地域新聞社, which publishes a regional newspaper in Chiba Prefecture, rebuilt its organizational culture around human capital management to overcome the change in president in 2024 and the threat of delisting. It has established mechanisms that enable each employee to feel a sense of purpose in working for the company, while advancing the establishment of psychological safety and reforms to its evaluation system.
In 2024, 地域新聞社 faced the threat of delisting because of its depressed market capitalization. When its third-generation president, Hosoya Katsutoshi (細谷佳津年), took office, the company chose to share the crisis with its employees. It explained the current situation and its future policies through briefings at community centers and an open internal newsletter using its official note account, seeking to foster a sense of unity across the company.
Since then, it has positioned human capital management as a core management priority and worked to build an organization in which each employee can feel, “I like myself working at this company.” Its fundamental principle is “Being useful to people,” and it places particular emphasis during recruitment on candidates’ commitment to that principle. After employees join, the company fosters a culture of mutual support and has developed a workplace culture based on psychological safety.
The company introduced competency-based evaluations into its performance review system. Results are reflected in bonuses, while behaviours and abilities related to growth are shown by colour across six evaluation categories under its own ranking system. Efforts are under way to help employees recognize their own growth through self-assessments and feedback from managers, although embedding the system will take time.
The company has also established mechanisms to improve workplace flexibility. It has expanded flexible working hours, hourly paid leave and support for returning after childcare leave, and the number of employees who marry among its approximately 270 employees is increasing. Going forward, it plans to contribute to regional revitalization by leveraging the assets it has developed and pursuing businesses including recruitment services, particularly driver recruitment, and business succession for regional companies through share exchanges.