Work-Life Balance Systems
Work-Life Balance Systems
Initiatives for Helping Employees Balance Their Work with Childrearing
MARUI GROUP has in place systems that support employees in working while giving birth and raising children. Accordingly, employees at the Company are able to develop their careers with peace of mind as they undergo various life events after joining. We have introduced a system that enables employees to work full time up to four days a month while still using the shortened work hour systems as well as a time period-limited full-time work system that allows employees to choose to work only during specific time periods, even at stores that are open until late hours. In these ways, we are advancing a concerted Group effort to create an environment in which employees can actively contribute while raising children.
* Special daycare services were not provided on the days of the communication forums in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, as the forums were held online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Special daycare services provided on days of communication forums for employees returning to work from childcare leave*
Career Design Program
The Career Design Program is an initiative meant to provide employees age 26 with opportunities to think about their career. Comprising seminars by external instructors and panel discussions by more experienced employees, this program aims to help people continue to contribute in their own unique manner, even while undergoing life events.
Communication Forums for Employees Returning to Work from Childcare Leave (Held Jointly with Companies and MARUI GROUP UNION)
Communication forums for employees returning to work from childcare leave are held once a year for individuals taking maternity leave or childcare leave. These forums provide an opportunity for employees to learn about the state of their company and its human resources systems and to share information and opinions with mothers that are currently working while raising children. The forums thereby help participants alleviate their concerns and make new discoveries.
Communication Forums for Working Mothers (Held Jointly with Companies and MARUI GROUP UNION)
Communication forums for mothers working shortened hours are held once a year to provide working mothers with opportunities to gain ideas on how to feel more empowered in their work and to think about their future careers. These forums consist of presentations by outside lecturers and theme-based discussions as well as exchanges of information and opinions among participants. As such, the forums help participants make new discoveries while increasing their motivation toward their work.
Note: Following progress in eliminating gender preconceptions, communication forums for employees returning to work from childcare, communication forums for individuals working shortened hours, and Career Design Program events were made open to male employees as well as internal and external partners in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022.
Initiatives for Supporting Working While Providing Long-Term Care
As the population of Japan continues to age, it can be expected that there will be a rise in the number of MARUI GROUP employees needing to provide long-term care to family members. To allow such employees to feel empowered in their work, we have introduced leave and shortened working hour systems for long-term care purposes among other initiatives for supporting working while providing care.
KAIGO Forum (Joint Initiative Between MARUI GROUP and MARUI GROUP UNION)
In 2020, MARUI GROUP began holding KAIGO Forum seminars open to participation from employees currently providing long-term care to family members, employees who may be required to do so in the future, and the supervisors of teams with care-providing members.
These seminars are designed to help participants gain ideas about how to balance work with care giving while also providing opportunities to alleviate stress and gain new insights through exchanges of information with other participants.
Initiatives for Achieving 100% Rate of Male Employees Taking Childcare Leave
MARUI GROUP encourages male employees to take childcare leave based on the recognition that cooperation from an early stage is imperative to two-parent child-rearing. Male employees are able to acquire leave for up to three years, higher than the legally mandated limit described in child-rearing- and caregiving-related legislation.
Comments from Male Employee
Comment from Male Employee Who Acquired Six Months of Childcare Leave
I took six months of childcare leave when my third child was born. After the birth of my second child, I only took 10 days of leave, and it was over in a flash. This is why I decided to take a longer leave this time around, so that I could bond better with my family. This ended up being a highly valuable experience as it gave me an opportunity to see my child's development up close and also helped me better understand my wife's struggles. MARUI GROUP arranged numerous opportunities for me to consult with my supervisor in preparation for my long-term leave. During one such consultation, I was advised to act based on my own desires and on the circumstances of my family. Convinced that this leave would be beneficial to me and to the rest of my life, I made my decision. It is surprising how little time you spend really engaging with your children over the course of your life. I therefore hope that others will also utilize MARUI GROUP's leave systems to take part in the precious experience normally only available through childcare leave.
Koichiro Oshikawa Deputy Store Manager, Kokubunji Marui
Note: Positions are as of the time of the interview.Work-Life Balance Systems
MARUI GROUP is systematically introducing systems for supporting employees caring for children or family members based on their needs. In this manner, we aid employees in balancing their work with childbirth, childrearing, and long-term care for family members. (Different standards exist for temporary employees.)
Pre-Childbirth Support Systems
- Work leave prior to childbirth: Can be acquired immediately after pregnancy is discovered
- Shortened working hours and reduced workdays during pregnancy
- Leave for childbirth by partner: 2 special paid vacation days
- Leave for infertility treatment: Up to 2 years
Post-Childbirth Support Systems
- Childcare leave system: Available up to child's 3rd birthday (7 paid vacation days provided to employees returning to work prior to child becoming 1 year and 2 months old)
- Shortened working hours and reduced workdays for childcare purposes: Available until child completes 3rd grade of elementary school
- Time period-limited full-time work system: Available until child completes 6th grade of elementary school
- Child nursing care leave: 5 special paid leave days a year provided to employees with 1 pre-elementary school child (can be acquired as 10 half-days or in hourly increments) and 10 days for employees with 2 or more applicable children (can be acquired as 20 half-days or in hourly increments)
- Work location limitation and exemption from relocations for childcare purposes
Support System Usage Data
| FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of female employees taking childcare leave*1 | 248 | 263 | 229 | 283 | 239 |
| Number of male employees taking childcare leave*2 | 63 | 54 | 45 | 43 | 32 |
| Number of employees working shortened hours for pregnancy or childcare purposes*3 | 498 (Of whom, male employees: 2) |
484 (Of whom, male employees: 3) |
484 (Of whom, male employees: 0) |
421 (Of whom, male employees: 2) |
480 (Of whom, male employees: 0) |
*1 The calculation method was changed from the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, to represent the number of female
employees who acquired childcare leave.
*2 Figures represent the number of male employees whose partner gave birth two fiscal years ago and who took childcare
leave (including other leave taken for childcare purposes) in the past two fiscal years.
*3 Number of employees using system in each fiscal year.
Long-Term Care Support
- Long-term care leave system: 1 year, in principle, and up to 2 years per applicable family member (can be taken in increments)
- Shortened working hours and reduced workdays for long-term purposes: 3 years, in principle, and up to 5 years per applicable family member
- Special long-term care leave: 10 days (can be acquired in hourly increments) of special paid leave days per year provided to employees with 1 applicable family member and 20 days (can be acquired in hourly increments) for employees with 2 or more applicable family members
- Work location limitation and exemption from relocations for long-term care purposes
Rehiring System
- Available to employees that have left work for reasons related to long-term care, childcare, or work relocation by partners
- Application can be submitted up to 5 years from date of resignation
Promotion of Paid Vacation Day Acquisition
To facilitate the work-life balance of Group employees, we hold two consecutive vacation day programs a year (offering seven to eight consecutive days of vacation each time) and have also introduced Work-Life Balance Day, a program through which we encourage employees to acquire three consecutive paid vacation days on two occasions during each year. Furthermore, we allow allocated yearly paid vacation days to be taken in half-day or hourly increments in order to enable all employees to embrace flexible and efficient work styles. The goal of such initiatives for promoting the acquisition of the allocated yearly amount of paid vacation days is to help employees enjoy more fulfilling work and lead more balanced lives.
