Initiatives for employees | Shimamura Group

1 Develop human resources

The Shimamura Group believes that the growth of each and every employee is indispensable for the prosperity of a company. In order to grow, employees must acquire knowledge and skills through workplace experience and on-the-job training. Furthermore, through off-the-job training, they are required to lay the foundation for personal growth by learning the necessary basic knowledge, ways of thinking, and ethics required of our employees. Through human resource development, the Shimamura Group supports the self-realization of each employee through their work.

Education system

New employee education (full-time employees)　／	New employee education (part-time employees)
Education by position　　　　　　　　　　　　　／	Education by department
Career training for female employees　　　　　　／	Correspondence education
Certification support system　　　　　　　　　　／	Seminars in the U.S.

See Human resource development

M-employee system: More than 80% of Shimamura Group employees are M-employees (regular part-time employees). We established the M-employee system for part-time employees working in stores. This unique system is designed to assist housewives who possess the ability to work but are unable to have a full-time career; specifically, it incorporates a time-shift system to balance efficient working conditions and family life.

Store manager promotion system: The Shimamura Group cultivates talented personnel from among M-positioned employees (as specified by the Shimamura Group) as store managers. Currently, approximately 70% of our store managers have come from this system. It is also possible to attempt promotion to a block manager and other positions with higher authority than a store manager. This is a system that balances ease-of-work and growth of the employees themselves. Motivation to work rises by having a target of promotion to a store manager. This also leads to the growth of the company in addition to improving the abilities of each employee.We are proactively promoting M-positioned employees to store managers.
Accordingly, we have also developed a support structure for employees aiming to become a store manager. Examples of this include the briefing sessions to share the experiences of role model employees and an educational curriculum to train candidates to become a store manager to reduce anxiety about promotion to a store manager. Moreover, we are running an information campaign on career advancement using posters and the in-house newsletter to draw out a desire to aim to become a store manager.
Shimamura Women's empowerment Curriculum　: The Shimamura Group has been implementing Shimamura Women's Empowerment Curriculum since FY2023 with the aim of improving the abilities of female managers as part of our efforts to create an environment where women can play an active role. We are improving the abilities of female managers by raising their motivation and allowing them to acquire the skills they need to aim for high-level positions through mindset programs and skill improvement programs.

2 Educational systems

For a company to grow, the growth of each and every employee is essential. At Shimamura Group, we clearly define the capabilities we expect from our employees, and by creating and managing a training system to develop those capabilities, we encourage the self-directed growth of our employees.

・Shimamura capability-building model
The Shimamura Group has defined the capabilities (knowledge, skills, thinking, competencies) necessary for employees to achieve results as the "Shimamura capability-building model." We develop the capabilities of our employees by creating an environment in which they can learn these capabilities in a systematic manner.

Training system
Our training system is built on four cornerstones: "level-specific training," "department-specific training," "general training," and "self-development support."

①Education by rank
We provide training for full-time employees according to their rank (graduates, supervisors, senior managers, and department heads) to improve their knowledge and skills.
②Education by department
In each department's training, employees learn the basic concepts of work, how to proceed with work, and the knowledge and skills necessary to perform their duties.
③Common
・Harassment Training
　We provide harassment training to prevent the occurrence of discrimination and harassment.
・Information Security Education
　We provide information security education and training.
・ESG Education
　To promote Shimamura's ESG responsiveness, we run ESG training and have all employees work to address ESG issues.
④Self-development support
・Correspondence education
　Distance training is offered to all employees (excluding part-time employees) to enable them to acquire a wide range of knowledge.
・Qualification support system
　We have established a qualification support system for full-time employees to encourage employees to take the initiative in learning.

3 Medium-term human resource strategies

We have formulated our Medium-term Human Resource Strategy 2027 in line with our Medium-term Management Plan to become a good company where each and every one of our employees can work in comfort and with a sense of satisfaction.

Basic policy

A "good company" with comfortable and rewarding work conditions

The Shimamura Group strives to allow each employee to achieve self-realization through their work over the course of their long lives. At the same time, our management mission for our employees is to develop working conditions and a workplace environment where our employees can enjoy a stable daily life and lead a fulfilling social life. We are aiming for the sustainable growth of the Shimamura Group by encouraging our employees to achieve self-growth through human capital investment and to demonstrate achievements such as an improvement in productivity and added value.

Priority issues.

