Diversity and Inclusion Work–Life Balance
Improving Employee
Welfare Facilities
and
the Holiday/Leave System
In order to create a workplace environment where employees can work with peace of mind, it is essential to improve the work-life balance and to take into full consideration the safety and health of employees. So, labor and management are working together on a range of initiatives to improve welfare for employees.
Welfare for Employees
We have set up member-system welfare facilities throughout Japan, which can be used as needed, and we are also providing a range of welfare services to improve the benefits available to employees and their families.
We also have various systems in place, including savings for asset building, holding company, housing loan, mutual aid loan, travel assistance, company housing/on-site dormitory, congratulatory/condolence payments, group life insurance, and group non-life insurance. Additionally, we are subsidizing club activities that employees are interested in doing so as to boost employee satisfaction, improve their health and encourage mutual friendship.
Leave System
As part of our efforts to achieve a better work-life balance for employees, we are encouraging employees to take their annual paid leave. Since FY2019, we have been systematically giving employees five days of annual paid leave each year, while making it easier to take that leave including introducing a system that allows employees to use their annual paid leave on an hourly basis. We have also introduced a refresh leave system at each milestone of long service (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 years), as well as three days of summer vacation leave that can be taken between July to September each year, and a company holiday to commemorate the anniversary of our founding. If an employee is injured or becomes ill outside of their work and needs to take leave, we allow them to use the expired annual paid leave from the last ten years as special leave so that they can focus on their treatment and recovery. We have also set up a volunteer leave system, provide funds for activities, and make other efforts to actively support the social contribution activities of our employees.
We have set a “no overtime day” once a week, and are encouraging employees to take one week of continuous leave to refresh themselves. These are some of the ways we are striving to create an environment where employees can easily take leave and breaks with the reassurance that it won’t affect their career progression.
Support for Balancing Work and Family Life
To support our employees in balancing their work with childcare and/or nursing care, we have set up various systems including a childcare/nursing care leave system, a reduced working hours system, and leave for taking care of sick children. Additionally, we encourage flexible work styles including staggering commuting and teleworking. In FY2020, we abolished the conditions that had applied to teleworking, and revised the system to allow all employees to work from home. We are also actively supporting men in taking part in childcare, and encouraging male employees to take childcare leave such as by allowing them to take the leave partly with pay. Furthermore, as a part of our efforts in supporting employees to return to work after childcare leave, we are conducting return-to-work interviews and introducing company-operated nursery schools.
Pamphlet for Employees
Takasago Cool Men and Cool Boss
(Departments and positions are current as of FY2022)
Section 3 of the Technical Engineering Division 2, Tokyo Main Office
Kazuya Okita
When my eldest daughter was born, I quickly notified my boss and was able to easily take childcare leave. From my boss to my colleagues on site, everyone was very understanding about me taking childcare leave, and it was thanks to this support that I was able to take childcare leave. I think it also helped that I asked to take leave early on. My boss also coordinated many aspects of my work duties, so that I didn’t have to worry about work while I was on childcare leave.
I started my childcare leave two weeks after my daughter was born. Although I was taking a break from work, it was still a tough time as I struggled everyday with taking care of a newborn baby, which I was completely unfamiliar with. But more than those difficulties were the happiness I experienced in being with my family, and the enjoyment I felt in taking care of my daughter—I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.
And because I actively took part in looking after my newborn daughter, my wife also had time to rest and recover after giving birth. She was so happy and reassured by me taking childcare leave. I think both parents should play a role in raising children, as it is also important for the child’s growth. I believe a fulfilling work life comes from a happy and harmonious family life that is built on trust. I would like to take childcare leave again in the future, when my second child is born.
Comment from his boss
(Boss at the time)
Hiromitsu Miyazaki
I have also taken childcare leave in the past. Work and childcare are things that cannot be done alone—they both require teamwork. However, while it is possible to have the same experiences at work at another time, childcare is a one-off experience. I believe one of my roles as a boss is to allocate work duties while considering how to balance each team member’s growth with the experiences they require at certain times, in a way that aligns with their individual career plan.
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