Work-Life Balance Policy

Daikin Industries stresses a work life balance for employees. We have a range of work systems that allow employees to work flexible duties and flexible schedules. The company has established an action plan for helping employees with children continue both work and home duties with peace of mind and has been certified as a company complying with the Law for Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation. We have been particularly active in urging male employees to take advantage of our systems for childcare leave and childcare support.

Helping Employees Match Work Schedule with Lifestyle

Flex Time and Discretionary Work System Allow Employees to Continue Working

To allow this diverse range of employees to work under flexible conditions and working hours, we introduced the flex time system in 1991. In 2001, we introduced a discretionary work system in use in the R&D department and other company departments to accommodate the needs of employees with specialized duties such as those involved in planning, proposals, and surveys related to company operations.

Thanks to these efforts to give employees flexible working conditions and working hours, Daikin has an employee turnover of just 3.4% (including mandatory retirement age employees): this is far below the average of 16.4% for all industries in Japan (according to a 2009 survey by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare).

Number of Employees Leaving, Employee Turnover (Daikin Industries only)

Support for Childcare

A Company Conducive to Both Working and Raising Children

Daikin Industries strives to create an environment where employees can continue their jobs even after having children.

In March 2007, we were certified for compliance with the Law for Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation after reaching the targets of our first action plan. Our second action plan started in April 2007 with a number of support efforts.

One of these introduced in June 2007 was a childcare support system under which parents working overtime or taking business trips, or taking care of sick children, were eligible to receive financial aid from the company to cover part of the expenses such as babysitters. In fiscal 2010, 40 employees took advantage of this system.

Daikin Group companies in Japan are also doing all they can to help employees raise their children. Daikin Group maintains a short-hours work system for employees with pre-school children, and many Group companies allow employees with pre-school children to choose from a variety of work systems such as a staggered or flexible work schedule or short hours.

68 Male Employees Take Childcare Leave

Daikin Industries encourages male employees to take extended leave for childcare and aims to create a work environment in which male employees feel comfortable taking childcare leave. We have revised our childcare leave systems so that more men could take childcare leave. This was an important part of the company's second action plan based on the Law for Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation. The changes allow men with at-home spouses to take childcare leave until the child is 1 year old (compared to until eight weeks previously) and to take childcare leave twice (compared to once previously).

As a result of our efforts to promote awareness and use of the childcare leave system among our employees, 68 men took childcare leave in fiscal 2010.

Number of Employees Taking Leave Before and After Child Birth and Number Taking Childcare Leave (Daikin Industries only)

Details of Second Action Plan

Support Systems for the Balance of Work and Family

Support for Family Care

Family Care Leave and Shortened Working Hours

Daikin Industries is doing all it can so that employees can take leave to care for their family when necessary, with minimal stress, and therefore create an environment in which employees can continue working for Daikin under these circumstances.

Under our family care leave system, employees can take leave up to a maximum of 365 days for each family member who requires care, once for each time that member's condition becomes such as to require care. Under our system for adjustment of working hours for family care, employees can opt to work a staggered or flexible work schedule or shorter hours (six hours per day) up to a maximum of 365 days for each family member who requires care.

In fiscal 2010, we reappraised the policy on child and family care leave in response to the revision of the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act in June, and included short-term care leave, whereby employees may take up to 5 days leave each year if needed to care for 1 family member, or up to 10 days leave for 2 or more family members.

Number Taking Family Care Leave (Daikin Industries only)

Other Employee Benefit Systems (some are abridged)