Calbee to Fundamentally Revamp Personnel System for the First Time in Approximately 17 Years; New System to Promote Diverse Contributions and Growth to be Introduced in April 2026

Calbee, Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO: Shin Ebara) will introduce a new personnel system in April 2026 to strengthen the environment where diverse talent can thrive, encouraging employee challenges and creativity under its human resources vision of "Everyone Active." This marks the first fundamental revision of the system in approximately 17 years, since 2009.

【Background of the Revision】 The Calbee Group defines "Everyone Active" as a state where "diverse talent leverages their strengths to feel happiness and pride through contributions to the organization and society, and through their own personal growth." The company aims to be an organization where every individual can proactively demonstrate their capabilities.

Meanwhile, customer needs are diversifying due to the maturation of the domestic market and a declining population. To advance the management strategies of strengthening domestic profitability, expanding into global markets, and exploring new business domains, the personnel system also requires further evolution.

While the current system introduced in 2009 boosted performance through a focus on results, it also presented challenges, such as difficulties in fostering challenges and creativity, as well as issues stemming from seniority-based compensation structures. Based on these challenges, the company began reviewing a new system in April 2024. The system was reconstructed by incorporating feedback from the field, gathered through more than 100 hearings across 20 locations nationwide, including headquarters, factories, and branch offices.

The new personnel system is based on the policy of "promoting diverse contributions and growth" and clarifies two desired talent profiles. The first is talent that accumulates steady efforts, ingenuity, and improvements to pass value on to the future. The second is talent that challenges new possibilities without being bound by existing frameworks to pioneer the future. By having such talent leverage their strengths and respect and collaborate with one another in a spirit of altruism, the company will drive Calbee's sustainable growth.

【Key Points of the Revision】 ● Integration of regular employees and indefinite-term employees into a unified grading system The grading systems for regular employees and indefinite-term employees (currently approximately 1,300 people), which were previously separate, will be integrated. Grades will be based on expected roles, realizing compensation that corresponds to roles and contributions.

● Compensation structure and levels with external competitiveness The ratio of base salary will be increased by up to approximately 15% compared to the current level, contributing to the stability of employees' lives and strengthening recruitment competitiveness.

● Strengthening evaluation of teamwork and processes in addition to results Daily actions, processes, and contributions will be carefully evaluated through three systems: "Achievement Evaluation," "Behavioral Evaluation," and "Contribution Evaluation." By introducing a "Multi-faceted Absolute Evaluation" that incorporates the features of both relative and absolute evaluation, the company will ensure fairness by aligning evaluation perspectives and define the direction for individual development. Furthermore, the company is introducing its own unique "MAP Sheet" to visualize the organization's purpose and key themes. This allows each individual to recognize their role within the organization and deepen the meaning of their goals through dialogue with supervisors, creating a virtuous cycle of spontaneous action and growth.

－Comment from Noriko Ryugo, General Manager of HR Strategy, Human Resources & General Affairs Division－ The key to a personnel system lies in its operation. And the primary agents of operation are those in the field. To ensure the system design was geared toward practical application, we gathered voices from the field at headquarters, factories, and branch offices nationwide from the early stages of consideration, engaged in repeated dialogues, and built it together. There were many course corrections, but I believe this was an essential process to enhance the effectiveness and persuasiveness of the system. Without seeking perfection or a single "correct answer," we will maintain a stance of "making things better" and steadily promote the realization of "Everyone Active" through the continued evolution of our systems and operations.

【About the Calbee Group】 Since our founding in 1949, we have been dedicated to utilizing the gifts of nature, creating deliciousness and fun, and contributing to people's healthy lives. Under our unchanging corporate philosophy, we are working to solve various social issues to become a company that continues to take on challenges even beyond 100 years. The Calbee Group will create a new future for food by taking steps toward transformation for the next stage of growth. (https://www.calbee.co.jp)