Our people 

As a company, we seek to instil in each employee the desire to be more, and to achieve more. We strive to create an environment in which this enthusiasm is nurtured and encouraged, in which people are rewarded for their efforts.

Guided by Toyota’s world-renowned value system, The Toyota Way, our human resources network seeks to create a sustainable workforce. The two main pillars of the Toyota Way are Continuous Improvement and Respect for People.

• Challenge. This means not only embracing challenges, but also challenging what we know and do, and being prepared to change things to make improvements.
  
• Kaizen. Refers to the continuous step-by-step approach that Toyota promotes internally, where even the smallest of steps leading to improved performance are recognised.
  
• Genchi Genbutsu. Literally means “going to the source”; it aligns with Toyota’s insistence that sound decision-making is only possible when employees check the facts first-hand. 
  
• Respect. This means respecting the individuality of each person within the group, respecting their contributions, their ideas, as well as their cultural or personal beliefs. It also means respecting the natural environment.
  
• Teamwork. Working together at all levels of the enterprise, from the boardroom to the shop floor. It also means actively promoting individual initiative within the group, so that all team members are given the opportunity to do and be their best.

At the heart of The Toyota Way is a core belief that our workforce is a critical asset and that all permanent employees should benefit from stable employment. We also believe that our success as a sustainable organisation depends on the commitment of employees who understand and work according to The Toyota Way.

This is why we invest in each Toyota employee – no matter their level of seniority – via on-the-job training and the Toyota Business Practices (a Toyota-developed problem solving methodology). In this way, we can nurture their development and maximise their contribution to the organisation longer-term.

Promoting a diverse workforce

Diversity is no longer “a nice to have” but a “must” for a business.  Not only does a more diverse workforce reflect our rapidly evolving customer base, it also means that we can develop a more sustainable workforce from a shrinking and ageing labour market.

Globalisation has led Toyota to create a remarkably multicultural environment with some 63 nationalities alone represented at our European Head Office, Toyota Motor Europe, making for a rich and unique working environment.

In light of this diversity, we strive to support flexible working arrangements, understanding that building a culture of mutual trust and respect for people, often translates into a more efficient and indeed more comfortable work environment.

Nurturing a corporate culture of mutual trust

In an effort to foster honest and two-way communications, Toyota Motor Europe’s European Work Council, called the Toyota European Forum (TEF), meets twice a year.

Founded in 1996 as one of Europe’s first Work Councils, and supported by an external advisor, TEF has proven to be an effective mechanism in creating greater transparency and better quality social dialogue between Toyota management and employee representatives.

In parallel, Toyota Motor Europe has established employee representative bodies in the markets in which it operates in the EU, in line with national and European legislation. These bodies are also designed to help support social dialogue at the local level.

Supporting the continuous improvement of self and others

The idea of Kaizen, a Japanese word for “Continuous Improvement”, is critical to everyday life for those working within the Toyota family.

Employees across the business are empowered to think and improve their activities in ways that add value to the business and earn them recognition from their local management.

Quality Control Circles or QCC, as it is widely known within the business, is a motivational tool used by line workers at Toyota’s production plants. It is designed to encourage workers to proactively identify and respond to problems on the line.

So far, up to 63% of shop-floor workers across Europe have participated in this programme, putting the company on-track to reach its target that all line members will have experienced QCC learning and activities by 2015. 

Training & Development

Toyota supports long-term employee development through extensive programmes of general and functional training courses.

It begins at the very start of an employee’s career at the company with fundamental training about The Toyota Way. Training courses are offered to office workers, as well as employees in production, retailers and the after sales network.

Part of these fundamentals is a specific problem solving methodology, coined “Toyota Business Practices”, which is taught via the development and assessment of an employee-nominated workplace project and on-the-job training.