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Supporting Employees'Efforts to Balance Work and Personal Life
It is important to help employees achieve a harmonious balance between the demands of work and their wider interests in the community and society, to ensure that they will be productive, and able to perform effectively over a long career at the Company. Benesse offers employees a variety of options in their work schedules, to help them effectively manage the balance between work and their personal lives.
- Interview
- Maternity Leave System
- Support for Return to Work of Employees on Childcare Leave
- Shorter Working Hours for Childcare
- Superflex System
- Working-From-Home System
- “Kurumin” Certification for Efforts to Support Parenting
- Nursing Care Support
- “Cafeteria-Style” Employee Welfare Plan
- Benesse Leave
- Mental Health Initiatives
- A Foundation of Mutual Trust Between Management and the Business Front Lines
- In-House Communication
Interview
A Workplace Where Marriage or Having Children is No Handicap Whatsoever
Nobue Sato
Elementary School Product Development Dept., Education Business Division
When I entered the Company, I didn't even consider the possibility that I might want to continue working after I had children. However, the longer I was with the Company, the more working mothers I saw as co-workers. Thus, when I got pregnant, the possibility of quitting the Company was never even an option I considered. My co-workers seemed to think the same way; the question was always: “so when do you think you'll be back to work?” I really felt no sense of uncertainty when I left, nor was I uncomfortable after returning. Becoming a working mother seemed the natural thing to do.
Since having children, I have begun to appreciate just how considerate Benesse is towards working mothers. Both my four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter are members of the “Tama Kid's Club” day-care center at the Company's Tokyo head office, and the fact that I am in the same building is a source of reassurance to both me and the kids. I started bringing my son when he was six months old, and my daughter when she was 10 months. I was even able to nurse them when on work breaks. That sort of thing is impossible in most companies. Naturally I appreciate the support of my husband and his parents, who live nearby, but also I really feel thankful to my boss and co-workers. An increasing number of men at Benesse are taking child-care leave as well; it is clear that people throughout the Company understand and support the needs of working parents.
A Happy Personal Life Contributes to More Productive Workers
I am currently in the “shorter working hours for childcare” program, and leave the office at 4:30 p.m. every day. Recently I started using a new system that lets me check office e-mail on my mobile phone, which makes things even more convenient. Even if something important happens after I have left, I can find out what was going on and be right up to speed when I start work the next day.
I think that being a mother is often an advantage here at Benesse. I am in charge of the “parents' booklet” for the parents of students enrolled in the Shinkenzemi Elementary School Course for fourth graders. Since having children of my own, I think I have developed an infinitely greater understanding of the feelings and needs of other parents. I am also part of a network of parents who have used the Company day-care center. Since I now know lots of people who work in other parts of the Company, this network often smoothes the way when I have a question or need to ask a favor from another division.
Personally, I feel that a company should promote this sort of rich balance between personal life and work for everybody in the company, whether they have children or not. Employees should be able to work in ways that suit their own lifestyles, whether they are raising kids or not. Hobbies, volunteer activities, and other pursuits outside the office help a person to live a full life, and that means they can concentrate better when they are at work. I suppose that is the real meaning of “Benesse -living well.”
Maternity Leave System
This system is open to all employees with children less than one year old. The system also allows parents to extend the leave even after the child turns one, until the child is admitted to daycare the following April, when the school year starts in Japan. These maternity leave provisions exceed the basic levels mandated by law. Revisions to the system, implemented in December 2006, have increased the number of men who apply for child care leave. The number of men who have taken childcare leave has increased from 7 in fiscal 2006 to 12 in fiscal 2007 and 23 in fiscal 2008. Male employees also launched a childcare blog and childcare support is being extended in other ways.
In fiscal 2008, the childcare leave system for both men and women was revised, allowing them to receive full pay for the first month of the leave, and 50% of their basic salary in the second and third months.
