern Slavery Act that went into effect in 2015.
FY2022 Edition: Statement on the UK Modern Slavery Act (English-language version)
FY2021 Edition: Statement on the UK Modern Slavery Act (English-language version)
FY2020 Edition: Statement on the UK Modern Slavery Act (English-language version)
FY2019 Edition: Statement on the UK Modern Slavery Act (English-language version)
FY2018 Edition: Statement on the UK Modern Slavery Act (English-language version)
FY2017 Edition: Statement on the UK Modern Slavery Act (English-language version)
FY2016 Edition: Statement on the UK Modern Slavery Act (English-language version)
JVCKENWOOD promotes active dialogue between labor and management in recognition of the fact that trusting labor-management relations will boost the productivity and motivation of employees and lead to sustained growth for the company.
JVCKENWOOD has established labor agreements with the JVCKENWOOD Labor Union that represents all employees excluding managerial employees, with regard to the three rights of labor (the right to unionize, the right to collectively bargain, and the right to collectively act) and conducts negotiations/discussions on working conditions, etc. When making a practical change that may have a significant impact on the employees’ way of working, the management explains and discusses it with the union in advance, in accordance with the labor-management agreement.
Representatives of labor and management meet on a regular basis in informal management gatherings, financial results briefings, and special labor-management committee meetings to discuss institutional matters, and the agreements reached through these discussions are immediately put into place. In FY2021, 20 labor-management meetings were held to discuss matters such as changes to be made to the personnel system. In FY2022, we will further solidify the sound relations between labor and management by actively continuing to promote labor-management dialogue.
The JVCKENWOOD Group recognizes that while artificial intelligence (AI) plays an increasingly important role in solving ever more complex social issues, the use of AI poses ethical challenges. To this end, the AI Policy was formulated to develop and use AI effectively and safely as a company that is trusted by society and contributes to society, based on the corporate vision of “Creating excitement and peace of mind for the people of the world.” AI Policy consists of compliance with laws and international norms, respect for human rights, ensuring safety, transparency and accountability, AI development and human resource development, and dialogue with stakeholders. This policy applies to all executives and employees who use AI or conduct research and development, and reflects their stance in their business activities. The Group will also actively encourage all external partners in our value chain, including business partners and suppliers that we may influence through our business, to comply with this Policy and to take appropriate action.
The JVCKENWOOD Group will continue to fulfill its responsibilities as a global company by formulating guidelines for product development and research and by continuing to provide education on AI ethics, based on the JVCKENWOOD Group Compliance Code of Conduct, which embodies common values and ethics.