Japanese companies extend innovative benefits to working women

Amid the global pandemic, Japanese carmaker Toyota is now allowing eligible official workers to work permanently from home. The policy is part of an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, as well as to accommodate employees who are caring for small children and elderly parents. The carmaker will cover transportation expenses when these employees need to commute to the office.

This level of flexibility will allow employees, especially female workers, to plan a better work-life balance without giving up their job. In Japan, 46.9% of women quit their job when they become pregnant with their first child, according to a 2018 report. To ensure fairness in the workplace, companies must offer support and flexible conditions so that working mothers can maintain their participation in the labor force and pursue their career ambitions. In this article, we show you some examples of Japanese companies making efforts to keep their female talent with unique employee benefits.

Successful initiatives reduced turnover rate by over 20%

Software company Cybozu is headed by Yoshihisa Aono, a father of three who is known in Japan for his lawsuit against a national law that forces married couples to use the same surname. Cybozu suffered from a turnover as high as 28% in 2005 and, in response, pursued reforms to allow more work schedule autonomy to its employees.

For example, employees can take up to six years of leave to fulfill various personal commitments, including caring for small children and elderly parents and studying abroad. As for maternity/paternity leave, both working parents become eligible from the time they find out about the pregnancy. The company also allows workers to choose their working hours and place of work freely based on their lifestyle. For example, a child-caring employee can work from home every Wednesday while commuting to the office on the remaining four working days. These reforms have helped to reduce employee turnover below 5% in every year since 2012.

Unique benefits help female talent and working parents thrive

Digital advertising company CyberAgent provides a welfare package called “macalon” for working mothers or mothers-to-be. This package includes a 30-minute fertility consultation every month, and kids’-day leave that allows parents to attend a child’s school events or birthdays. The company also provides financial support for employees who have to send their children to non-government-licensed daycares, which tend to be more expensive.

E-commerce business mercari also provides a range of benefits to support employees going through various life events. One progressive example is covering the cost of fertility treatments, regardless of the gender and age of employees. Mercari also provides financial support for egg freezing for employees and their spouse or partner, to a maximum of two million yen per child, though this policy is still in a trial phase. Even after the birth, employees can get generous financial support to hire a babysitter or send their child to a private preschool.

To build sustainable businesses, many companies have begun promoting innovative benefits for their female employees and which support all parents. However, more support and options should be available to achieve gender equality in order to build a society where all genders thrive in their unique circumstances.