Policies and Diversity Mindset
Renesas respects all types of diversity and values, and actively works to improve our work environment and foster an inclusive company culture.
Operating in over 30 countries around the world, one of our key strengths is our diverse workforce. We believe our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), and our initiatives are the source of innovative products and services that support our sustainable business growth. We will maximize individual abilities by creating an environment in which our diverse workforce with different backgrounds, skills, personalities and values can fully demonstrate their strengths, so employees can thrive.
Renesas’ commitment to equal opportunities and the culture of inclusion is reflected in our management strategies, policies and benefits, as well as employee-focused and strategic partnership initiatives. Examples include: pay structure supporting pay consistency for comparable jobs in the same region, regardless of gender or background, our board gender diversity target of 30%, continued collaboration with Women Leadership Initiative by Global Semiconductor Alliance, expansion of Diversity Promotion Group and Employee Resource Groups (e.g., Women in Technology), and ongoing progress towards more diverse hiring and equal pay across our organization. Please read on for more details.
Julie Pope, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer, oversees Renesas’ global employee programs. We host diversity training for all of our employees across all locations every year and events such as Diversity Awareness Month have consistently had a high employee participation rate.
Celebrating Diversity at Renesas
Renesas’ CEO Hidetoshi Shibata spearheads DE&I efforts. He actively promotes an inclusive workplace and values and celebrates key milestones with employees, including International Women’s Day, Pride Month, and Diversity Awareness Month. Together we continue to foster the culture of DE&I and innovation across Renesas’ global network.
Diversity Awareness Month (October 2024)
Diversity Awareness Month is important for highlighting and recognizing the many positive ways that people from different cultures and with different backgrounds and experiences can make to society. At Renesas, we come together to celebrate the diversity of our people, unique perspectives and values we share, and the support we provide to elevate one another.
“We are proud to celebrate the richness of diversity at Renesas. This year’s theme is ‘Knowing Your Role as an Ally,’ and I am excited to see our colleagues around the world come together to learn together and support one another as a global team.”
Julie Pope, SVP and CHRO
Employee Resource Groups
Introducing the Diversity Promotion Group
At Renesas, we respect the individuality of all of our employees around the world and their desire to grow professionally, and we are working to foster a corporate culture that enables individuals to demonstrate their maximum capabilities. In order to achieve this, we believe it is important to establish “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” as the basic foundation of our organization, where employees with different genders, nationalities, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and ages can acknowledge and accept one another without discrimination and prejudice.
In order to globally promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we have established the Diversity Promotion Group (DPG) as of June 2021.
The DPG is led by a diverse team of six leaders from around the world, who put their names forward for the position and were selected by vote within Renesas. The DPG also has approximately 120 voluntary members including employees from our major overseas offices including India, Europe, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Japan, the U.S., Vietnam and Malaysia. The DPG leads the decision making process on global policies and initiatives related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the leaders play the main role in working with DPG members to promote initiatives in their regions. The topics discussed in the monthly meetings are uploaded onto the company intranet to be viewed by all employees.
By making a direct commitment to the DPG initiatives, employees are able to realize that everyone bears responsibility in diversity. Additionally, through exchanging dialogues, each employee can discover, respect and accept the multitude of talent and different perspectives and opinions. We value such interactions and will build on our personal experience in learning from each other to continue accelerating our initiatives.
Sharing our News and Updates on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
In order to foster a corporate culture that enables diverse talents to demonstrate their maximum capabilities, Renesas established a website for its employees on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We are sharing updates on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion activities on our company intranet to raise the awareness of our employees. In addition, we regularly distribute messages on how the top management perceives the importance of diversity.
Gender Pay Gap Reporting
At Renesas, we are committed to bringing equality in the workplace. This includes making sure our people are compensated fairly for the work they are hired to do, regardless of their background. As the first step, we are analyzing our employees’ salary data and reporting the difference in the average pay between men and women in the workforce.
Regardless of region, we are operating as "One Global Renesas.” Within this system, we conduct performance evaluations using globally unified grades and job titles.
