We have been conducting employee satisfaction surveys since FY2022, and have set goals and implemented measures based on the survey results, with the aim of improving employee job satisfaction and productivity. In FY2025, we changed the survey to an engagement survey focused on measuring employee engagement, and expanded the scope to the entire Group. We aim to take appropriate measures after gaining a more precise understanding of issues based on the results of the engagement survey and stress check, and to effectively promote improvements to the company environment.
(Seven-point rating system: S, A, B+, B, B-, C, D)
Targets: YAMADA HOLDINGS, YAMADA DENKI, YAMADA FINANCE SERVICE, CIC, INVERSENET, YAMADA HOMES, Hinokiya Group, Housetec, Chubu Nikka Service, and Nikka Maintenance
On its path toward the “Total-Living” strategy, our Group is striving to secure human resources capable of responding to a wide range of customer needs based on a broader spectrum of products and services as well as future expansion into other business areas. In terms of human resource development and rebuilding the training system to suit the current times when it is difficult to predict the future, the Group is focusing on human resource development under the theme of “development and training for self-starting human resources and a self-starting organization.”
In addition to traditional technical skills, we provide education tailored to each management skill acquisition stage, including human skills and conceptual skills, in order to revitalize the organization and put our vision for the future into practice, creating an educational environment in which each individual can demonstrate their abilities. In June 2024, we launched the Next-Generation Executive Academy, a three-year training program for employees who will be responsible for the next generation of management. Under the theme of “learn about ideal business management,” all participants will discuss what the ideal form of management should be for creating new value and growing the Group.
In April 2024, the YAMADA HOLDINGS Group recruited 659 new graduate students, helping to re-energize the organization. With an increasing range of products and services, such as consumer electronics, furniture and renovations, the Group is working to develop new, young talent along with recruiting human resources who have the ability to meet the wide range of customer needs. Human resources with specialized knowledge, including talent for new businesses and systems aimed at strengthening headquarters operations will continue to be hired in the future.
YAMADA HOLDINGS and YAMADA DENKI have established a system for the appointment of non-fulltime as full-time employees in conjunction with the internal qualification system.
In order to improve customer service skills, YAMADA DENKI provides practical training with a focus on on-the-job training (OJT), as well as systematic training via online training and e-learning programs. Moreover, to improve the quality and accuracy of services, customer surveys are conducted in stores, on deliveries, and during after-sales services, as well as via various social media channels, with the results used for employee training purposes. Furthermore, as part of strengthening renovation proposals in order to augment “Total-Living” services for the living environment, initiatives are being carried out to provide job-specific training, including training manuals and interior study sessions for employees.
To give consistent sales services, YAMADA DENKI has been rolling out its own learning site, called My Learning, to employees on product knowledge and sales techniques. We also share videos centered on demonstrations and roleplaying.
A screenshot of the My Learning site
In addition to gaining product knowledge, various measures are being taken to accurately understand the needs of customers in order to recommend the best products to them. To develop more specific proposal skills, we conduct group training at stores with outside instructors, and 1,410 employees participated in this training in FY2025.
YAMADA DENKI is working to strengthen its proposals for renovations to improve the comfort and convenience of customers’ lives. “Total-Living” proposals are made not only for home appliances but also for kitchens and bathrooms, interiors and exteriors, as well as for furniture. By training up various advisors, employees at YAMADA DENKI can give more detailed advice with regard to customers’ homes. Moreover, employees with high levels of expertise offer pertinent proposals to meet the needs of customers looking to extend or make improvements to their homes.
YAMADA HOLDINGS and YAMADA DENKI are giving tiered training under the banner of “cultivating human resources who can think and act on their own―upgrading our basic OS of awareness and mind”.
