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Fuji Xerox introduced the childcare leave system in 1988 and family nursing care system in 1990, making the working environment supporting the balance of work and family, based upon goals to achieve “ respect for individuality ” and “work style and enviromment to yield creativity”, the goal for “New Work Way (NWW)” activity started from 1988. As a result, employees seldom quit the job for the reason of family situations like childcare. A company culture that it is common to continuously work has been fixed through utilizing the system. We should not only support the balance of particular employees but also put out all employees' competency at work while fulfill their personal life to realize a real “Work-Life balance” system. To achieve this, we should not only fix and expand the system, but it is also necessary to take a big step to turn the axis of activities into the revolution of the work style of whole company. After realizing the above issue, we announced the policy of promotion of Work-Life balance and again started new activities to improve higher productivity and to realize the work rule and management for employees to work lively in March 2007.
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Fuji Xerox revised the childcare support system in April 2008. Detailed discussion and agreement with labor union had already been implemented in FY2007. The following four points were revised this time. Expanded the special leave days when wife is giving a birth; expanded the applicable period limit of the work hour reduction to 3rd grade in primary school ; expanded the applicable period limit of overnight and overtime working limit system to 6th grade in primary school ; expanded the range and period of re-employment system. From now on, Fuji Xerox will discuss the system revision step by step, such as making a working environment for employees who have family nursing care to work in an easier way.
The direct objectives of the system revision in April 2008 were the employees who have childcare. But system revision was just a trigger while the real goal was to embedd the value for diversity and Work-Life balance in the company that all employees could review the work styles in the current position. We believe the recognition of management and self-consciousness of individual employee is very important.
We are taking detailed education training for new managers to enhance their understanding about the importance of Work-Life balance and labor management education. There is still some understanding dispersion in the manager level in current situation. Thus, it is necessary to recognize the enlightenment of consciousness revolution.
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Overview of Childcare Support Systems
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Overview of Nursing Care Support Systems |
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Changes in the Number of Employees Taking Nursing Care or Childcare Leave (Fuji Xerox Only)
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As a result of these measures, in FY2007, 100 percent of female employees giving birth to children took childcare leave during the period from April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008. During FY2007, five male employees took childcare leave.
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Yoshinori Andou
Eastern Tokyo Branch Office, Sales Group
My second baby was born in May 2007 and I took one month of childcare leave from July. It was not urgently necessary for me, because my wife is a full-time housewife. But I wanted to spend the precious time together with my baby so I used the system.
My wife firstly didn't agree with this, worrying about my losing job during the childcare leave. But now, we want to take it one more time if there's still chance for us to take it together. The one month of the leave was such a precions opportunitiy. |
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I was worried about the relationships with my customers but all of them kindly received it if the job handover is done well. On the other hand, colleagues who were taking over my jobs had followed up very good, which I really appreciated. It would be a problem if my colleagues had been overloaded too much.
I don't think taking childcare leave is the utlimate lifestyle because of the different way of thinking exists in different family, but the problem is people who want to have childcare leave feel more and more difficult to take it. Less and less people will deny men taking childcare leave, but it is necessary to build a relationship to get cooperation from others and have others understand you as soon as possible. Of course, it may cause some troubles when taking childcare leave but we should make efforts on how to work then make the leave period really is valuable. I hope those who want to take childcare leave can take it as they wish.
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Comments From His Manager
Shigeo Suzuki, Manager, Eastern Tokyo Branch Office, Sales Group
When I first talked with Mr. Andou, I really wanted to support him because so far no male sales employees had taken childcare leave. I must take care of many troubles that may happen during his absence, which was also a good chance to improve my management ability as a manager. During his absence, I divided his role to other members and they seemed overloaded, which I cared much about the system sales persons and assistants. Members' cooperation and flexible support system is necessary to really embed this system in the sales department. As a manner of taking leave, those who will thank the members from the bottom of heart are allowed to use the system. I also felt that the understanding of management level from affiliates is really necessary in the support system. We got many support from employees of affiliates when we urgently needed staff. They finished Mr. Andou's job after their own jobs, which I felt it necessary to give evaluation to those supporting members.
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Rui Umehara
Sales Promotion Department, Sales Group
I work as a sales representative for solution business. My previous job was with system sales before taking the childcare leave. My first baby was born in the end of Oct 2006 and I took a four months childcare leave from June to October in 2007. My wife's job was also very busy and neither of our hometowns is Tokyo, which enhance the necessity of leave. The foremost reason I took the leave was that I wanted to stay together with my baby. |
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When I came to talk about taking childcare leave with my boss, I felt so happy because he said “it's ok to take four months leave. ”It was just a busy time with lots of cases that I got great support from the colleagues who took over my jobs. I am a more of sales in specific areas so that I can see through the case situation by schedule, but it is not easy for on account sales person to do that.
Working attitude has also changed. Since my baby was born, I was always worried if he was having a fever that I tried to finish the job as soon as possible.
I think it's necessary for those male employees who want to take childcare leave to announce it as early as possible.
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Comments From Managers
Toshimasa Furukawa, branch manager of Minato branch, Sales Group
Keizo Takeda, manager of Minato branch, Sales Group
When I firstly heard that Mr. Umehara wanted to take childcare leave, I had a moment of anxiety about how to divide the jobs and feedback service to customers because one of the key sales representatives would be on leave.
It would be soon understood by customers and internal colleagues about taking childcare leave if there is a previous explanation. Mr. Umehara was transferred to another position after the childcare leave, but since the manager of the position knew the situation very well that no particular trouble occurred. He didn't feel somewhat out of place after he went back but it might take time for him to take back necessary courage as a salesman after the blank of work.
I think childcare leave for male employees is one of the approach methods to effectively solve the problem of little childbirth. So far childcare leave for male employees is still not so common. It's not only the problem of customers or company internal but the reorganization problem of the whole Japan; especially the advice from parents is one of the most reasons. |
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Fuji Xerox introduced telecommuting experimentally from February 2004 to July 2006 and the total of 317 people participated in it. Most participants said “they lived a full life with the time spending with families,” “it's a desirable method for those who want to work in a efficient way.” As a result of experiment, we can not say that fixable business and team productivity is having big effect but at least no minus effect and it did have an effect of creative business productivity and autonomy of employees. From now on, we are discussing to introduce the telecommuting. |
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