Yakutei
In December 2023, we abolished the “Yakutei System” in Japan, which uniformly demoted employees who reached a certain age. We retain and support high-performing talent regardless of age and align them to appropriate roles based on their skillsets and strengths.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager-level compensation – Renesas Electronics Corporation and Japan* | Male average | M yen | 10.2 | 10.4 | 11.6 | 11.8 | 11.8 |
| Female average | M yen | 9.8 | 10.0 | 11.2 | 11.7 | 11.7 | |
| Female average magnification | Magnification | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.995 | 0.992 |
*From FY2022, the calculations are based on the method of gender pay gap calculation specified by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Gender Pay Gap Report
| Title | Year | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Renesas Design (UK) Limited | 2022 | 2023 | |
| Dialog Semiconductor (UK) Limited | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
Actively Hiring International Graduates
We actively hire new graduates in Japan from abroad. Every year, approximately 20-30% of the new graduate employees who join us are not Japanese and are active in a variety of postings. For the fiscal year 2022, we hired a number of new graduates in Japan, with 25 non-Japanese employees from four countries (Finland, Korea, China, Taiwan), and employees’ nationalities are becoming more diverse each year. After joining the company, new graduate employees are assigned to their postings, including the design departments, with a designated trainer who accompanies them on their development.
Ratio of foreign nationality graduates
| year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | 16.1% | 22.5% | 28.0% | 26.6% | 20.8% |
Initiatives in Europe
Renesas Electronics Europe Ltd., one of our regional subsidiaries, has partnered with UKESF (Note) to provide paid work placements for university students studying electronics at UK universities, not only contributing directly to our increased diversity, but also cultivating a next generation of superior engineers for the electronics industry.
Note: UKESF (UK Electronics Skills Foundation is an organization that provides scholarships to talented university students studying electronic engineering at universities in the United Kingdom and provides employment opportunities at companies).
Promotion of Female Employees' Participation and Advancement
Within our diversity activities, we are particularly intensifying activities around the promotion of female employees' participation and advancement in Renesas. In addition to increasing the ratio of women in all organizations, we are focusing on promoting the diversity of our workforce by increasing the number of women in managerial positions, and by enabling women to contribute to better products and solutions that realize social contributions.
Increasing the Ratio of Female Recruits
Despite the number of female students in the fields of mechanical and electrical engineering for hiring are very low, we are continuously hiring female engineers through our website and recruitment seminars. We aim over 20% of new graduates recruited in Japan every year to be female. Therefore, we will continue to focus on increasing the number of female graduates by establishing a corporate culture and structure that will enable employees to play an active role in the company regardless of gender.
Supporting Women's Career Development
Renesas provides opportunities for all employees, regardless of gender, to work globally and take on roles in accordance with their abilities.
As of the end of 2022, women accounted for approximately 25% of our workforce, and just 8.4% of our managerial positions. We conduct business globally, and the percentage of women in managerial positions overseas is higher than in Japan.
There were 90 female managers in the Renesas Group in Japan (3.8% of all managers) as of the end of 2022. Of these, there are 3 female executives (at the head of division level), and we will continue to increase the numbers of female leaders in Japan going forward.
Ratio of Female Managers (Percentage of women in managerial positions, as of the end of December, 2022)
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | Number of managers | 53 | 57 | 71 | 80 | 90 |
| % | 2.1 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 3.8 | |
| Outside Japan | Number of managers | - | - | 159 | 181 | 231 |
| % | - | - | 17.6 | 16.0 | 15.7 | |
| Global | Number of managers | - | - | 230 | 261 | 321 |
| % | - | - | 6.9 | 7.6 | 8.4 | |
Various Programs to Promote Female Employees' Participation and Advancement
We have established various programs to promote female employees' participation and advancement in Renesas. For instance, 95% of female employees in 2022 returned to work after maternity and childcare leave. While we acknowledge there is more to be done, we believe that we really do help a lot of female employees to handle the balance between work and childcare better. We will continue to provide career support so that female employees get the chance to fully demonstrate their potential, in order to promote participation and advancement of female employees in Renesas.
Examples of benefits and programs offered in Japan
| Work Style Reforms |
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| Various Programs | Renesas Group Compatibility Support System
[Childcare]
[Family Care]
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| Hiring |
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| Employee training and development |
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Global Semiconductor Alliance's Women's Leadership Initiative Pledge
Renesas' CEO, Hidetoshi Shibata, has signed the Women's Leadership Initiative (WLI) Pledge. This pledge signifies that industry leaders are working to make a substantial impact on recruitment, retention and advancement of women in the semiconductor industry. By signing the pledge, Renesas commits to the following:
- Prioritizing gender diversity and gender pay parity.
- Creating an inclusive culture, free from biases that enable women to contribute their maximum potential.
- Promoting the professional development of women through offering opportunities, training, recognition, engagement and participation.
- Creating advancement opportunities through sponsorship and meaningful performance objectives.
Pledging Support for United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)
Renesas has become a signatory of Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) (announced on April 13, 2021), a joint initiative founded by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and UN Women in 2010.
