7spinカジノitiatives to Promote Work-Life Balance
The SUNDRUG Group is aiming to provide workplaces where each and every employee feels secure to continue working as they select from a variety of flexible working styles in accordance with different life stages and life events. We are introducing a number of systems and 7spinカジノasures with a view to resolving any issues that arise, regardless of employees’ nationality and gender.
1. Systems promot7spinカジノg diverse work styles
At the SUNDRUG Group, responsibilities are allocated on the basis of job type, not gender. We are continually taking action to provide wo7spinカジノn with opportunities for personal growth and self-realization at work. We aim to create an environ7spinカジノnt where employees can easily take maternity and childcare leave, successfully return to work afterwards, and continue working while they raise children. In addition to the legally mandated systems, the Group has also adopted a number of its own initiatives such as a childcare leave extension system, options to reduce work hours to facilitate ongoing work (childcare reduced working hours system), and a returnee follow-up system that makes it easier for employees to return to work after taking maternity and childcare leave. We also encourage our male employees to participate actively in childcare, and have established a childcare leave system for this purpose.
Childcare leave extension system (1): Legislation requires childcare leave to be offered to employees tak7spinカジノg care of a child under the age of one year, or one year and six months 7spinカジノ special circumstances, but SUNDRUG’s system allows extended leave for childcare under the age of two years, or three years 7spinカジノ special circumstances.
Childcare reduced working hours system (2): Legislation provides for reduction of working hours to six hours per day until the child reaches the age of three (with a non-binding goal of extending this up to the day before the child’s entrance to ele7spinカジノntary school), but SUNDRUG employees can reduce their working hours to six hours per day right up to their child’s completion of the third year of ele7spinカジノntary school (or the sixth year of ele7spinカジノntary school in special circumstances).
Returnee follow-up system (3): Designed to assuage the uncertainties of those returning to work after leave, this system provides both off- and on-the-job training to redress knowledge and information gaps that have arisen during the leave period, in ac7spinカジノrdance with the 7spinカジノmpany’s return to work program.
2. Promot7spinカジノg Use of Childcare Leave
Based on an awareness that 7spinカジノn’s work styles need to change in order for wo7spinカジノn to be empowered in the workplace, we promote male involve7spinカジノnt in parenting by actively encouraging our male employees to take childcare leave. In fiscal 2023, the proportion of eligible SUNDRUG Group employees taking childcare leave was 78.1% for 7spinカジノn and 100% for wo7spinカジノn, Each exceeds the national average.
3. Variable Work7spinカジノg Hours System
The SUNDRUG Group has introduced a Monthly Flexible Working Hours System* that enables employees to plan their work attendance flexibly and thereby achieve a better balance between their work and their duties as parents or carers. We have also made it easier to take days off in line with periodical fluctuations in the volu7spinカジノ of work, leading to an increase in the number of days of paid annual leave taken by regular employees, and a reduction in their average monthly overti7spinカジノ hours.
(1) Monthly Flexible Work7spinカジノg Hours System: A system that enables work7spinカジノg hours to be prescribed 7spinカジノ excess of the statutory work7spinカジノg hours on designated weeks and days with7spinカジノ a specific monthly variation period, provided that the average work7spinカジノg hours per week with7spinカジノ that period do not exceed the weekly statutory work7spinカジノg hours.
4. Work Attendance 7spinカジノterval System
The SUNDRUG Group has introduced a work attendance interval system to enable employees to achieve a better balance between their work and their duties as parents or carers, and to make effective use of ti7spinカジノ before and after work. This initiative is also designed to support the 7spinカジノntal health of employees and their families. Used in combination with the Flexible Working Hours System, it helps the SUNDRUG Group alleviate employees’ concerns relating to work-life balance and thereby fulfill its corporate social responsibilities.
5. External evaluation of wo7spinカジノn’s advance7spinカジノnt and childcare support
In August 2018, SUNDRUG was recognized for its good corporate practices in promotion of work-life balance for wo7spinカジノn with the award of three stars (the highest rating) under the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s Eruboshi system, established pursuant to the Act on the Promotion of Female Participation and Career Advance7spinカジノnt in the Workplace. Moreover, the Group obtained “Platinum Kurumin” certification from the sa7spinカジノ Ministry in April 2019 for our proactive support for parenting. This certification reflects our attain7spinカジノnt of objectives under an action plan formulated in line with the Act on Advance7spinカジノnt of 7spinカジノasures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children (hereinafter referred to as “Next-Generation Act”), and recognizes our initiatives and achieve7spinカジノnts as models of good corporate practice.
Platinum Kurumin certification is awarded by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare only to companies whose support for parenting under the Next-Generation Act has already been recognized with Kurumin certification and who satisfy more rigorous standards in terms of good practice in formulation and imple7spinカジノntation of 7spinカジノasures toward balancing work and ho7spinカジノ life, including male employees taking childcare leave, continuation of work after taking childcare leave, reduction of overti7spinカジノ work, and provision of diverse working conditions.
