Bewith aspires to the formation of a corporate culture where employees respect and acknowledge each other’s individuality and bring out each other’s virtue. The Company also aims to provide an environment where all human resources can take an active role regardless of their gender, nationality, age, or whether they have disabilities.
Initiatives to Promote the Advancement of Women
Through the promotion of work style reforms, we are focusing on creating a workplace environment where diverse workforce, including women, can thrive.
On March 24, 2021, we were certified by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare as an excellent company for promoting women’s participation in the workforce under the Act on the Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace and we received the highest “L-boshi” certification at level 3.
Promotion of Women's Advancement
Through the promotion of reforms in the way we work, we are focusing on creating a workplace environment in which a diverse workforce, including women, can thrive.
On March 24, 2021, we were certified by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare as an excellent company for promoting women’s participation in the workforce under the Act on the Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace and we received the highest “L-boshi” certification at level 3.

Our Views on Women’s Careers
We provide career support through roundtable discussions and training sessions to help female employees continue pursuing their envisioned careers without compromise.
We aim to implement a telecommuting system and remote-work options for employees with childcare or caregiving responsibilities, promote parental leave for male employees, and maintain a 100% return rate for female employees after maternity and childcare leave.
Currently, there are two female executive officers, bringing the ratio of women in the management team to 20%. As of the end of May 2023, women accounted for 19.8% of all management positions. However, we aim to increase this to 30% in the future and will continue expanding opportunities for women to excel.
Women's Career Design Training
We conduct Women's Career Design Training to help female employees accurately understand their current situation and proactively think about and shape their careers.

Diversity Management Study Session
We conduct Diversity Management Study Sessions to equip supervisors with the skills to coach and support the career development of their team members.

Environment conducive of work while raising children
Since 2008, the Company has maintained a 100% return-to-work rate after parental leave, and the number of male employees taking parental leave has been increasing.
However, the challenges of balancing work and childcare often become apparent only after returning to work.
Since 2018, our employees can utilize shortened working hours until the child is 12 years old compared to the previous age limit of 3, making it easier for employees to balance childcare and work.
Additionally, more female employees with childcare responsibilities are being promoted to management positions.

Initiatives for Employment of Persons with Disabilities
The work at Bewith is made by “us”
Since 2008, the Company has maintained a 100% return-to-work rate after parental leave, and the number of male employees taking parental leave has been increasing.
However, the challenges of balancing work and childcare often become apparent only after returning to work.
Since 2018, our employees can utilize shortened working hours until the child is 12 years old compared to the previous age limit of 3, making it easier for employees to balance childcare and work.
Additionally, more female employees with childcare responsibilities are being promoted to management positions.

Various Opportunities for People with Disabilities
Contact Center Work
We handle various operations, including telephone support, at contact centers and BPO operations entrusted to us by our clients.
Even with repeated practice using a script, speaking directly with customers over the phone can still be nerve-wracking.
Even so, when we empathize with the customer and hear a "thank you" at the end of the call, we feel glad to be working at the contact center.

AI-OCR Data Entry Work
We perform data entry using AI-OCR technology under contract from our clients.
We ensure proper management of received data and conduct verification and input operations accurately. We create manuals for each client to maintain quality and carefully follow business rules. In order to live up to the trust of our customers, we work toward both accuracy and speed in our operations.
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Handwritten order form data entry
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Handwritten customer survey data entry
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Cross-checking between original and imported data
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Administrative processing

Company-wide administrative support
We handle clerical and administrative support operations requested across the company.
We manage over 200 types of operations.
Since we handle different operations daily, we strive for error-free operations by coordinating with the requesting departments and referring to manuals.
- Main operations
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Filing of personnel procedural forms
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Notification services for Hello Work and other government agencies
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Setup and breakdown of meeting rooms
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Setup of PCs for work-from-home contact centers
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Printing of training materials
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Making business cards
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Invoice processing
We centralize the processing of invoices that we pay to our clients.
We process over 300 invoices per month, handling transactions exceeding 100 million yen. There is no room for error in processing invoices. We always have two people double-checking the work and work carefully.
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Communication costs (landline, network)
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Communication expenses (mobile terminals)
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Rental PC usage fees
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Location rent, cleaning fees, and utilities
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Travel expenses
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Purchase-related invoices

General affairs at the head office
We handle essential operations, ensuring head office employees can work efficiently and comfortably daily.
For example, we coordinate internal mail exchanges with offices nationwide and manage the company's internal environment.
Additionally, we play a vital behind-the-scenes role in supporting head office employees and facilitating sales activities.
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Pickup and delivery of in-house mail, postal mail, and packages
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Beverage self-service corner management duties
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Bread sales operations
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Environmental improvement
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Equipment management services
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Vending machine management operations

Main telephone line answering service
The company main telephone line at the head office, the dedicated inquiry line for retirees who worked at our nationwide locations, and internal phone answering services—such as when the person in charge is unavailable—are handled by visually impaired and other employees with disabilities.
As the telephone answering service for Bewith which operates a contact center, we are committed to delivering high-quality responses that reflect Bewith's service standards.

