Governor Koike Presents Award 👀 SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP Wins the “FY2023 Tokyo Women’s Empowerment Promotion Grand Prize”! A Close Look at the Presentation Ceremony Held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Hello, this is Sunny-chan from Public Relations!

Today, I would like to share some wonderful news that arrived at the end of the year 🌞

SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP has won the “FY2023 Tokyo Women’s Empowerment Promotion Grand Prize”🏆✨

With a female president and 60% of our members being women, SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP has been developing a comfortable working environment for women and promoting awareness outside the company.

As a result, the ratio of women in management positions is now 44.7% (including leader positions) and the ratio of female directors is 50%. These figures significantly exceed the average for Japanese companies, making us a company where women can truly (?) thrive 🌸

In this post, we will introduce SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP’s initiatives to date and report on the “FY2023 Tokyo Women’s Empowerment Promotion Grand Prize” presentation ceremony held recently!

First of all, what is the Tokyo Women’s Empowerment Promotion Grand Prize?

This is an award sponsored by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. It is presented to companies, organizations, and individuals who are working to promote the advancement of women, with the aim of realizing a society where all women can choose diverse ways of life according to their motivation and abilities.

▼ Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Citizens, Culture and Sports Official Website | Tokyo Women’s Empowerment Promotion Grand Prize
https://www.seikatubunka.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/danjo/jokatsu/taisho.html

SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP received this award in recognition of its unique welfare systems that support diverse lifestyles, such as “subsidies for egg freezing costs” and “subsidies for AMH testing costs,” as well as its awareness-raising activities aimed at solving physical, mental, and social issues for women outside the company 🌱

SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP’s Initiatives Regarding “Promotion of Women’s Empowerment”

Unique Welfare System: “32 Benefits”

Based on the slogan “Let’s Have Fun!”, this unique welfare system was established in 2011 to ensure that members can lead fulfilling professional and personal lives.

The system is full of SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP’s unique character, including “Broken Heart Leave,” the “Aim for Grade A Health System,” and the “Partnership System” 🌸 Among these, the “Dear WOMAN System” was established to support women’s wellness and has been updated many times.

🕊 Key Updates to the “Dear WOMAN System” 🕊
– First private company in Japan to introduce “subsidies for egg freezing costs” (July 2015)
– Introduced “subsidies for AMH testing* costs” (April 2022)
– Introduced “subsidies for semen testing costs” (July 2022)

*”AMH test” (anti-Müllerian hormone test: a blood test that reflects the ovarian reserve [an estimate of the number of follicles remaining in the ovary])

Social Awareness Activity: “W society”

A project promoted by “Good and Company,” a SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP company, to address the physical, mental, and social challenges faced by women.

Under the slogan “Changing the Future of Women with Society,” the project carries out various activities to help every woman live “better” amidst diverse life plan options. These include free online seminars for working women and companies, region-specific events in collaboration with governments and local authorities, and awareness campaigns for the general public timed with International Women’s Day.

Off to the Presentation Ceremony 🏆

The “FY2023 Tokyo Women’s Empowerment Promotion Grand Prize” presentation ceremony was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which towers into the clear blue sky!

Companies and organizations based in Tokyo that are focusing on promoting women’s empowerment gathered together, and Sunny-chan felt a sense of renewed determination 👀

Governor Koike entered the room, and the presentation ceremony finally began. Once the ceremony opened, the certificates and trophies were presented immediately.
Awards were presented in the order of Grand Prize, Excellence Award, and Special Award.

Representing SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP was Ms. Tanimura, an Executive Officer and the President of the group company “Good and Company.”
Governor Koike presented the certificate and trophy along with words of encouragement.

Next, the initiatives of other companies and organizations were recognized in turn.

Sunny-chan found it truly eye-opening to see the various initiatives of companies of different sizes and industries, such as a company in the painting industry (which traditionally has a low percentage of female employees) working to recruit women, a company with an extensive educational system for female employee growth, and a major corporation that has introduced welfare systems that SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP has yet to adopt.

It was a very educational experience 📚🖊

Afterward, Governor Koike delivered a congratulatory speech. (*Excerpt)

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Tokyo Women’s Empowerment Promotion Grand Prize.

Looking at the entries from companies and organizations, I have the impression that the content is becoming more substantial and profound every year. I believe this is a reflection of the growing interest in women’s empowerment.

On the other hand, looking around the world, while there are many countries and societies where women’s empowerment is “taken for granted,” Japan is still lagging behind. In this context, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has prepared various subsidies and new systems to enable both women and men to thrive, and these are being utilized.

Since it is necessary to change both psychological and conscious perceptions, the Metropolitan Government is working on initiatives such as changing the term for childcare leave from “ikukyu” (which implies just “resting”) to “ikugyo” (to reflect that raising children is “hard work”), and working to eliminate unconscious bias.

Enabling women to shine vibrantly is a plus for both companies and society. I believe that all of you who received awards today have achieved these results by mastering and executing such activities and measures from various angles.

Each company and organization is using various creative approaches toward women’s empowerment. By sharing these efforts, I hope you will lead the way in changing society as a whole.

Among the initiatives of the various companies, Governor Koike seemed to like the “Broken Heart Leave” in our “32 Benefits”… she even commented with a laugh, “Try not to take it too often!” (laughs)

A group photo with all the award-winning companies 📸

A photo with the SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP PR members as well 📸

Since we were at the Metropolitan Government Building, we took a detour to the observatory! We searched for the SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP headquarters from the 45th floor 🔭 (laughs)

Gazing at the wide sky and the many office buildings, Governor Koike’s words from earlier really hit home 🌱

Perhaps if every single company and organization visible from here takes even a small step toward women’s empowerment, those efforts will come together to change society on a large scale across “Tokyo” and “Japan”… 🕊✨

With those thoughts in mind, I returned to the Sendagaya office 🥚

SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP will continue to strive to create an environment where every member, with their different life stages and lifestyles, can realize their own unique way of living and working!

Furthermore, we will continue our efforts to be a leader in society, helping to improve the well-being of women not only within our own company but throughout Japanese society as a whole 🌸