Number of Male Employees on Paternity Leave
| FY | 1week | 2weeks | 3weeks | 1month or more | 2months or more | 3months or more | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2007 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| 2008 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 23 |
Support for Return to Work of Employees on Childcare Leave
Benesse provides information through a special website for employees on childcare leave to support their eventual return to work. These employees also receive the Group newsletter, and in principle, they are allowed to return to their former division. They receive follow-up support (training and counseling for job-related or personal issues) for a period of one year after they return to the job. Thanks to these programs, an average of 90% of employees who took childcare leave within the past 5 years returned to work.
Return Rate (Fiscal 2004 to Fiscal 2008)
Shorter Working Hours for Childcare
All employees with children up to and including third grade at elementary school may apply for this system, which allows them to work shorter hours-5 or 6 hours each day. In addition, the Company operates an in-house creche at the Tokyo Head Office (Tama Office), known as “Tama Kid's Club.”
Superflex System
The Superflex system offers Benesse employees a much greater degree of flexibility in setting their working hours. This not only allows employees to adjust work schedules to match their life style but it also increases motivation, and thus, elevates job performance. For example, the system allows employees to adjust their schedule to deal with something they need to do for their family, without the need to take a paid vacation day. This is particularly beneficial for employees who are raising children.
Working-From-Home System
Working-from-home trials have been conducted in several departments over the past couple of years. Depending on the job, it can sometimes be necessary to use time effectively in order to be able to concentrate and raise the quality of work, or to experience a more rounded private life. Benesse officially began offering telecommuting as one work option in fiscal 2009. This system should not only raise productivity but also lead to the creation of services that employees desire for themselves and their families-which is one of our stated goals as a company.
“Kurumin” Certification for Efforts to Support Parenting
“Kurumin” Certification for Efforts to Support Parenting
As a result of its extensive efforts to deal with the varied values and needs of personnel, and its many measures to help employees achieve a better balance between work and personal life, Benesse was awarded “Kurumin” certification, in June 2007 and again in April 2009. The certification recognizes the Company as “an employer that supports parenting in accordance with the Law for Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation.”
The 2009 recognition-the second time that Benesse has been accorded the mark-was issued in recognition of the Company's efforts to improve systems, including an increase in the number of men taking childcare leave, work-from-home programs and other measures which support a good “work-life balance,” regardless of the person's gender or marital status.
Nursing Care Support
Benesse supports employees who need to provide nursing care for loved ones through its “cafeteria-style” employee welfare plan, as well as a nursing care leave system that offers employees up to one year of leave (no limit on the number of times it can be offered), and a system that offers shorter working hours to facilitate caregiving. On the other hand, since the average age of Benesse employees tends to be low, the number of people who have used this system in the past is limited. Between 1991 and 2008, only 43 people in total have applied for nursing care leave.
“Cafeteria-Style” Employee Welfare Plan
In 1995, Benesse became the first company in Japan to introduce a “cafeteria-style” employee welfare plan, known as the Cafeteria Plan. This system offers a point-based “menu” of welfare benefits which employees can choose to suit their individual needs and circumstances. Employees are free to select benefits according to how many points they have.
The menu covers the full spectrum of lifestyle needs, with benefit categories ranging from childcare, education, medical services and nursing care to health promotion, financial planning, lifestyle risk management and housing. From 2010, the funds allocated to this program will be redistributed, in order to offer an even broader range of services that match even more varied needs and lifestyles.