Recruitment services for persons with disabilities
We handle various procedures necessary for the recruitment and stable employment of persons with disabilities, including applicant reception, interviews, workplace training, and three-party meetings with employment support organizations to facilitate their retention after joining the company.
At Bewith, people with disabilities are actively involved in all aspects of employment of people with disabilities.
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Job posting and application reception
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Coordination of interviews and on-the-job training
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Procedures for employment
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Coordination of retention interviews
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Management of due dates for disability certificates
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Information sharing with employment support agencies

Teams structured around the characteristics of the disabilities drive the operations.
While it is sometimes said that the standard model for disability employment involves one able-bodied person managing five employees with disabilities, the Shared Services Group at the head office is unique in that all team leaders and members have disabilities and are directly involved in hiring and ensuring stable employment for their peers.
By working as a team, even if one member suddenly falls ill and is absent, another can immediately take over their operations, ensuring quality and meeting deadlines. There are currently six teams. Team assignments are determined through a one-month rotation of team experiences after joining the company, followed by discussions based on each individual's disability characteristics.
![General Affairs Team [Team Leader, Team Members – Daily General Affairs] Contract Work Team [Team Leader, Team Members – Contract Work from Other Departments] Billing Management Team [Team Leader, Team Members – Invoice Processing] Data Verification Team [Team Leader, Team Members – AI-OCR Data Entry Operations] Voice Processing Team [Team Leader, Team Members – Voice Processing Operations] Disability Employment Team [Team Leader, Team Members – Hiring Activities for People with Disabilities, Supervisory Agency Procedures]](/en/company/sustainability/society/diversity-inclusion/images/img_index_13.png)
Role of the Team Leader
The team leader monitors team members' disability status and physical condition and provides daily work instructions tailored to their statuses.
Most team members are not strong communicators, but the team leader acts as a bridge, conveying messages from the requesting department to the team.
Teaching operations while assessing each individual's abilities and limitations is not easy. However, because team leader and members share similar experiences, they can have open and thoughtful discussions about their disability status and physical condition.
The team leader is a dependable mentor for team members and serves as both a goal and a role model for their careers at Bewith.

Working towards goals as a team
Each month, the team sets both group and individual goals to work toward. The team collaborates to help each member achieve their goals, with the team leader providing support.
Everyone has a role, and everyone is the main character.
In addition to daily operations, members are entrusted with process improvement operations such as creating manuals, training new team members, and reviewing procedures.

Thorough standardization
Because some members have difficulty remembering operations through verbal explanations alone due to their disabilities, we have prepared manuals that include diagrams and photographs.
Checklists are followed during work, ensuring that even if mistakes occur, they can be reviewed, identifying where errors were made.
In addition, the manuals are regularly reviewed and improved to ensure that they are easy for everyone to understand.

Team leaders participate in the recruitment and selection of team members
When hiring team members, the team leader, who is a person with disabilities, participates in the selection process.
We believe that people with disabilities are best suited to creating an accessible and comfortable work environment for people with disabilities.
There are hiring criteria, but the key factor is the workplace visit after the interview, where the team leader decides whether they would like to work with the candidate.

Data on the Employment of People with Disabilities
This section introduces various data related to the employment of persons with disabilities in the Company.
100% of people with disabilities are active in our core business
All employees with disabilities are engaged in the Company’s core business.
Rather than hiring people with disabilities merely to meet the legally mandated employment rate and assigning them to unrelated operations, we focus on a “right person for the right job” approach, selecting employees based on their individual strengths and providing tailored training.

High workplace retention rate
The workplace retention rate of our members with disabilities after one year is approximately 90%. This is approximately double the national retention rate.
To accommodate each member's disability status, work hours and departure times are carefully adjusted in 30-minute increments, with a minimum of four days per week and five hours per day, contributing to a high retention rate.
Such coordination requires significant effort, but by establishing a system where team leaders with disabilities actively support their team members, a comfortable working environment is maintained.
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*1Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers, "Survey and Research on the Employment Status of Persons with Disabilities," April 2017, Figure 1: Trends in workplace retention rate by job type and composition ratio (excluding unknown retention periods).
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*2Results from April 2022 – March 2023

Employees with disabilities at Bewith
We have over 100 people with disabilities working at our locations nationwide.
Working as an operator who directly interacts with customers over the phone can be challenging for individuals with mental disabilities and often leads to early resignation. However, the Shared Services Group has created a supportive environment for employees with mental disabilities and have made the operator position to be particularly suited for individuals with mental disabilities.



Support for Sports for the Disabled
We share the philosophy of the Japan Inclusive Football Federation (JIFF) and support its activities as an official partner.
The JIFF is the governing federation for each of the seven disability soccer sports (Amputee Soccer, CP Soccer, Social Football, Intellectual Disability Soccer, Powerchair Soccer, Blind Soccer, and Deaf Soccer). It is an affiliate organization of the Japan Football Association (JFA).
Through this activity, we also received a letter of appreciation from the Sports Agency of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for our support of sports for the physically challenged. We will continue to promote diversity and inclusion as a company striving to contribute to society.