Becoming a signatory solidifies Renesas’ unwavering commitment to promote gender equality and create a more inclusive workforce where individuals can achieve their maximum potential regardless of gender. Going forward, we will empower and inspire women in the workplace and in society, and to create a business environment where women can work, lead and excel in their careers.
Global Partnership with Inspiring Girls International
Renesas is a proud partner of Inspiring Girls International, a global charity dedicated to raising the aspirations of girls by connecting them with female role models. Aligned on the mission to introduce girls to a variety of careers and opportunities in life, Renesas’ female engineers and teams will participate in virtual and in-person programs (France, United Kingdom, Italy). Our goal is to demonstrate our commitment to gender equality by empowering the next generation of women through this global partnership.
U.S. Partnership with High-Tech High Heels
High-Tech High Heels is on a mission to achieve equitable representation for women in the STEM workforce. They do this by awarding grants to nonprofit and school-based programs that improve STEM education and provide engaging and inspiring STEM experiences for K-12 girls and young women. In 2022, Renesas formed a partnership with its Silicon Valley Chapter that launched the SnapCircuit Program during the pandemic to ensure continuous learning. To contribute to their ongoing effort, our female engineers and volunteers around the world produced 15 demo videos for students and their teachers in the Bay Area. We look forward to expanding our engagement.
Efforts to Promote Disabled Employees' Participation and Advancement (Japan)
We consistently work on hiring people with disabilities. As of 2021, employees with disabilities accounted for 2.3% of the workforce in Japan, and they are active in various locations. In addition to the design and manufacturing departments, we have employees with disabilities demonstrating their skills and playing an active role in a wide range of fields across the company. Our global Group companies also actively hire people with disabilities, and employees with disabilities accounts for 1.0% of the global workforce.
We will continue to fulfill our social responsibility and promote the active employment of individuals with disabilities, while also leveraging diversity to drive growth for the company.
Ratio of employees with Disabilities
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan* | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Global | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.9% |
*Ratio of employees with disabilities in Japan is calculated based on the calculation method provided in the Act on Promotion of Employment of Persons with Disabilities in Japan (as of June 1).
Creating a More LGBTQ+ Friendly Workplace
At Renesas, we are actively working to strengthen our LGBTQ+ related initiatives. We believe that by affirming diversity including sexual orientation and sexual identity, we can create a work environment where everyone can be themselves and feels safe to fully engage in their work. Therefore, through activities by the Diversity Promotion Group (DPG) and other programs, we aim to foster a corporate culture where all employees understand and accept gender diversity, while also making improvements in systems and work environments for LGBTQ+ employees.
Renesas Code of Conduct states that employees should not be discriminated against based on “sexual orientation” and “sexual identity.” On June 1, 2021, Renesas has pledged to Business for Marriage Equality (BME), a campaign to boost marriage equality in Japan through the support of businesses. At the same time, we revised our HR policies in Japan to include partners of common-law marriage, regardless of their gender. We will expand the initiatives to respect the rights of LGBTQ+ members to different countries and regions, while taking into consideration the laws and circumstances of each country and region. Along with this revision, we are establishing a consultation helpline for members of the LGBTQ+ community, creating an inclusive environment to support their rights, and making improvements in recruitment with LGBTQ+ in mind. We hope, through DPG activities, we can deepen employees’ understanding of LGBTQ+ and increase the number of allies.
List of LGBTQ+ initiatives
| Fostering Culture | |
|---|---|
| Establishment of HR Systems and Environment | |
| Establishment of Diversity Promotion Group (DPG) |
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| Revision of Renesas Code of Conduct |
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| Internal notice of revision of company rules and systems |
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| Pledge to support Business for Marriage Equality |
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| CEO message to employees about LGBTQ+ |
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| Adoption of LGBTQ+ friendly logo |
Image
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| Activities to raise awareness |
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| Revision of HR policies |
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| Establishment of consultation helpline |
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| Inclusive and considerate environment for everyone |
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| Considerate approach in hiring |
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Note 1: LGBTQ+ refers to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning and other sexual minorities.
Note 2: Excludes items that are not permitted by laws and regulations of a particular region.
Note 3: As the laws and culture differs from country to country, Renesas will comply with the laws of each country and will respond to the cultural circumstances of the country appropriately when implementing measures.
Contributing to SDGs
Renesas’ efforts in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion contributes to these Sustainable Development Goals targets:
SDG 5.1 End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
SDG 5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life
SDG 5.c Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels
SDG 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status