Cafeteria Plan Benefits Menu
| Benefit Category | Menu |
|---|---|
| Childcare / education | Daycare allowance |
| Babysitting allowance | |
| Childcare at Tokyo Head Office | |
| Subsidy for Shinkenzemi course fees | |
| Allowance for en-Famille food delivery service | |
| Medical | Hospitalization allowance |
| Allowance for housekeeping assistance in event of hospitalization or incapacity | |
| Medical expense allowance (for treatment covered by health insurance) | |
| Medical expense allowance (for treatment excluded by health insurance) | |
| Nursing care | Nursing care allowance |
| Health promotion | Employee medical checkup allowance |
| Family medical checkup allowance | |
| Physiotherapy or massage allowance | |
| Sports club allowance | |
| Financial planning | Employee savings scheme subsidy |
| Employee pension scheme subsidy | |
| Shareholding association grant (proportional and fixed amount) | |
| Shareholding association grant (continuous accumulation) | |
| Shareholding association grant (new membership) | |
| Shareholding association grant (resumption of contributions) | |
| Shareholding association grant (rejoining) | |
| Risk management | Counseling and consulting allowance |
| Insurance allowance (life, non-life and private pension) | |
| Benesse Insurance Service automobile group insurance | |
| Security proofing allowance | |
| Housing | Allowance for house-related financial planning |
| Subsidy for housing loan interest |
Benesse Leave
The Benesse Leave system was established to reward employees for their service at important junctures in their careers and encourage them to work with a renewed sense of purpose. Employees marking 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of continuous service on April 1 each year are eligible for this leave.
Eligible employees are offered special paid leave according to the number of years of service and are paid an additional Benesse Leave Grant. The number of employees using this system is increasing every year.
Mental Health Initiatives
For many Benesse employees, much of their work involves dealing with people. The dynamism of employees, more than anything else, is therefore a key business asset. That is why Benesse has taken various initiatives with respect to mental health.
One Company-wide initiative is the deployment of health and safety officers and an industrial physician at each office. These professionals provide consultations regarding long overtime hours and support a program to help employees return to work after taking extended leave. At the same time, Benesse has set up an in-house consultation desk and uses external employee assistance programs (EAPs) to quickly catch and address causes for concern or worry early on.
A Foundation of Mutual Trust Between Management and the Business Front Lines
A morning meeting
Our personnel system and our education and training system provide the foundation on which we build a sense of security for the employees who work at Benesse. However, day-to-day communication also plays an important role in enabling employees to feel that they are growing in their jobs. To energize the entire organization, Benesse cultivates its own unique style of communication between management and those employed at its work sites. This technique recognizes the importance of creating opportunities for employees to learn about management information and management's approach, as well as chances for management to understand the mindset of employees and the work that they perform.
In-House Communication
At Benesse, we promote active communication between employees and sections on a daily basis-not only vertical communication, in both directions, but also horizontal and diagonal lines of communication-because we believe that this contributes to the vitality and creativity of the organization. For this reason, there is not only active communication between teams or divisions, but also a great deal of effort to promote reporting and information exchange between management and the front lines of the Company.
Reporting activities within the Company include the monthly “Morning Meeting” and an internal monthly publication, as well as the Company intranet, which goes by the name “Begin.” In fiscal 2008, in order to shorten lines of communication between top management and employees, Benesse's two Vice-Chairmen began to conduct “communication with the workplace” activities.
One example of these activities was Vice-Chairman Fukuhara's “Benesse Evening University,” a sort of “talk-show” in which famous individuals were invited as special guests. After the talk-show portion of the event, a question and answer session was organized, in which some 70 participants from throughout the Benesse Group posed questions. Afterwards they took part in an informal chat with the guests, over light refreshments, which also allowed them to interact with people from other divisions of the Company.
A second event organized by the Vice-Chairmen was “Forum 2008.” About 20 participants in the Forum read the book “The World is Flat,” by Thomas Friedman (translated into Japanese by Nikkei Publishing, Inc. in 2006) and then joined Vice-Chairman Uchinaga, who has had extensive international experience, in a detailed discussion of the issues that face Benesse in a globalizing environment. The discussions brought out the very different perspectives that exist, due to different backgrounds, work histories and experiences, and encouraged all of the participants to think carefully about how they will be affected by globalization.
Benesse Group newsletter, “C”
Benesse Evening University
Forum 2008
