Diversity and Inclusion

NGK promotes Work-Life Balance and works to reduce long working hours. In response to social trends and legal changes, we continuously improve our systems and review their operation to support flexible and appropriate ways of working.

NGK has established programs that support flexible ways of working so that employees can balance work and family responsibilities. To support employees with childcare and nursing care needs, we offer flexible work arrangements such as shortened working hours, the Flex time system, and remote work. We also provide financial support, including babysitting subsidies and a lump-sum payment system for nursing care support. In addition, for childcare, we conduct pre-maternity leave interviews, pre-return-to-work interviews, and career development interviews. For nursing care, we provide support through information sessions, a nursing care handbook, and consultation services in collaboration with external specialists. These measures complement our programs and help employees balance work with their personal responsibilities.

NGK is enhancing its work-life support programs based on employee feedback. In FY2025, more than 90% of male employees whose spouses gave birth took either childcare leave or leave for childcare purposes^*. We will continue to review and improve our programs and their operation to create an environment where both men and women can balance childcare and work.

System to Support Employees to Balance Work and Childcare at Each Stage

NGK has established an early return to work support program to help employees who take maternity leave or childcare leave return to work with confidence and continue their careers. These initiatives support employees in balancing childcare and work and help create an environment where diverse talent, including women, can continue to build their careers.

Overview of Childcare Support Measures

NGK is committed to creating an environment where employees can achieve Work-Life Balance regardless of gender or whether they have children. To encourage male employees to take childcare leave, we revised the Handbook to Support the Balance of Work and Childcare to promote a better understanding of the programs available to them. We also established a process in which male employees whose spouses are expecting a child meet with their supervisor to discuss available programs and promote understanding in the workplace. In addition, we encourage supervisors to adjust workloads and provide appropriate support within the workplace, helping to create an environment where all employees can take leave more easily.
In addition, through the Consultation Helpdesk for Anything Related to the Work-Life Balance, established in FY2022, HR personnel respond to consultations regarding work-life balance support. The helpdesk receives inquiries on topics such as taking and using childcare leave, as well as workplace management issues raised by supervisors whose subordinates are preparing to take childcare leave.

NGK provides Seminars for Employees Returning from Childcare Leave for employees returning from maternity leave or childcare leave, as well as their supervisors. The program encourages participants to view housework and childcare as shared responsibilities rather than roles assigned to a particular gender, and to recognize both themselves and their spouses as active partners in balancing work and family life. Participants also learn practical approaches to working during this stage of life and building careers from a medium- to long-term perspective. In addition, the program provides opportunities for employees from different departments who are balancing childcare and work to exchange ideas and share experiences, successful practices, and challenges.

NGK is enhancing its nursing care leave programs to help employees balance nursing care and work. In addition to reviewing our programs in response to legal revisions, we have introduced flexible measures, including a system that allows employees to take nursing care leave for up to one year in as many as three separate periods. We have also eased eligibility requirements for non-regular and part-time employees. Furthermore, in April 2026, we revised the nursing care handbook to promote understanding not only among employees facing nursing care responsibilities but also among supervisors, subordinates, and colleagues across the workplace.

NGK is working to create an environment that enables employees with illnesses requiring ongoing and repeated treatment to continue working while receiving medical care without leaving the company. We have established the Consultation Helpdesk for Anything Related to the Work-Life Balance, a leave-of-absence program for non-work-related illness or injury, and flexible work arrangements such as shortened working hours and a three-day workweek. We also provide workplace accommodations tailored to each employee’s circumstances.

NGK is working to promote understanding of sexual minorities, including LGBTQ people, as part of its efforts to create a workplace where diverse values and attributes are respected. We provide ongoing education and awareness programs, including video-based training for employees. We have also created an environment where employees with same-sex partners can access our internal service and benefit programs.

The NGK Group promotes the employment of people with disabilities as part of its efforts to create a workplace where diverse values and attributes are respected. We continuously provide internship opportunities for students from special-needs schools and recruit them as employees. In FY2025, our employment rate of people with disabilities, including our special subsidiary company, was 2.88%. We have established a dedicated support department for employees with disabilities and are creating a work environment where they can work with confidence by improving workplace conditions and promoting understanding of disabilities.
We also promote the active participation of employees with disabilities at Group companies in and outside Japan, including our special subsidiary company, by providing employment opportunities and reasonable accommodations tailored to business characteristics and individual skills.

More than 98% of the approximately 12,000 employees working at the NGK Group’s overseas sites are locally hired employees. As a company operating businesses in countries and regions around the world, we regard contributing to the development of local economies and communities as an important responsibility and continuously promote the hiring of local talent.