Career Development and
Opportunities to Excel

Career Development and Opportunities to Excel Career Development and Opportunities to Excel

Supporting employees
in developing their
own career path

We respect employee diversity
and aim
to develop human resources
with great individuality

Supporting employees in developing their own career path

In September 2010, SoftBank Corp. established “SoftBank University (SBU)”, an evolved form of the existing core capability training, aiming to develop personnel who contribute to the realization of management goals.

SoftBank respects employee diversity and emphasizes independent career development by employees to realize the development of human resources with great individuality. Under this policy, “SoftBank University” provides an independent career development system which enables employees to independently select training subjects that match their career goals rather than a uniform, company-led career development and training system.

In addition to group training, SoftBank University also offers a learning style that epitomizes SoftBank as a company with the full use of ICT to deliver e-learning courses that employees can complete on their computer, smartphone, tablet, or other similar devices, plus online interactive training in real time and even an archive of on-demand videos.

In FY 2022, in addition to hierarchical training programs such as new employee training and training for newly appointed managers, we offered a total of 124 elective courses covering business skills, English, and technology-related subjects. We also created an environment for learning even under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing a significant number of online group training sessions.

Furthermore, we expanded our lineup to include on-demand online courses and e-learning options. Among the training programs offered in this program, 5,563 employees (26% of the total workforce) participated in the group training sessions.

Furthermore, with the aim of increasing the number of individuals who can utilize AI, we have been implementing the “AI Campus from SBU Tech” program since 2021, which systematizes AI-related learning content. This program includes support for learning the “G Certification” and “E Certification” conducted by the Japan Deep Learning Association, as well as hosting lectures by external experts.

Average attendance hours for SBU training participants (FY 2022) Overall Male Female
Group Training & Lectures 20.8 hours 21.0 hours 20.2 hours
E-learning / online courses 17.3 hours 18.4 hours 14.5 hours
Support program for learning
the “G Certification” and
“E Certification” (FY2022)
G Certification E Certification
Number of Participants 298 30
Number of successful applicants for certification examinations* 190 11
[Note]
  1. *
    Total number of applicants for certification examinations as of March 31, 2023.

Furthermore, in June 2009, SoftBank University introduced the Internally Certified Instructor (ICI) system to promote effective human resource development by transferring the know-how (wisdom, knowledge, and experience) of its employees.This system certifies employees with specific skills as instructors at SoftBank University, providing opportunities for employees to conduct training as instructors and for other employees to acquire higher skills through training tailored to their experience. As of March 2023, the number of ICI members is 103, and they are responsible for approximately 50 courses (about 81% of the total).

Encouraging the sharing
of knowledge and ideas
between employees

In July 2013 we began providing opportunities for employee-originated learning aimed at fostering a culture of mutual learning through a program called “Knowledge Marche.” Employees sharing knowledge are referred to as “organizers,” while those taking part are called “participants,” and they learn together on an equal basis. The scheme allows any employee with knowledge or insight to become an organizer, and goes beyond the traditional “training” approach to promote the sharing of knowledge and insights through small-group study sessions, workshops, lecture meetings, and more.

SoftBank Corp. will continue to support the growth of employees by implementing training sessions which incorporate the knowledge, expertise, and experience of our employees.

Proactively providing opportunities
to shape employees' careers

We provide a variety of opportunities in career development in an environment where employees can achieve self-growth and self-realization.

Job posting
(Internal recruiting system)
An internal recruiting system for starting up new business lines which provides opportunities for employees to grow and express themselves and establishes a challenging work environment.
Free-agent system
(internal transfer system)
The free-agent system enables ambitious employees to challenge themselves to boost their careers. Employees can specify a department or a group company they would like to join and apply.
Support system for advancement of employee qualifications The company supports employees seeking to advance their qualifications (with approval from the company) through reimbursement of tuition or examination fees.
Self reporting Employees submit a report once annually that self-assesses current job fitness. At this time, employees can also request a specific job assignment and speak with their supervisors. This process enables the company to match the right individual with the right job and construct the best career path for each individual.
Skill development objectives We support employees' skill development in conjunction with training programs by having them assess their own abilities, and then having them create and implement their own skill development objectives once a half year.
The objectives set are managed within the contribution evaluation system, and we have ongoing conversations throughout the year to check the achievement and provide feedback.
SB Career Dock In order for employees to take a positive step toward their future careers, we host seminars and lectures for different age groups, group learning, and e-learning, etc. to provide regular opportunities for employees to review their own abilities and skills.
Managerial Survey Once a year, we conduct a survey targeting managerial staff. The results of multidimensional appraisals (supervisors, colleagues, subordinates/members, and the individual) not only confirm the differences in perception between the surroundings and oneself, and set, execute, and reflect on issues to improve management skills, including overcoming areas for improvement, but also identify trends in job suitability and behavioral characteristics, which can be used as reference for assigning and assigning management positions.

