In February 2004, the Sumitomo Rubber Group set up the Corporate Ethics Help Line, an internal reporting line designed to accommodate requests for consultation regarding various issues associated corporate ethics, including harassment, monopolistic practices, corruption and other misconduct.
In addition to educating employees on the importance of compliance, we guarantee that the anonymity of the whistleblowers is protected, with no detrimental treatment imposed upon them. We strive to let our employees, as well as individuals outside the Group, know about this guarantee and thus promote their use of our helpline.
Whenever a report is received, we immediately launch an investigation into the incident, conducting interviews with relevant departments and individuals to confirm the facts. Once it is determined that misconduct has occurred, we implement appropriate measures in accordance with internal rules. The usage data of the helpline is reported to the Corporate Ethics Committee on a quarterly basis and to the Board of Directors at regular intervals.
In 2023, a total of 65 cases were brought to the helpline. Of these, 28 cases were associated with power harassment. We strove to properly handle these cases, responding by, for example, taking disciplinary action against the perpetrators or executing other rule-based measures as appropriate in addition to implementing training focused on the prevention of such harassment. Other than power harassment cases, we have completed measures for cases where improvements were deemed necessary.
Furthermore, we received allegations of misconduct and inquiries about labor management in 2023, however, we found no serious violations of workers’ rights.
