March 8th is International Women’s Day! Empowering and Expanding the Network of Female Leaders
March 8th is celebrated every year as International Women's Day. The United Nations set the date to protect the rights of all women and to achieve gender equality in economic, political, and social spheres. Under the theme "Invest in women: Accelerating progress," various activities are held around the world on this day. Shimadzu Group companies are taking initiatives to promote the positive activities of female employees as part of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives.
Aiming to Expand the Network of Female Leaders and Create Better Workplace
On that day, 15 female leaders gathered in Sanjo Work in Kyoto to discuss networking and women's careers. This event is held for participants of the last three sessions of the Women Supporting Women (WSW) training program, which has been held since 2021. The WSW training is an opportunity not only to expand the network of female leaders but also to support career independence, review the evaluation system, generate ideas to promote the success of subordinates and themselves, and contribute to solving problems in the company.
After introducing themselves, the participants had discussions based on three themes. On the topic of "Changes and What You Did After Women's Management Training," we heard voices saying, "After the training, I started working on one-on-one meetings with my subordinates and felt closer to them." In addition, regarding the topic of "Psychologically Safe Team Building," some concerns were heard such as "Based on the training, I am conscious of "praise," but it is difficult to distinguish and balance between ‘advice and feedback’ and praise."
Through discussions and communications, participants commented, "We don't usually meet, but thanks to this kind of sessions, we can have someone in the same company we can rely on if something happens." and "We can be exposed to various ideas both in terms of business and personal life."
In Italy, it is customary to send mimosa flowers, a symbol of love and happiness, to women on this day as a token of gratitude. Participants were given a bouquet of mimosas at the event.
Comment from Participant
I was very encouraged when I attended the WSW before. Thanks to the new network with other female leaders, I can make small consultations and requests more easily now, so I was really glad to participate in the training. As I felt it last time, I immediately replied that I would attend this event.
In this event, everyone shared their efforts and concerns, and I felt that I wanted to work harder. I was energized by the positive power and solidarity of the participants. I want to do work that will make people who follow me think, " If it's like that, I can do it, too."
Engagement of Shimadzu Group Companies
Shimadzu group companies also participate in various initiatives on the occasion of International Women's Day.
Shimadzu’s European Headquarters, Shimadzu Europa GmbH (SEG), participates in Girls' Day every year in April to support the active participation of female science students. They produced video featuring female employees working the field of science and interviewed them about their reasons for choosing a career in science and who influenced their career choice.
Video created by Shimadzu Europa GmbH in Germany
At our sales office in Croatia, pink carnations and messages were given to female employees.
Shimadzu Croatia
*The link is to a LinkedIn post.
Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) in Singapore used social media to share photos of female managers reflecting on their professional and personal lives.
Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) in Singapore
Check all the posts from here: Post1 , Post2 , Post3 , Post4
*The link is to a LinkedIn post.
Shimadzu Philippines Corporation posted on Facebook to honor the women employees and to introduce their comments regarding Women’s Month, celebrated every March.
Shimadzu Philippines Corporation
*The link is to a Facebook post.
In India, female employees enjoyed special lunches and cakes while dressed in red, the color of power and passion, and took photos together.
SHIMADZU Analytical (India) PVT LTD
*The link is to a LinkedIn post.
In Turkey, a message card and a gift box containing a small candle, coffee mug, and evil eye charm were given to female employees.
Shimadzu Middle East & Africa (Turkey)
In Brazil, female employees received succulents and chocolates, and took a group photo with the gift.
Shimadzu Brazil
*The link is to a LinkedIn post in Portuguese.
Comment from the person in Charge
I realized that the connections made in the WSW training had a significant positive impact, such as the ease of subsequent work and consultation, so when I completed the third training, I wanted to strengthen this valuable network and expand it to all participants. Under such situation, the smiles of women at overseas group companies celebrating International Women's Day left a lasting impression on us, and we planned this event intending to enjoy International Women's Day as well.
On the day of the event, thanks to the participants' willingness to have a good time, we were able to quickly create a place where we could have fun talking about both business and personal issues. It was an opportunity for us to get to know each other as unique colleagues, rather than as "Manager A of Department B."
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