Grade, Evaluation, Remuneration Systems

Evaluations and remuneration are based on fair and just frameworks that enable people who demonstrate results through their efforts and to be able to take on the next challenge.

Mission Grade System Fields and grades are decided according to the individual's mission and workstyle, rather than personal attributes such as age or gender. Mission statements are set for each position: Directions for challenges are presented by clarifying the mission that the company expects of the employee, and clearly defining the skills to be demonstrated.
Evaluation System SoftBank has adopted a number of evaluation, indexes, including: Contribution evaluation (2times/year), which recognize work achievements and contributions to the organization; Mission evaluations (1time/year), which recognize individual missions and abilities; and evaluations of the core abilities and values (1time/year) required to perform evaluations for all full-time employee to carry out those missions. In the Contribution evaluation, we set individual goals while breaking down organizational objectives, and evaluate the degree of goal achievement and contribution to the organization. In the mission evaluation, based on the mission definition that outlines the expected roles for each grade according to job categories, we evaluate individuals considering their overall capabilities and determine their grade for the next year. In the core competency and value evaluation, we assess various aspects such as strategic thinking, tactical planning, decision-making, execution, as well as integrity, ethics, and self-management, including compliance with behavioral norms. This evaluation serves as a reference for the mission evaluation process.
Remuneration System The remuneration system is tied into the Mission grade system and the evaluation system. Bonuses are tied into the individual's contribution evaluations, and flexibility is maintained so that remuneration can be paid in keeping with contributions to the organization.

Award systems

We have established an award system to motivate employees and foster a spirit of challenge.

SoftBank Award With “Challenge” and “Innovation” as keywords, the award recognizes not only sales and profits, but also the contributions of teams and individuals for their challenging and creative efforts. By recognizing and praising such efforts among each other, we achieve motivation enhancement and foster a spirit of challenge among employees.
Team-based Profit Management This is an award system targeting sales departments, aiming to encourage the smallest sales organizational units (departments, divisions, and teams) to proactively work on improving profits with a sense of ownership. The results of each team are evaluated semiannually, and the top-ranking teams are awarded a team bonus as a reward.

Employee Satisfaction Survey / Pulse Survey

Employee Satisfaction (ES) surveys are conducted each year with the goal of achieving a “overall satisfaction level of 3.5 or higher” to monitor status and identify issues, as part of efforts to build stronger organizations and increase motivation.
Action plans are created based on an analysis of results and conditions, both companywide and in each division.
This ties into continuous improvement activities for building better organizations, and also ensures that those improvement activities permeate through all levels of the organization, contributing to employee vitality and improved business performance.

The monthly pulse survey is conducted for checking the individual status and promoting communication between superiors and members. it promotes better communication by measuring changes in one's condition and disclosing the results to superiors.

At SoftBank Corp. employee satisfaction surveys and pulse surveys are treated as risk assessments. By understanding the risks related to securing human resources based on these results, we link them to the vitality of employees, the improvement of company performance, and the retention of excellent human resources who support the sustainable growth of our business.

Employee Satisfaction Survey FY2019 FY2020 FY2021 FY2022
Response Rate 98.1% 97.4% 96.8% 96.3%
Overall satisfaction* Company-wide Average 3.53 3.58 3.63 3.62
Gender Average Male 3.55 3.59 3.63 3.63
Average Female 3.49 3.57 3.63 3.63
Category Work Average 3.47 3.46 3.46 3.48
Workplace Average 3.60 3.66 3.71 3.72
Senior Colleague Average 3.72 3.80 3.84 3.86
Company Average 3.33 3.40 3.50 3.44
[Notes]
  1. *
    Scored on a 5-point scale (Up to 3.00: Low, 3.00-3.50: General, 3.50-4.00: High, 4.00 or above: Very High)
  2. *
    Overall satisfaction: Aggregated value of results related to work / workplace / senior colleague / company
    Work: Items related to job satisfaction, purposefulness and stress such as “fulfillment,” “proactiveness,” and “workload”.
    Workplace: Items related to the workplace environment, such as “mutual support” and “relationships”.
    Senior Colleague: Items related to senior colleagues in management, such as “understanding abilities” and “work assignments”.
    Company: Items related to the company, such as internal systems and welfare programs, including “evaluation and remuneration” and “culture and climate”.

An educational program
to identify and foster
potential successors

Following the announcement of SoftBank's Next 30-Year Vision, Masayoshi Son launched SoftBank Academia on July 28, 2010 with the goal of identifying and educating potential successors.

The program sees students focus on developing practical skills and actively providing feedback to support one another, as well as lecture courses taught by Mr. Son in his capacity as founding principal.

The program is not exclusive to SoftBank employees, and has been openly accepting students from outside the SoftBank Group since June 2011. Students admitted to the program are selected following a thorough review process designed to shine a light on highly motivated individuals with diverse backgrounds who are eager to inspire and be inspired and have what it takes to lead the SoftBank Group.