On its path toward the “Total-Living” strategy, the YAMADA HOLDINGS 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 has set the theme of “development and training for self-starting human resources and a self-starting organization.” The Group endeavors to develop human resources who can nurture people and organizations to achieve results as a team, and who can learn and make decisions in a rational way based on experience and information to create more efficient and streamlined operations. The Group seeks to do this by providing training that emphasizes human skills and conceptual skills, in addition to traditional forms of training focused on technical skills (ability to do one’s work). More specifically, as well as the planned implementation of tiered training, education and training programs will be improved by enhancing specific measures based on employee satisfaction surveys to ensure the Group continuously keeps the very best employees.
In April 2023, the YAMADA HOLDINGS Group recruited 749 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 and contracted employees as full-time employees in conjunction with the internal qualification system.
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”.
| 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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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, cleaner, beauty, smart speaker, digital camera, etc.) |
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New recruits learn the skills needed to be YAMADA HOLDINGS Group employees through the use of such resources as online study sessions and e-learning programs, as well as acquiring basic knowledge by using the products themselves, and become fully fledged employees after the end of a training period in the workplace. In line with the curriculum, new employees check on a weekly basis with senior employees running the training programs how much they have learned, with follow-up training carried out half a year and one year after they join the Company. We have also established a dedicated consultation desk in an effort to create a system that makes it easy for new employees to continue working in an unfamiliar environment.
Training for new employees
The YAMADA HOLDINGS Group is working to develop next generation leaders in all levels of the Company for its sustainable growth. Employees participate in cross-industry exchange training to learn the principles of management and improve their leadership capabilities. 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 new 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.
To give top sales staff the capabilities to make proposals that further enhance customer satisfaction, they are provided with learning opportunities, including training in ICT and IoT as well as on the latest products.
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 general manager level or above. Under the theme of developing self-starting human resources and a self-starting organization, external instructors are invited to provide mind training and strengthen team building and management skills. There is also a focus on cross-border 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, as such, the YAMADA HOLDINGS Group will continue to enhance and expand its training programs. The training is a two-year development program with 493 people having participated up to fiscal 2024.
At YAMADA DENKI, there are currently 483 sales engineers (as of the end of March 2024) working in stores across the country. The aim is to make customers’ lives more comfortable by developing sales engineers into technicians and advisors who can recommend everything 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 external qualifications. Based on an annual training plan, more than 60% of our sales engineers have obtained the 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, when to use it, where to install it, and other preferences. YAMADA DENKI has been focusing on encouraging employees to get externally qualified as Home Appliance Advisors*1 or as Smart Masters*2. This has resulted in more and more qualified employees. The Company has also been actively encouraging employees to gain external qualifications, such as certified sellers, architects, or as interior stylists, as these skills are a necessary part of being able to provide proposals on furniture and renovations. The acquisition of external qualifications is not only for improved customer satisfaction, but also leads to maintaining and improving employee job satisfaction, which is why we are strengthening our efforts throughout the Group.
*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.
Number of Qualified Employees (as of March 31 each fiscal year)
| Qualification | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 |
| Home Appliance Advisor | 8,956 | 9,346 | 9,723 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Master | 1,274 | 1,256 | 1,297 |
| Photo Master | 1,679 | 1,613 | 1,636 |
| Certified Sellers (1st to 3rd Grade) | 1,268 | 1,011 | 1,057 |
| First Class Architect | 227 | 165 | 148 |
| Second Class Architect | 727 | 590 | 545 |
| First Class Building Operation and Management Engineer | 178 | 141 | 132 |
| Second Class Building Operation and Management Engineer | 154 | 150 | 152 |
| Real Estate Notary | 580 | 556 | 561 |
| Sleep Advisor | 595 | 625 | 638 |
| Interior Stylist | 190 | 215 | 299 |
| Second Class Electric Works Specialist | 627 | 657 | 811 |
| Second Grade Certified Skilled Professional of Financial Planning | 203 | 129 | 132 |
| Total | 16,658 | 16,454 | 17,131 |
* Total number within the YAMADA HOLDINGS Group
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 further 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 enhance job-specific training, including training manuals and interior study sessions for employees.