Tiered training system
| Tier | Part-Time | General Employee | Skilled Employee | Section Manager | Manager | |
| Skills Required | • A fresh perspective • Ability to make proposals • Communication skills • Career design • Making good habits • Self-reliance, self-starter,self-responsibility • Business etiquette |
• Business etiquette • Communication skills • Listening skills • Ability to ask questions • Time management • Mental toughness • Open mind • Independence • Professionalism |
• Work efficiency • Problem-solving skills • Mentoring skills • Leadership • Team building • Motivation management • Teaching • Coaching • Followership • Self management |
• Ability to make contributions • Ability to make proposals • Ability to instruct subordinates • Problem-solving skills • Leadership • Team building • Motivation management • Teaching • Coaching • Followership |
• Business management • Training management • Ability to shape future • Analysis methods • Giving direction • Decision-making skills • Management literacy • Financial management skills |
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• Training for mid-career hires • Online product study sessions • Product e-learning |
• Training for new employees • Training for young employees • Online product study sessions • Product e-learning |
• Mid-level employee training • Low-level manager training • Study sessions for new graduate educators • Harassment education • Online product study sessions • Product e-learning |
• Low-level manager training • Mid-level manager training • Yamada Leadership Academy • Harassment education |
• Executive and senior manager training • Training for nextgeneration executives • Yamada Leadership Academy • Harassment education |
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| Special | Training for new store managers and employees |
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Sales engineer training |
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Sustainability/SDGs education |
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Compliance training |
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| Self-Development | Learning content for self-development |
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| In-House Tests | In-house qualification tests (conducted twice a year) |
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| External Qualifications | External qualification follow-up training (recommended qualification), Home Appliance Advisor, Smart Master, Sleep Advisor, etc. |
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| Internal Qualifications | Meister education, various meisters (TV, air conditioner, smart speaker, digital camera, etc.) |
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New recruits learn the skills needed to be a member of the Group through online study sessions, the distribution of educational content, and the acquisition of basic knowledge using actual products. In 2025, an online lecture about Yamada was conducted for all recruits of the entire Group the day after they joined the Group. After lectures from executives, etiquette training from external instructors, and learning the basics of being a member of society, new employees undergo a period of new employee training at their assigned workplace before becoming fully-fledged employees. We have established a system where new employees can continue to learn, with follow-up training being conducted six months and one year after joining the Company.
Training for new employees
The YAMADA HOLDINGS Group is working to develop next-generation leaders in all tiers for its sustainable growth. Employees participate in cross-industry exchange training to learn the principles of management and improve their leadership. Content learned is shared with the employee’s manager who checks the progress of their efforts. We are also helping to improve the skills of each and every employee by appointing senior employees to be in charge of training recruits. These more experienced employees learn training techniques and ways to improve motivation without having to fall back on intuition or experience, and play a vital role in promoting the growth of junior employees.
The YAMADA HOLDINGS Group conducts tiered-based middle and top management training at the Soseijuku employee training center for employees at the section manager level or above, for sales managers and store managers, and for employees at operating companies at the manager level or above. Under the theme of developing self-starting human resources and a selfstarting organization, external instructors are invited to provide mind training and strengthen team building and management skills. There is also a focus on crossborder training through group discussions with other departments and other operating companies. The purpose of this training is also to educate top management who will lead the next generation of the Group, including the acquisition of managerial perspectives, and as such, the YAMADA HOLDINGS Group will continue to enhance and expand its training programs. The training is a two-year plan, and in FY2025, 118 participants joined, bringing the total to 611.
YAMADA DENKI presently has 526 Sales Engineers (as of the end of FY2025) and its aim is to make customers’ lives more comfortable by developing Sales Engineers into technicians and advisors who can recommend a wide range of products and services from home appliances and furniture to interiors and home renovations at times when there are an increased number of deliveries and installations such as during the summer, New Year holidays, and fiscal year-end.
As part of the training of Sales Engineers, who are responsible for all aspects of product sales, delivery, and installation, the program focuses on practical training to acquire skills in the installation of air conditioners and other equipment. We are also working to raise the professional competence level of all Sales Engineers and promote the acquisition of qualifications. Based on an annual training plan, more than 70% of our Sales Engineers have obtained the national certification of Second Class Electric Works Specialist’s license through regular lectures given by specialized instructors.
In terms of recruitment, we are focusing on training Sales Engineers regardless of nationality or gender, as well as on further recruitment from industrial high schools.
