80% of Companies Promote the Idea of Valuing Employees, but Over Half Struggle to Connect with Employees' Feelings

Gekkan Somu Corporation, the publisher of Japan's only specialized magazine for administrative personnel, 'Monthly Somu,' conducted a survey on 'Employee Happiness' targeting administrative personnel nationwide and received responses from 175 individuals.

[Survey Results Overview]

・Approximately 80% of companies include the idea of valuing employees in their corporate philosophy

・About 70% prioritize 'employee happiness' in management

・Approximately half of the companies are engaged in human capital management, with the top purpose being 'improving employee job satisfaction'

・Over 80% believe that human capital management leads to 'employee happiness'

・However, over half of the companies engaged in human capital management recognize the issue of not connecting with employees' feelings

[Detailed Survey Results]

◼️84.0% responded that their corporate philosophy includes the idea of valuing employees

When asked if their company's corporate philosophy and management policy include the idea of valuing employees, 38.3% said 'clearly included,' and 45.7% said 'partially included,' totaling 84.0% who responded that it is included in some form (n=175).

◼️About 70% prioritize 'employee happiness' in management

When asked how much the company prioritizes 'employee happiness' in management, 27.4% said 'very much,' and 42.3% said 'somewhat,' totaling 69.7% of positive responses. On the other hand, 22.3% said 'not much,' and 8.0% said 'not at all,' indicating that about 30% of the respondents have a skeptical view of their company's management posture, suggesting a gap between philosophy and management actions (n=175).

◼️The most common initiative to value employees is 'enhancing benefits,' with about 10% not implementing any specific initiatives

When asked about the initiatives the company is implementing to value employees, 'enhancing benefits' was the most common at 61.7%, followed by 'establishing flexible work styles' at 49.1%, and 'health and well-being measures' at 43.4%. Additionally, 10.9% of companies stated that they are 'not implementing any specific initiatives,' indicating a polarization of initiatives (n=175).

◼️Approximately half of the companies are engaged in human capital management

When asked if the company is engaged in human capital management, 9.1% said 'very much,' and 41.1% said 'somewhat,' totaling 50.2% of the engaged layer, reaching half. On the other hand, 30.3% said 'not much,' and 13.7% said 'not at all,' indicating a significant gap in engagement posture among companies (n=175).

◼️The main purpose of human capital management is 'improving employee job satisfaction,' with 'improving performance and productivity' also ranking high

When asked about the main purposes of human capital management, 'to improve employee job satisfaction' was the most common at 75.0%. This was followed by 'to strengthen the recruitment of excellent human resources' at 55.7%, and 'to improve performance and productivity' at 54.5%. 'To improve employee happiness and well-being' was also mentioned by 48.9% of respondents, indicating that human capital management is positioned as aiming at both internal employee support and external competitiveness enhancement (n=88/companies engaged in human capital management).

◼️Over 80% believe that human capital management leads to 'employee happiness'

When asked if they believe that human capital management leads to employee happiness, 18.2% said 'very much,' and 67.0% said 'somewhat,' totaling 85.2% of positive responses. It was found that a certain level of realization that human capital management efforts contribute to the improvement of well-being has been formed within the engaged companies (n=88/companies engaged in human capital management).

◼️Over half of the companies engaged in human capital management recognize the issue of not connecting with employees' feelings

While engaged in human capital management, when asked about what is lacking from the perspective of 'valuing people,' 'not connecting with employees' feelings' was the most common at 53.4%, followed by 'increased burden on the front line' at 33.0%, and 'only the system is in place without proper operation' at 25.0%. There were also 21.6% who responded that 'the understanding of the management layer is superficial,' indicating that concerns about the formalization and superficiality of measures are spreading among front-line staff (n=88/companies engaged in human capital management).

◼️The areas that administration should focus on are 'creating a safe and secure work environment,' 'supporting mental and physical health,' and 'activating communication'

When asked about what administration should particularly focus on for 'employee happiness,' 'creating a safe and secure work environment' was the most common at 67.4%. This was followed by 'supporting mental and physical health (health management, mental health measures, etc.)' and 'activating internal communication' at 54.3% each, and 'establishing flexible and easy-to-work-with systems' at 53.7% (n=175).

◼️The recognition rate of 'SWGs' is about 40%, with about 40% having never heard of the term

When asked if they are familiar with the concept of 'SWGs (Sustainable Well-being Goals),' 6.3% said 'well understood,' and 33.7% said 'somewhat understood,' totaling 40.0% of the recognition layer. 'I know the term but do not understand the content well' was 22.3%, and 'I have never heard of the term' was 37.7%, indicating that the opportunity to come into contact with the concept itself is still limited (n=175).

*Note: SWGs (Sustainable Well-being Goals)

A comprehensive term for concepts and guidelines aimed at achieving sustainable happiness. Modeled after the SDGs, it is a way of thinking that aims to sustainably improve long-term well-being (mental and physical health, purpose in life, social connections, etc.) for companies, organizations, and individuals. In recent years, the number of companies incorporating it into their management strategies and personnel policies is increasing.

◼️The implementation rate of initiatives conscious of SWGs is about 30%

When asked if the company is implementing initiatives conscious of the SWGs concept, 5.7% said 'actively engaged,' and 27.4% said 'partially engaged,' totaling 33.1% of the implementation layer. 'I would like to engage in the future' was 29.7%, indicating a certain level of potential interest, while 'not engaged' was the most common at 37.1%, indicating that there is still a significant gap between recognition and practice (n=175).

◼️Nearly 90% of respondents feel that the SWGs concept will be 'important' in future corporate management

When asked if they think the SWGs concept will be important in future corporate management, 37.7% said 'very important,' and 50.9% said 'somewhat important,' totaling 88.6% who recognize its importance (n=175).

◼️Overall Evaluation

From this survey, it can be seen that while the idea of 'management that values employees' is permeating many companies, there is a struggle to connect this idea with employees' feelings. The idea of valuing employee happiness and growth is becoming a common management theme for many companies. However, the idea of valuing employees cannot be realized by merely stating philosophies or systems. It requires daily work styles