To give consistent sales services from home appliances to home interiors and renovations, 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 with an emphasis on demonstration and roleplaying so that employees can learn independently as needed. The company is also working to create a more fulfilling educational environment by enhancing content that focuses on social and environmental issues such as human rights and anti-corruption.
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 1,321 employees participated in this training in fiscal 2024.
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 qualified as architects give pertinent proposals to meet the needs of customers looking to extend or make improvements to their homes.
At YAMADA DENKI, we aim to improve our service to our customers not only when selling products, but also after the products have been sold, during delivery and installation.
In order to standardize efforts to improve customer satisfaction (CS) in product delivery and installation, every year YAMADA DENKI requests its partner companies to train as certified CS Managers.Training is given to certify a person in charge at the respective companies with guidance on the standards that YAMADA DENKI expects with respect to customer satisfaction, manners, how the technicians operate, product delivery and installation. Training sessions consist of educational training, group discussions and a written test. For fiscal 2024, 457 CS Managers participated in continuing education training. Under this system, YAMADA DENKI certifies CS Managers at partner companies with the aim of maintaining their levels of customer service to the same level as YAMADA DENKI employees.
Customer surveys are conducted to assess the level of customer satisfaction. Results from the surveys are analyzed, and based on the results of the analysis, policies are drawn up to improve customer satisfaction. These policies are made known to companies involved in the survey at customer satisfaction meetings held four times a year so that the partner companies can then inform their respective shop floors. In fiscal 2024, in-person sessions resumed in addition to online sessions, with 21 companies participating.
YAMADA DENKI emphasizes a merit system not based on seniority, and as such is building a fair, impartial, and transparent performance appraisal system. The Group aims to build and operate such a performance appraisal system while reviewing appraisal criteria as necessary, and improving customer satisfaction through ensuring its employees gain a wider product knowledge to constantly and continually improve the quality of its customer service. 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. In fiscal 2024, 66 people were given awards across 9 stores and 3 sales offices, including the Best Sales Award.
The greatest management resource for the YAMADA HOLDINGS Group is its human resources. Positioning diversity, equity and inclusion as part of the Group’s growth strategy will help to create a workplace environment where diverse human resources can play an active role. Human resources nurtured in such a work environment will work hard together, and by continuing to create valuable products and services will grow sustainably together with the Group’s stakeholders.
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. The Group has set a target of women taking at least 10% of managerial positions. As of the end of March 2024, women make up 3.6% of all managerial positions. The Group will continue to promote initiatives such as improving the workplace environment so that more women can play active roles in the Company.
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 YAMADA HOLDINGS Group recruits without settings standards for nationality in order to strengthen its response to diverse customers. For non-Japanese employees, we provide support for acquisition of Japanese language certification and create an environment in which they can play an active role regardless of their department or duties. In 2023, we endorsed the Basic Guidelines for the Acceptance of Foreign Nationals set forth by the SEIDANREN (The federation of industry for national life and consumer’s association). YAMADA DENKI will continue to secure the most talented employees while diversifying its human resources within the Company.
The retirement age for employees at YAMADA HOLDINGS is 63 years-old but the Company has introduced a reemployment system that allows employees to work up to the age of 75. Senior talent with sophisticated skills and knowledge are playing an active role by helping to lead other employees. The recruitment age is scheduled to be extended to 65 years old in April 2025.
| Type | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of new employees | Male | 358 | 573 | 514 |
| Female | 241 | 303 | 235 | |
| Total | 599 | 876 | 749 | |
| Average number of years service | 12.6 | 9.9*1 | 10.4 | |
| Turnover rate (%) | 6.1 | 6.4 | 6.0 | |
| Percentage of employees with disabilities (including non-fulltime employees) (%)*2 | - | 2.3 | 2.4 | |
| Retirees reemployed (%) | 89.0 | 82.3 | 78.6 | |
| Number of foreign employees | Male | 85 | 108 | 110 |
| Female | 93 | 105 | 95 | |
| Total | 178 | 213 | 205 | |
*1 Average number of years service has become shorter owing to
the promotion of contracted full-time employees to full-time employees.