When customers purchase home appliances, employees need to have the relevant expertise in order to provide appropriate advice on such things as how the product works, what it can do, how frequently it should or can be used, where to install it, and other installation preferences. At YAMADA DENKI, many employees have acquired qualifications, primarily Home Appliance Advisors*1 or Smart Masters*2, and are utilizing the knowledge they have gained through these qualifications in their daily work.
Skills required for furniture and renovation proposals include external qualifications such as certified seller, architect, and interior stylist, and including these, a total of 16,583 employees (total number of people, as of March 31 2025) hold external qualifications. The acquisition of external qualifications is not only for improved customer satisfaction, but also leads to maintaining and improving employee job satisfaction and motivation, which is why the entire Group is working on this.
*1 A qualification for professionals in sales and customer service of home appliances, giving accurate advice for customers on product selection, use, and troubleshooting.
*2 A qualification related to smart houses, giving a wide understanding of homes, home appliances, housing equipment, and energy management, to support the construction of smart houses that meet customers’ needs.
YAMADA DENKI emphasizes a merit system not based on seniority, and as such is building a fair, impartial, and transparent performance appraisal system, reviewing evaluation standards as necessary. In the employee evaluations held twice a year, individual targets are set in accordance with assessment indicators from each department and evaluated on a multi-level basis. Feedback is then given to each employee, and goals for the next year are set.
Each year, YAMADA HOLDINGS commends top performers in the Consumer Electronics Segment in terms of the stores and corporate sales offices which have made large sales in relation to their size, and individuals with the highest annual sales, etc. For FY2025, the scope was expanded to include overseas stores, and 67 people were awarded across nine stores and three sales offices, including the Best Sales Award.
We believe that considering a work-life balance is important for creating a comfortable working environment, and have put in place a comprehensive work-life balance system for childcare, nursing care, and other matters. Positioning diversity, equity, and inclusion at the core of the Group’s growth strategy, we will promote the realization of an environment where diverse human resources can play an active role. The Group will keep growing with our stakeholders while all employees continue learning from each other and creating valuable products and services.
The YAMADA HOLDINGS Group recognizes that creating a work environment in which all female employees can pursue their private lives while simultaneously advancing their careers based on their own intentions and desires is the foundation for further corporate growth. In November 2024, we launched career training for female managers. Through dialogue with female managers from other companies, we aim to develop human resources who can proactively consider their own careers and envision their careers from a long-term perspective. From September 2025, we began career design training for female employees other than managers, with a goal of creating role models for the next generation.
To promote understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, YAMADA HOLDINGS has created training videos on everything from basic knowledge about sexual minorities to how to interact with them in the workplace, and has made them available on its own dedicated learning site, My Learning. YAMADA HOLDINGS promotes acceptance and respect for diversity among its employees.
The stores, offices and headquarters at YAMADA HOLDINGS are accessible throughout for people with disabilities. The Company is therefore striving to create an environment where all employees with disabilities can work with peace of mind. When deciding on assignments, we interview the individual to determine the type of work they can perform, taking into consideration the characteristics of each individual. The employment rate of people with disabilities for FY2025 was 2.5%.
The YAMADA HOLDINGS Group recruits without setting standards for nationality in order to strengthen its response to diverse customers. We support non-Japanese employees in acquiring Japanese language certification. In addition, since 2023, we have endorsed the Basic Guidelines for Accepting Foreign Nationals set forth by the SEIDANREN (The federation of industry for national life and consumer’s association).
The retirement age for employees at YAMADA HOLDINGS is 65 years old but the Company has introduced a reemployment system that allows employees to work up to the age of 75. Senior talents with advanced skills and knowledge are playing an active role in helping other employees.
YAMADA DENKI is running an area-specific employment system so that employees do not have to relocate. The system enables employees to choose a working style in line with their own life plan or family situation whether for childbirth or looking after children or elderly parents. In FY2025, 12.5% of employees used the system.
YAMADA DENKI has introduced a Work Interval System to ensure a break between the end of one’s workday and the start of the next workday to improve work efficiency and reduce overtime work, in addition to complying with labor-related laws.
YAMADA DENKI’s distribution centers have a two-day weekend system, adjust delivery dates to stores according to the volume of goods, and use basket carts and folding containers to shorten delivery times per store. The company is also promoting digital transformation (DX) of distribution for the future.