1) Building an organization which supports the achievement of our long-term management plan　
1. ①Restructuring of the organization in line with the expansion of our business scale
2. ②Securing of human resources and development of their abilities to handle advanced management issues
3. ③Securing of the appropriate personnel necessary for efficient business operations and appropriate personnel reshuffling
2) Human resource strategies to maximize each employee's performance
1. ①Realization of strategic human resource allocation (utilization of the talent management system)
2. ② Update of the desired picture of human resources and expansion of employee training to acquire such personnel
3) Creation of an environment where each employee can work with a sense of fulfillment
1. ①Restructuring of the salary structure and fair personnel evaluation
2. ②Continuation of initiatives which will lead to a reduction in our employee turnover rate
3. ③Research and implementation of engagement surveys
4) Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
1. ①Ratio of female managers 23.0％（FY2/2027）
  - ・ Stores (AR): Expansion and training of store managers, B. mgr and department manager candidates, and diversification of recruitment methods (junior college and vocational school graduates)
  - ・Head office (GR): Expansion of measures to retain personnel and Shimamura Women's Empowerment Curriculum
2. ②Maintain 5.0% employment rate of persons with disabilities (February 2024-February 2027)
3. ③Expansion of work-life balance support system (childcare and nursing care)

4 　Diversity

Women's Promotion Act Action plan: The "Women's Promotion Act" (Act on the Promotion of Female Participation and Career Advancement in the Workplace) was put into effect on April 1, 2016. The Act seeks to realize a society in which women can fully demonstrate their individuality and abilities. This will enable Japanese society to achieve further growth and respond to globalization in the midst of our country's rapid population decline.
The Shimamura Group has formulated action plans so that female managers can fulfill even more active roles.
"General Employer Action Plan" based on the Act on Promotion of
Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace: PDF file

Gender Wage Gap

	Gender Wage Gap （Ratio of Women's Wages to Men's Wages）
Regular Employees	81.5%
Non-Regular Employees	72.3%
All Employees	43.1%

※Reporting Period: February 2025 (March 2024 - February 2025)

※Supplement

・In our company, there is no gender difference in the treatment of salaries (bonuses) and other wages for both regular and non-regular employees.
・The percentage of women among our regular employees is 63.3%.
Furthermore, the percentage of employees who transitioned from non-regular employees to regular employees through our unique talent promotion system accounts for 50.8% of regular employees. (As of February 20, 2025)
・The percentage of women among our non-regular employees is 98.8%.
Additionally, the overall percentage of non-regular employees in our company is 85.9%. (As of February 20, 2025)
・Contract employees, who were included in regular employees until FY2023, are included in non-regular employees beginning in FY2024.

Retirement and reemployment

If we evaluate and approve the appropriateness of the motivation and ability of employees who have reached the mandatory retirement age of 65, and if the employee so wishes, the employee will be reemployed.
Re-employment will commence the day after the retirement date and will be for a fixed term of one year.
Thereafter, the employee may be repeatedly reemployed up to his or her 70th birthday.

Employment of people with disabilities

The Shimamura Group continues to employ people with disabilities with the aim of realizing a diverse society.
As of February 2025, 857 employees with disabilities are working at the Shimamura Group. The ratio of employment for people with disabilities is 5.03%, which exceeds the legally-specified employment rate of 2.5%. Accordingly, we have been certified as an Excellent Employer of People with Disabilities by Saitama Prefecture.
We have developed a structure which allows us to recruit people with disabilities and to provide them with support for the work content so that we proactively employ people with disabilities. We have recommended that block managers responsible for recruiting people with disabilities acquire a license as professional life counsellor for people with disabilities since FY2021. We have seen 420 employees acquire that license as of March 2025.
We are also building a cooperative and collaborative structure with organizations such as regional support centers for people with disabilities and special needs schools.

Examples of awards from prefectures

store	commendator	Year Awarded	Contents
Shimamura Takayanagi Store	Ishikawa Special Support Education Association	FY2025	Certificate of Appreciation for Work

Mid-career hiring

The Shimamura Group is working to increase the ratio of mid-career hires for full-time employees.

Fiscal Year	2022	2023	2024
Ratio of mid-career hires for full-time employees (%)	72	52	51

Shimamura has an internal system for promoting part-time employees to full-time employees, and has created an environment in which M employees (part-time employees) who have the ability and motivation can actively aim for higher positions.
In addition, we began mid-career hiring at our stores from FY2024.
Our mid-career hiring covers two types of hiring: our own in-house system for promoting part-time employees to full-time employees, and mid-career hiring at our stores.