*2 Number of employees disclosed up until fiscal 2022, but changed to percentage from fiscal 2023.
In order to create a comfortable workplace environment, the YAMADA HOLDINGS Group believes it is important to provide a work environment that respects a good work-life balance. As such, the Group has established a comprehensive system where each and every employee can balance work with childcare, nursing care, and other life events so that employees can choose a flexible working style especially during times of need with childcare and nursing care, etc. We will continue to strive to create a workplace environment where employees can work with peace of mind, and to become a rewarding company to work for.
YAMADA HOLDINGS’ Main Support Systems (as of April 2024)
| Type | System | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare | Maternity leave | 8 weeks before delivery (14 weeks for multiple births), 8 weeks after delivery |
| 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 childcare | 5 days leave may be taken for a child that is going into elementary school (10 days for 2 children or more) in cases where time off is needed to look after a sick child, or for vaccinations or medical check-ups, up until the time child starts elementary school | |
| Nursing care | Nursing care leave | Up to 184 days leave may be taken to care for a family member |
| 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 | |
| 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) |
YAMADA DENKI is running an area employee 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 environment whether for childbirth or looking after children or elderly parents. In fiscal 2024, 11.4% of employees used the system.
YAMADA DENKI has introduced a Work Interval System to ensure at least 11 hours of rest 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 laborrelated laws. In fiscal 2024, the percentage of Group companies that reduced overtime hours to curb long working hours reached 70.4%, achieving the goal of increasing these figures year-on-year every fiscal year.
YAMADA DENKI is promoting various initiatives to respond to the reform of work styles in the logistics industry. In addition to introducing a two-day weekend at the distribution center, the Company is working to improve efficiency by adjusting delivery dates to stores according to the volume of goods, utilizing basket carts and foldable containers when delivering goods to stores, and reducing the delivery time per store.
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. In 2022, with respect to childcare leave, the period of continuous service required to take leave was reduced from one year to three months, the system was revised to allow employees to take leave up to two times in installments, and a new childcare leave at birth system was established. We are working to create an environment in which it is easy for male employees to take childcare leave by providing examples of male employees who have taken childcare leave in our company newsletter and working to raise employee awareness.
System Usage Data (full-time employees only)(as of March 31 each fiscal year)
| Type | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid leave taken(%) | 46.2 | 51.0 | 59.4 | |
| Number of employees taking childcare leave | Male | 32 | 41 | 89 |
| Female | 187 | 217 | 175 | |
| Total | 219 | 258 | 264 | |
| Number of employees taking shorter hours for childcare | Male | 7 | 9 | 32 |
| Female | 581 | 628 | 965 | |
| Total | 588 | 637 | 997 | |
| Number of employees taking nursing care leave | Male | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Female | 5 | 0 | 6 | |
| Total | 7 | 3 | 12 | |
Starting in fiscal 2022, YAMADA HOLDINGS conducted employee surveys using a new method with the aim to improve employee motivation and productivity by setting issues and implementing measures based on the survey results. For fiscal 2024, the scope of the survey was expanded to include YAMADA HOLDINGS and YAMADA DENKI, as well as eight Group companies. The overall satisfaction level was judged as “B,” which was not an altogether pleasing result. The main issues raised included physical and mental health, and career aspirations for managers. The results are disseminated throughout the Group via an internal newsletter. In the next fiscal year, we will work to address these issues and make improvements.
Targets: YAMADA HOLDINGS., YAMADA DENKI, YAMADA FINANCE SERVICE, CIC, INVERSENET, YAMADA HOMES, Hinokiya Group, Housetec, Chubu Nikka Service, and Nikka Maintenance.
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 75.7%. 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 0.125% interest per year, but CoDeCo users have an average return on investment of 4.2％ which is further tax-free.