Pursuit of employee well-being

Mizuho has published the "Human Capital Report" to comprehensively explain how we will create value together with our customers, the economy and society through "Enhancing Human Capital" and "Transforming Corporate Culture". For details on our various human capital initiatives.
Further information
Human Capital Report (PDF/11,948KB)

Creating environments enabling employees to work healthy and safely
Physical and mental health: Formulating a strategic map to achieve health-focused management in Japan
Financial health: Creating opportunities for employees to build their assets autonomously, developing support frameworks
Work Styles: Building supportive environments encouraging diverse employees to advance

We believe that ensuring and promoting physical and mental health on an ongoing basis is a part of enabling every employee to work to their full potential. Mizuho supports employee well-being in terms of both physical and mental health and wellness, which raises employees’ productivity and motivates them to take on new challenges. Our support also extends to financial health and wellness, helping employees avoid financial worries in the future.

Creating environments enabling employees to work healthy and safely

Mizuho regards employees feeling of ease of work and being themselves as one of the goals in CANADE, and places importance on ensuring that employees can work safely and securely, both mentally and physically. Through initiatives for health promotion and occupational safety and health, we aim to create a comfortable workplace environment for our employees. In line with this goal, we have committed to the Health and Productivity Management Declaration and have established a promotion system.

Organizational structure for promotion

The Group CHRO is designated as the person responsible for health management, and the company's HR department and health insurance association work together to establish a health management promotion system. Additionally, various committees have been formed to address critical issues, ensuring consistent execution of processes from the discussion of measures to impact evaluation.

Ensuring employee safety in emergencies

Mizuho undertakes initiatives to be prepared for emergencies and ensure employee safety as a top priority. In particular, we have developed manuals that outline actions to ensure employee safety. These actions include risk-avoidance behavior, rescue operations, and evacuation procedures, taking into account emergencies such as large-scale natural disasters, conflicts or terrorism both inside and outside Japan, as well as the spread of infectious diseases. We also raise employee awareness of initial responses to emergencies through regular emergency drills and constant reminders of the state of affairs both inside and outside Japan, and by evaluating the effectiveness of the manuals. In addition, we have contracted a safety check service to establish a system to immediately check on the safety of our employees and their families in the case of emergencies.

Physical and mental health: Formulating a strategic map to achieve health-focused management in Japan

As part of realizing our vision for health and productivity management in Japan, in fiscal 2023, we formulated a health and productivity management strategy map to visualize the links between our goals and measures. Health awareness among employees is improving, thanks in part to the effects of our internal Health Promotion Month and various other measures. Conversely, the number of employees taking leave due to mental health issues has also been on the rise, so we are focusing on initiatives that lead to early detection of such issues and strengthening support for employees to return to work. We recognize there is a need for further efforts, as the percentage of absenteeism1 (the percentage of employees who have been absent from work for 30 or more calendar days after the start of sick leave, excluding paid leave) is still at 1.8%, the same level as in fiscal 2022.

1. Although we are aiming for improvement, rest should be taken when necessary, and monitoring and factor analysis should be conducted without setting targets at this time.

Health and productivity management strategy map

Financial health: Creating opportunities for employees to build their assets autonomously, developing support frameworks

Under the existing system for asset formation and related education, there remained issues regarding the level of understanding and satisfaction among employees. To resolve these, we are planning a campaign to make employees more aware of the asset formation options available at Mizuho, and we are also revising our corporate-type defined contribution pension plan, as a means of creating opportunities for employees to build assets autonomously. We will measure the effectiveness of these ongoing initiatives by checking the status of employees’ asset formation.

Financial Wellness Initiatives

Work Styles: Building supportive environments encouraging diverse employees to advance

We have been making efforts to build supportive and safe work environments in which every employee well balances work and life, and encourage them to select diverse and flexible work styles to advance in their own ways. We have been implementing different initiatives such as establishment of systems/programs encouraging diverse work styles and practicing reduced work hours, aiming for organizations in which all employees work productively towards what they want to be while feeing satisfied as a professional and as an individual.

Promoting flexible and diverse work style

Mizuho aims to enhance the productivity of the organization and each employee through flexible work styles that are not constrained by specific hours or locations, which contributes to the sustainable growth of the company.

Introduction of flexible work hours

We have introduced flexible work hour programs such as “flex time with/without core hours” and “staggered hours”, encouraging our employees to utilize them according to the business characteristics of their departments in order to implement efficient and productive work styles. Additionally, we have established diverse support programs that exceed the legal requirements for time-constrained employees balancing child or family care and work. In particular, our reduced work hours program for childcare allows eligible employees to choose between reduced hours and full-time work on a daily basis, promoting flexible work styles according to their family matters, including their partners’ work styles.

Introduction of flexible work locations - utilizing remote work

We have introduced work from home system for all employees as well as satellite offices encouraging flexible work styles that are not restricted by “location”.  We have organized systems that allow our employees to work without coming to the office based on their business characteristics, and established environments that enable time-constrained employees, such as those balancing work and child/family care, to perform to their fullest potential. The system also promotes more efficient work styles, and many employees have realized the benefits of remote work.

Initiatives to promote taking leave

Mizuho has set a KPI target of “80% of paid annual leave taken” as a level to be maintained on an ongoing basis. For employees balancing work and child/family care, we offer a variety of flexible leave options, such as paid half-days off, which can be taken up to 32 times, paternity leave, refreshment leave, self-enlightenment leave, and volunteer leave, encouraging them to flexibly take leave according to their own circumstances. 

Complying with laws/regulations and building work environments

Mizuho has been undertaking establishment of supportive and safe work environments where all employees’ human rights and the minimum standard of healthy and cultured living are respected.

Ensuring minimum wage

Mizuho ensures that all employees receive salaries exceeding local minimum wages. We monitor annual trends in minimum wage increases and revise wages as necessary based on these trends. For FY2023, we confirmed that our salary standards exceed local minimum wages. Additionally, based on the concept of equal pay for equal work, we have established fair labor standards regardless of the type of employment.  
In offices and branches outside Japan, Mizuho ensures that employees' wages meet or exceed the minimum wage as defined by applicable law and is committed to the principle of equal pay for equal work, thereby treating all employees appropriately.

Guaranteed Living wage

Mizuho offers our employee benefits and subsidies required for our employees to maintain appropriate living standards such as healthcare and education as well as guaranteeing the minimum wages. 
We offer housing subsidy including single employee dormitory for supporting early-career employees’ living, child care subsidy for supporting early return to work from child care leave/regular work hours of employees with children, and insurance for employees suffering from three major diseases to balance treatment and work, in particular. For international assignees, we have set salary standards taking into account of local exchange rates/cost of living as well as offering subsidy programs for housing, medical and children’s education expenses.

Building work environments

Mizuho believes the initiatives for improving work environments are important for our employees to continue working for Mizuho without anxiety. Therefore, we regularly, and whenever needed, monitor the status of compliance with the Minimum Wage Act/ Article 36 of the Labor Standards Act, overtime, annual leave taken and work-related accidents.

Further information

Human Capital Report: List of data (Employee well-being) (PDF/11,948KB)