The YAMADA HOLDINGS Group strives to promote the use of paid leave as part of its efforts to provide a comfortable working environment for all employees. In addition to allowing employees to take paid holidays in half-day increments, we are working to improve the take-up rate through a system that of stretches of seven consecutive holidays including planned holidays and public holidays.
Regardless of gender, YAMADA HOLDINGS encourages employees to take childcare and nursing care leave so that they can work flexibly. We are creating an environment that makes it easier for men to take childcare leave by providing examples of men taking childcare leave in our company newsletter and working to raise employee awareness. From September 2025, we plan to grant five days of leave to men who are eligible for childcare leave.
YAMADA HOLDINGS’ Main Support Systems (as of April 2025)
| Type | System | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare | Maternity leave | 8 weeks before delivery (14 weeks for multiple births), 8 weeks after delivery (6 weeks before delivery and 8 weeks after delivery by law) |
| Childcare leave at birth (postpartum childcare leave for fathers) | Available for up to 4 weeks within 8 weeks after the child is born | |
| Childcare leave | Available until child reaches the age of 3 (until the age of 1 by law) | |
| Shorter working hours for childcare | Available until child graduates from elementary school (up to 3 years old by law) | |
| Time off for sick/injured child care, etc. | Available until the child graduates from elementary school (up to the third grade of elementary school by law) | |
| Nursing care | Nursing care leave | Up to 184 days leave may be taken to care for a family member (up to 93 days by law) |
| Time off for nursing care | 5 days leave may be taken per year to care for a family member (10 days for 2 or more family members) | |
| Shorter working hours for nursing care | Up to 3 years of shorter working hours may be taken care for a family member | |
| Other | Long break shift system | It is possible to leave work for a longer period of time than the set break time for personal reasons. The shift system may be used when the total number of hours worked before and after the long break is the same or more than the number of predetermined hours in the working day. |
| Menstrual leave | When a female employee finds it too difficult to work on a menstruation day, they may request leave and receive normal pay | |
| Accumulation of expired annual paid leave | Up to 60 days of annual paid leave which has expired after a period of time may be accumulated. Upon prior request from the employee, this leave can be used when the employee is absent from work due to illness or injury or undergoing fertility treatment, or when caring for a family member as stipulated in the nursing care leave regulations, after all annual paid leave has been used up. | |
| Hometown employees | Employees who work in general work positions may be transferred to locations around the country. After working for a certain period of time at the new location transferred employees may return back to the original location | |
| Consecutive leave | Up to 7 consecutive days leave | |
| Special leave for female workers to receive health guidance or medical checkups in accordance with the Maternal and Child Health Act | Up to the 23rd week of pregnancy, one day of leave may be taken every 4 weeks; from the 24th to 35th week of pregnancy, one day of leave every 2 weeks; and from the 36th week until childbirth, one day every week may be taken | |
| Area-specific employment system | A system that do not have to relocate | |
| Reemployment system | A system that allows employees who have to retire due to reasons such as childcare or nursing care to return to work (within 5 years) |
As labor shortages become more serious, we need to improve operational efficiency and labor productivity by promoting DX in order to continue providing useful and quality services. We also recognize the importance of creating a comfortable working environment to enhance employee retention rates and promote performance improvements, and are working to make improvements.
Overall, all employees who have signed up to YAMADA HOLDINGS and YAMADA DENKI’s labor agreement are members of the labor union. The labor union has a membership rate 75.9%. Labor-management meetings are held once a month to promote dialogue between labor and management. Information is shared between management and the union, solutions to issues on working conditions are discussed, and activities are reported on.
YAMADA DENKI runs a corporate defined contribution pension system called the Yamada CoDeCo for the purpose of securing employees' retirement income and supporting voluntary efforts to stabilize their everyday lives. It is a pension system to save for the future that takes advantage of tax and investment benefits. Taxes and social insurance premiums are deducted from salaries but not from CoDeCo premiums, thereby having a tax-saving benefit. In terms of investment, fixed deposits are currently at around 0.275% interest per year, but CoDeCo users have an average return on investment of 2.47％ which is further tax-free.