Fiscal Year		2022	2023	2024
Number of new graduates hired	Men	29	31	39
	Women	12	44	56
	Total	41	75	95
Number of regular part-time employees appointed to a full-time employee	Men	0	0	1
	Women	105	82	88
	Total	105	82	89
Number of mid-career hires at stores (persons)	Men	-	-	0
	Women	-	-	8
	Total	-	-	8

5 Work-life balance

We have acquired the platinum certification, the highest category, in "the system to certify companies that ensure a diverse way of working" (a system in which the prefecture certifies companies, etc. that ensure a diverse way of working to balance work and family affairs) in Saitama Prefecture.

Childcare leave and nursing care leave(full-time employees, regular employees (part-timers) and part-time employees)The Shimamura Group has established systems to support employees who work while balancing their career, childcare, and nursing care.

Re-employment system(full-time employees only)Full-time employees who have been in management positions for more than 3 years and who will retire due to marriage, childbirth, childcare, nursing care, or transfer of their spouse can apply in advance at the time of retirement for use of the re-employment system for a period of 10 years after their retirement.

Next-generation child-raising plan
The Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children was put into effect on April 1, 2005. The Act enacted promotion to create an optimal social environment for raising children who will serve as leaders in the next generation. The Act also requires corporations to establish a working system for a balance between career and child-raising.
In accordance with this Act, the Shimamura Group has formulated the "next-generation child-raising plan" and is promoting continuous efforts.

Action plan based on the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children

"General Employer Action Plan" based on the Act on Advancement of
Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children: PDF file

6 Benefits

Home base system (full-time employees only): Personnel transfers are based on the aptitude of each employee, but the city, town, or village where the employee's (or family member's) residence is located will be considered the employee's "home base" (home address), and the employee's home base will be taken into consideration for personnel transfers.
Support systems for employees who work away from home (full-time employees only): Employees working away from their home base may qualify for the following assistance:
①Rent subsidy (with an upper limit)
②Payment of transportation expenses for returning to the home base (with an upper limit)
③Payment of moving costs associated with the transfer
Systems for asset-building saving and employee shareholding association (full-time employees and regular employees (part-timers) only): With the aim of assisting in long-term asset formation by employees, incentives are subsidized for the reserved amount specified by the employee which is deducted from monthly salary.
Employee shopping benefit system (full-time employees, regular employees (part-timers) and part-time employees): Employees and their family members will receive a 10% discount when purchasing products at Shimamura Group stores. (maximum of 24 times a year)
Autumn party (full-time employees and regular employees (part-timers) only): The Shimamura Group organizes Autumn parties to thank employees for their hard work and to promote mutual communication.
Benefit Station, a paid membership service: Shimamura Group is a member of "Benefit Station," a membership-based employee benefit service operated by Benefit One, which provides employees and their family members up to the second degree of kinship with discount services and point rewards.
Long-service award (full-time and part-time employees only): Awards are given to employees who have been with the company for 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 years (full years).

7 Occupational safety and health

Health Committee/Safety and Health Committee: The Shimamura Group takes action to ensure that employees can work in good health and with peace of mind in all workplaces.
Every month, the Health Committee and Safety and Health Committee hold meetings to investigate and deliberate on health management and the prevention of occupational accidents. The committees are mainly composed of health supervisors and industrial physicians.
Occupational accident prevention: Once a month, the executive officers in charge report on cases of occupational accidents at a Management Meeting. All executive officers share information on preventing occupational accidents and discuss countermeasures. Furthermore, all store managers share information on work-related accident cases at monthly meetings of store managers. Store managers use videos to explain example cases of occupational accidents to store employees, and all employees strive to prevent the occurrence of occupational accidents.
Management of long working hours/Stress checks: In order to prevent illnesses and mental disorders caused by overwork and stress, the Shimamura Group has established a stress check system and has industrial physicians oversee the management of long working hours.

8 Business efficiency

Improvement proposal system: The improvement proposal system is an indispensable mechanism for ensuring that work-related manuals remain relevant in all eras. The constant refinement of manuals is extremely important in order to achieve business optimization. In the Shimamura Group, about 10,000 improvement proposals are submitted by all employees every year. We examine and test each proposal, and continuously update the results into new manuals every month. Operations are constantly improved to match current conditions, and low-cost operation is supported.
Improving business efficiency by introducing RPA (business automation software): The Accounting Department has introduced RPA. It is optimizing operations by automating calculations, checks and other work.
The Merchandise Department also introduced it in FY2021 and is optimizing operations by automating analysis work.