Human Capital

The Group’s human capital strategy is to create an environment　where each employee can act autonomously, as they aspire to “Trust for a Flourishing Future,” take on the　challenge of　creating new value, and play an active role. This approach enables them to showcase their unique skill sets　and contribute to the organization’s overall strength.

To sustainably maintain and strengthen our human capital in order to realize our management strategy, the Group is building a diverse, specialized workforce to support our extensive range of functions and business portfolio. Our focus is on human resource development and providing career development support, with the objective of enabling each employee to evolve into an “autonomous career-type talent” who considers their future aspirations and takes action to achieve them.

We will enhance our personnel system, evaluation processes,placement procedures, promotion management,and human resource development programs in a flexible manner. Our objective is to establish a work environment in which each employee can contribute meaningfully. This environment will provide fair and equitable support based on career stage and life events, thereby maximizing each individual’s capabilities to contribute to the organization.Through these initiatives, we are building a talent pool that supports the execution of our business strategy and drives the enhancement of corporate value.

Guided by SuMi TRUST Group's management principles (mission), we seek to harness the diversity and creativity of each and every individual - the very concept behind diversity, equity and inclusion - and our Basic Policy for Personnel Affairs Management aims to add value to the organization by making full use of the diversity and creativity of all employees. The business model of a trust bank group should aim to offer added value to its clients by leveraging the breadth of diversity throughout the organization. While we have always believed in respecting diversity as an organization, we consider it vital that our employees reaffirm the strengths of the Group so that we can continue to enhance our diversity. SuMi TRUST Group and SuMi TRUST Bank have each established a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Office (D& Office) within the Human Resources Department. SuMi TRUST Bank's DE&I Office comprises dedicated employees from the Human Resources Department and business supervising departments. In addition to promoting the diversification of work styles for individual employees, the DE&I Office implements measures that best suit the situation of each business with the aim of enhancing corporate value.

SuMi TRUST Group views OJT as the foundation for human resource development. We also focus on assigning employees to roles that awaken their passion for growth and allow them to display their abilities to the maximum extent. In fiscal year 2018, SuMi TRUST Bank introduced a program that enables younger employees to experience multiple work domains within a fixed period. We are also advancing initiatives such as a trust internship program aimed at developing human resources who possess a "high degree of expert knowledge in trust operations" and a "deep understanding of the fiduciary spirit."

*OJT: On-the-Job Training. OJT is a process whereby workplace supervisors and senior employees teach subordinates the knowledge, skills, and duties required of them via their daily tasks.

SuMi TRUST Group has established the TRUST University to offer group training with the objective of improving employee business skills and management abilities. In addition, many opportunities in the self-development programs encourage employees to continue improving their skills. The company's president serves as the dean of TRUST University, while the executive officer in charge of the Human Resources Department and an external expert serve as vice deans. The university is a group-wide program that also receives advice regarding management from the graduate school of Hitotsubashi University. From FY2020 we plan to turn TRUST University into a platform through which employees can discover their own appetite for learning, connect with others around them, and learn from each other. We also intend to enhance the content offered and strengthen the university's infrastructure so that it is more user-friendly.

*Off-the-job training: Workshops, training, and other methods are utilized to provide employees with the knowledge and skills that cannot be acquired through OJT.

SuMi TRUST Bank offers a program to develop next-generation executive candidates in cooperation with Hitotsubashi University's Graduate Programs. Candidates receive instruction on the values, general liberal arts knowledge, and MBA elements they need for management, and through sessions and courses, they complete the program by presenting a proposal to senior executives. The Bank also provides a leadership development program for female employees to step up to management through various rank-based training. After the employees complete their training, operations are conducted such as providing them with opportunities to practice what they have learned during training in a variety of environments, primarily through promotion and job rotation.

Fair and just evaluations and treatment in accordance with abilities, roles, and results form the basis of SuMi TRUST Bank's performance evaluation system. The system used is based on a participatory model, in which employees communicate closely with their supervisors on a daily basis to establish and review specific goals. The process focuses not only issues related to the performance of duties, but formulates and provides feedback on future career development. Also, as a means of obtaining a multifaceted view of personnel, we have introduced an anonymous survey through which subordinates and others can rate the day-to-day management actions of line managers (general managers, deputy general managers, section managers, etc.). By conducting this survey, we can encourage management action reform and foster a culture of interactive communication.

Mental and physical health is the foundation of well-being and the driving force for value creation. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank will strive to achieve a company where employees can work vigorously in good health and demonstrate their performance by appointing the well-being promotion director to provide a safe and pleasant work environment and supporting each employee in raising health awareness and promoting health in collaboration with the society-managed health insurance, the health promotion center (in-house clinic), and Human Resources Department.

In recognition of its efforts to promote the physical and mental health of all employees, the Group has been certified as a "White 500 company under the Outstanding Organizations of KENKO Investment for Health Program " for eight consecutive years. With the aim of improving the health literacy of all employees, the Group strives to promote and raise health awareness through study sessions for the top management level, training for management, seminars and e-learning for personnel, and other programs. In addition to annual health checkups, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank has implemented a non-smoking policy in all of its buildings and lowered the age limit for breast and cervical cancer examinations for physical health. The Bank also provides individual guidance to ensure that employees who need medical attention as a result of their health checkups consult with doctors, and the recent rate of employees receiving a full medical checkup was 80.1%. With regard to mental health, it has held seminars on mental health measures and set up counseling rooms where clinical psychologists provide counseling. Currently, the Bank is focusing on supporting women's health. The effectiveness of these health measures will be verified through stress checks or measurement of presenteeism and absenteeism to improve and adopt the measures widely.

Our group is committed to fostering a culture that encourages both challenge and continuous learning. We aim to provide every employee with meaningful opportunities to grow, thrive, and find fulfillment in their work.

At Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, we continuously host the “Branch Manager Academy,” where branch managers themselves serve as instructors, sharing their experiences and insights. In addition, we actively promote employee communication through initiatives such as one-on-one meetings, supporting individual growth and ambition.To ensure the effectiveness of these efforts and amplify employee voices, we have implemented tools such as employee awareness surveys and ｐulse surveys as a mechanism to convey the voices of employees to the top management and management levels.

In fiscal 2025, as the culmination of our 100th anniversary initiatives, we further strengthened our culture of challenge by holding the “Action Challenge Award”—a company-wide, employee-participatory event where employees presented their own bold ideas and were recognized for their efforts.