Compliance
Compliance Promotion System and Compliance Code of Conduct
The Yamaha Group has positioned compliance among its most important management themes. We practice compliance management with a focus on ensuring strong legal compliance, adherence to social norms, and a high level of corporate ethics.
The Compliance Code of Conduct puts forth a code for guiding the actions of all members of the Yamaha Group as the foundation for compliance management. Since the establishment of the code in 2003, ongoing revisions have been implemented in reflection of changes in environmental and social conditions, and the code has been translated into multiple languages.
Education and Awareness-Raising Regarding Compliance Code of Conduct
The Yamaha Group publishes booklets that describe in detail the Compliance Code of Conduct in order to promote education and raise awareness regarding the code. In Japan, physical booklets are distributed and electronic booklets are made available via the Company intranet to allow all full-time and dispatch employees (including part-time employees with employment contracts) to review the content of these booklets at any time. These booklets are also used as tools for compliance training and for workplace training and education activities. Overseas Group companies utilize booklets prepared in the respective language based on the booklets available in Japanese.
Compliance Management Frameworks and Promotion System
The Working Group for Compliance, an organization that is chaired by an operating officer and positioned within the Risk Management Committee, which is an advisory body to the president, is a central organization in the promotion of compliance. This working group discusses and decides on Groupwide compliance-related policies and measures. In addition, the working group is responsible for monitoring the activities of divisions and Group companies to ensure legal compliance and ethical operations.
Other measures for ensuring good compliance include internal education and training programs, employee questionnaires, and the development of compliance helplines, which are made available to full-time, dispatch, and other employees.
Working Group for Compliance Activities
Major Activities
Four meetings in fiscal 2023
Details
- Confirmation of Groupwide compliance promotion status
- Response to revision of Whistleblower Protection Act and formulation of Group Whistleblowing Specialized Rules
- Training on prevention of harassment provided to Group managers
- Enhancement and improvement of effectiveness of compliance helplines
Monitoring
The Working Group for Compliance conducts regular monitoring of the status of compliance systems and compliance promotion at Company divisions and Group companies to ensure that the business activities of the Yamaha Group are ethical and legally compliant. Overseas, the frequency of monitoring activities, previously conducted once a year, has been raised to allow for timely tracking of the status of compliance through monitoring conducted once every three months. In addition, compliance questionnaires are administered to employees once every three years. Compliance helplines have been set up at all overseas Group companies, and steps are taken to maintain a comprehensive understanding of the level of awareness regarding the Compliance Code of Conduct and these helplines. In Japan, we measure the awareness of domestic Group employees from the perspectives of compliance risks and corporate culture. Moreover, organization-level analyses are performed. The results of these analyses are reflected in measures to address issues and reform our corporate culture.
Overview of Compliance System and Progress Monitoring Activities
Scope | Yamaha Corporation divisions and 47 Group companies |
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Details | Reviews of compliance promotion systems, compliance helplines, and report numbers |
Frequency | Confirmation of promotion system once per year, confirmation of number of compliance helpline reports at overseas Group companies once every three months |
Overview of Employee Questionnaires
Scope | Approximately 8,500 full-time, seconded, and dispatch employees (including contract and part-time employees with employment contracts) of domestic Group companies Approximately 20,000 full-time and seconded employees (including factory workers) of 34 overseas Group companies |
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Details | Questions for tracking employee awareness regarding compliance, the Compliance Code of Conduct, and compliance helplines |
Frequency | Once every three years |
Training and Education
The Yamaha Group provides employees compliance training and education through the intranet and through various training programs.
For domestic Yamaha Group employees, we distribute accessible, easy-to-understand online compliance educational content for employees via the intranet on a monthly basis. For example, employees are given access to Compliance News, which explains concepts in four-panel comic strips; Compliance Quizzes; and Compliance Mini-Tests. In addition, we began providing comics detailing how to use compliance helplines in fiscal 2023 with the goal of promoting understanding of the helplines and alleviating any concerns employees may have regarding their usage. These and other content allow users to efficiently learn about compliance in a short amount of time.
Training programs include online programs or small group sessions for the employees of domestic Group companies on subjects such as compliance topics and means of improving communication with supervisors to foster a more open corporate culture. One important compliance concern is preventing harassment. Focused on this subject, an online seminar on preventing abuses of power was arranged for all managers of domestic Group companies in fiscal 2023. This seminar looked at harassment mechanisms, case studies, anger management, unconscious bias, and various other topics directly related to management. Post-seminar questionnaires pointed to the improvements to understanding and awareness gained during the seminar through comments on the contents of the program and requests for future iterations. In addition, a training session for employees involved in investigating reports received through compliance helplines was arranged in December 2022 based on the revision to the Whistleblower Protection Act instituted in June of that year. Domestic Group companies also implemented their own compliance training and education programs.
Fiscal 2023 Compliance Training Programs
Number of sessions | Number of participants | |
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Rank-based training | 10 | 335 |
Onboarding training for mid-career hires | 11 | 44 |
Other training programs | 3 | 229 |
Total | 24 | 608 |
Compliance Helplines
The Yamaha Group has established compliance helplines for addressing compliance-related consultations and reports. These helplines can be used to receive support via the internet, telephone, fax, email, or standard mail. Objective investigations are conducted to confirm the validity of any reports or consultations indicating potential compliance violations, and response and disciplinary measures are decided based on the findings of these investigations.
In Japan, three helplines are available: the Yamaha Compliance Hotline, an external consultation venue for domestic Group companies operated by a subcontractor; an internal consultation venue; and a venue for consultation with an external legal firm. In addition, cards detailing the contact information for these helplines are distributed to employees. We also promote awareness and use of these venues during training sessions. These helplines are available to officers, full-time employees, dispatch employees, and part-time staff. The provisions contained in internal rules for protecting earnest individuals submitting reports through helplines from disadvantageous treatment have been strengthened in response to the revision to the Whistleblower Protection Act instituted in June 2022. In addition, training sessions have been held for employees involved in investigating reports to ensure their compliance with the relevant laws and regulations.
Overseas, helplines have been set up at 34 overseas Group companies, and Yamaha Corporation also provides a shared global helpline offering support via the internet that is available in 16 languages. In 2022, external helplines were established at almost all overseas Group companies and steps were taken to expand the range of options available for reporting to accommodate the needs of individuals submitting a report. Moreover, Groupwide policies and rules pertaining to handling of whistleblowers were formulated while manuals were prepared and briefings were held for compliance representatives at Group companies to promote helpline usage and expedite responses to reports.
Compliance Helpline System
Harassment and other work-related matters represented the majority of consultations and reports received as of March 31, 2023. Policies and rules pertaining to handling of whistleblowers have been formulated in response to the revision to the Whistleblower Protection Act instituted in June 2022, thereby clarifying the internal rules in relation to reports and responses thereof. In this manner, the Company has prepared a legally compliant process for responding to consultations and reports received through helplines that includes confirming the validity of the claims, determining whether legal violations took place, and taking any necessary corrective measures.
In fiscal 2023, no reports were received on incidents that constituted serious compliance violations with the potential to result in the Company being subject to massive fines or non-monetary sanctions for violating social or economic laws.
Number of Reports Received through Compliance Helplines
Name provided | Anonymous | Total | |
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FY2019 | 25 | 9 | 34 |
FY2020 | 54 | 12 | 66 |
FY2021 | 50 | 33 | 83 |
FY2022 | 44 | 43 | 87 |
FY2023 | 57 | 57 | 114 |