We extend our condolences to the families of those who have passed away as a result of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and hope for the early recovery of those who are affected.

Idemitsu continues to work on the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 infection as well as spare no effort to ensure the stable supply of petroleum products and energy that is essential for the economy and social life.

We will continue to take flexible measures to ensure business continuity and that our social contributions do not falter, while simultaneously exercising utmost care in ensuring the safety of customers, employees, and business partners.

Idemitsu set up a task force in February 2020. Through this organization, we execute preventive measures against infectious diseases as well as plan and implement measures for the stable supply of products.

• Our Efforts for Stable Supply of Products
• Efforts for Our Employees
• Initiatives in Recruitment
• CSR Activities

For our customers’ safety and security, we are taking the following measures to ensure the stable supply of products.

At refineries, plants, and other manufacturing sites, we are working on thoroughgoing infection control with a focus on protecting workers from infection. We have also put in place systems that prevent close contact so that we can continue operations even in the case that any employee is found to be infected.

Efforts at Service Stations

Efforts in the Logistics Chain

Efforts at Refineries and Complexes

• Employees undergo daily health checks (temperature checks, etc.) and practice frequent handwashing and disinfection.
• Employees wear masks during their duties.
• As measures to prevent the spreading of viruses in offices, partitions have been installed.
• Employees frequently wash hands and gargle, and periodically air out office rooms and disinfect the handrails and door knobs of shared areas.
• Visitors are asked to have their temperatures taken with thermographic camera and declare their health condition when entering an office building. People with suspected infection are prohibited from entry.
• Thoroughly managing operations with the aim of avoiding the three Cs (closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings), including at affiliate companies (such as promoting remote meetings).
• Restricting entry to complexes as much as possible, besides the people who work there.
• Continually raise awareness of infection prevention measures among employees.

Idemitsu Group is dedicated to the safety of our employees and their families worldwide and the prevention of infectious diseases. Based on the guidance of national governments and local governments, we have implemented infectious disease controls and measures to ensure business continuity.

Promotion of and Instruction on Working from Home (starting Feb. 2020)

• Job types that allow for working from home, switched to teleworking, in principle. As emergency measures, we introduced flexible work hours and relaxed the core time slot for flextime.
  • Office-working rate of below 50% for the applicable job types (as of November 1, 2021).
  • In prefectures subject to emergency declarations and special prevention measures, we thoroughly promoted working from home, except for the absolute minimum number of staff needed for operations.
• Idemitsu created online guidelines (for online communications and meetings) as part of the promotion of a new way of working.
• Idemitsu made additional purchases of computers and other terminals as well as increased the network server capacity.
• Idemitsu held online training programs and meetings (Board of Directors meetings, officers’ training programs, overseas branch managers’ meetings, etc.).

Initiatives for Workers at the Office

Initiatives for Employees Who Work and Provide Care for Family

• Employees who cannot help but work shorter hours than their designated work time due to family matters such as school or daycare closure or need to provide nursing care are exempt from payroll deduction.
• Requests for childcare leave extension by employees who are scheduled to return to work soon, as well as childcare leave due to daycare service business-restraint are flexibly handled by giving consideration to the nature of the employee’s duties.

Physical and Mental Care for Employees

New Employee Education

• The 2021 orientation ceremony, together with infection preventive measures and lectures from top management, was held at three different locations nationwide.​
• New employee training programs use digital tools, such as online meetings, e-learning materials and voiced materials, in addition to ensuring social distancing. They were held at two different locations nationwide.​
• Orientation training for employees joining Idemitsu mid-career has changed from face-to-face training to self-learning using online and voiced materials.

Reinforcement of Internal Communication

• We conducted an urgent questionnaire survey on communications with supervisors and peers during teleworking and reflected the results in measures.
  (Questionnaire survey was conducted from Apr. 23 to 27, 2020, targeting all teleworking employees with 62.1% response rate)
• Dialogue with top management (80 participants in May 2020, and 81 participants in November 2020)
• Townhall meetings (May 2021, Online, Part1 : Shares information regarding various management issues, About3,400participants / Part2 : Dialogue with top management, 112participants)
• Web-based Next Forum (a council where top management and employees directly talk and exchange views, held twice in FY2020, March and September)
• Held some kind of webinar.
  • Webinar to promote digital transformation (1,100 participants in June 2020, and 611 participants in October 2020).
  • Webinar on “The Ideal Communication during Remote Work” (August 2020, 979 participants) 　
  • “AI is no longer the future! —Specific cases and the future of AI—” (February 2021, 1,012 participants)
• Network activities between employees　
  • Subcommittee of employees trying to balance work and childcare (six sessions with 29 participants, including officers, held Apr.-Jun. 2020)

Recruitment

Internship​​

• As for internships, in FY2020, we switched from onsite internships to online between August and September 2020 in light of the pandemic, and in FY2021, in consideration of the infection situation, we mainly used online internships between August and September 2021.

Idemitsu is contributing to the society and local communities through donations of protective equipment such as face guards as part of its support for the prevention of infection for local government staff and healthcare workers who are involved with the treatment of infectious diseases.

Support Activities

• Idemitsu Unitech donated 30,000 face guards that use in-house products to the Himeji City Government (Hyogo Prefecture) and other local governments.
• Idemitsu donated 30,000 masks to Tomakomai City, Hokkaido (October 2020)

Events

Based on our devotion to maintaining opportunities for the next generation to express and share their emotions, thoughts, and messages as we live through a time of less going-out and more time at home while embracing a new lifestyle, Idemitsu will continue the following events upon taking thoroughgoing preventive measures against COVID-19 in light of the current situation.

16th (FY2020) Environment Photo Contest award-winning work

Shell Art Award Exhibition 2020 (December 2020)