Employees' Childcare and Nursing Care
As a means for all employees to realize work-life balance and increase productivity, Shiseido has since 1990 been introducing various systems and measures helping employees to balance work with childcare and nursing care.
The Company has been promoting its initiatives to develop an environment in which employees can work with a sense of assurance. Specifically, such initiatives include the establishment and operation of the Kangaroom Shiodome*1 daycare facility located within a business site, a paid childcare leave system within a limited period of two weeks to encourage male employees to take childcare leave and Kangaroo Staff System*2 for Beauty Consultants to take time off from work for childcare.
Employees’ use of leave and shorter working hour systems related to childcare and nursing care is increasing every year. As of fiscal 2010, the number of Shiseido Group employees who used the childcare leave system for taking time off for childcare is as follows: 1,218 employees took paternal leave (including 17 male employees), 1,415 employees took time off to care for their children (including 3 male employees), 33 employees took nursing care leave (including 4 male employees) and 21 employees took time off for nursing care (no male employees).
(※1) Kangaroom Shiodome (Japan)
Shiseido opened Kangaroom Shiodome in September 2003, as part of its initiatives to help employees raising children in the Tokyo metropolitan area balance the demands of work and childcare. The facility also accepts a certain number of children of employees of other companies, supporting the concept of "improving the child-rearing environment through cooperation with other companies." Kangaroom Shiodome has significantly helped to change employee awareness of how they work and achieve a good work-life balance. The facility has been well received by people utilizing its childcare services, enabling women to return to work with complete peace of mind after the birth of a child and feel secure in the knowledge that their children are nearby, as well as allowing them to make more effective use of their time with no need to spend time travelling to a separate facility to pick up their children.
(※2) Kangaroo Staff Program (Japan)
Shiseido introduced the Kangaroo Staff Program in 2006 to support evening storefront activities by having temporary workers take the place of Beauty Consultants (BCs) engaged in customer service so that the BCs could take time off to care for their children. This program has enabled us to create a workplace environment that allows BCs who had difficulty balancing the competing demands of work and childcare to have children with peace of mind, since they would be able to care for the children while working to advance Shiseido's 100% customer-oriented philosophy. When the program was first introduced, approximately 600 Kangaroo Staff members provided support for about 500 BCs who took advantage of the child-rearing work hours program. In April 2011, the Kangaroo Staff program was expanded to more than 1,400 staff providing such support for approximately 900 BCs taking time off.
Since we are forecasting an increase in the number of employees who will continue working while using child-rearing work hours and nursing care work hours, employees are expected to be more conscious about their work and try to acquire time management, risk management and communication skills to consistently achieve results within their limited time. At the same time, managers are expected to exercise their management capabilities to raise motivation while understanding each and every employee's situation.
Comment from male employee who took childcare leave
Naoto Yamada,
Human Resources Department, Head Office, Shiseido Company Limited
I took childcare leave and realized that child rearing is much harder than I thought. Taking care of a child, such as changing diapers, preparing baby food, taking the child for a walk, and doing housework such as laundry and cleaning would fully occupy me for the day. I realized how hard it is for my wife to do this every day. It also made me think that as with work, it is very important how efficiently these tasks are done.
Until I took the leave, my daughter was saying "dad" to everyone, but since I’d been able to spend more time with her, I was happy when she began calling me "dad."
Taking the leave was a very good experience for me and I am grateful to my supervisors and colleagues for being understanding and cooperative when I used the childcare leave system.
Comment from employee who used Kangaroo Staff program
Yuko Fusawa,
Key Account Sales Department II, Shiseido Sales Co., Ltd.
I found out about the Kangaroo Staff program and I applied for the position by empathizing with the program's concept. At first, I was worried about working at a storefront but the more I came in contact with customers, the more accustomed I became to gaining support from everyone around me, including the BCs who were taking time off to care for their children. I hope to be involved in work related to beauty in the future.
Comment from employee who used Kangaroo Staff program
Kaori Tanaka,
Key Account Sales Department II, Shiseido Sales Co., Ltd.
Using the Kangaroo Staff program enabled me to enhance awareness to carry out work according to plan. Also, it allowed me to spend more time on childcare, for the sake of the mental security of my child. I am grateful for this program which helps raise one's motivation to work.
I appreciate the support and cooperation of the Kangaroo staff and everyone around me which enabled me to work and perform childcare every day. I am carrying out my daily activities with the attitude that I should work in such a way that will contribute to the Company so that such systems will be passed on to fellow BCs.
Overview of Work/Childcare and Nursing Care Programs Previously Introduced by Shiseido
| Support Program |
Year
Introduced |
Details |
| Maternity/paternity leave |
1990 |
A system by which employees may take leave after having a baby until the child is three years old for a total of up to five years (Employees may take leave a total of up to three times for the same child in the case of special circumstances. <Revised in 2009>) |
| Child-rearing work hours |
1991 |
A system by which employees may shorten work hours by up to two hours a day if they have children in up to the third grade of elementary school.<Revised in 2008> |
| Nursing care leave |
1993 |
A system by which employees can take up to one year off at a time per family member for a total of up to three years. |
| Nursing care work hours |
1993 |
A system by which employees may shorten work hours by up to two hours a day for up to one year at a time per family member for a total of up to three years. |
| Cafeteria system for childcare support (fixed annual amount) |
1998 |
A system by which employees can receive a fixed annual subsidy to offset childcare fees for children in nursery school. |
| Cafeteria system for childcare support (as needed) |
1998 |
A system by which employees can receive a need-based subsidy to offset the cost of extended childcare for a babysitter, daycare center or other childcare facility if they have children in up to the third grade of elementary school. |
| Childcare plan |
1999 |
A plan implemented to improve communication structures that enable employees to confirm with their managers the process from pregnancy onward to return to the workplace. |
| Kangaroom Shiodome |
2003 |
An in-house daycare center for Shiseido employees' children at the Shiodome Office. Accommodating a fixed number of children, the center is also partially open to the children of employees of nearby companies. |
| Short-term paid parental leave |
2005 |
A system by which employees may take leave up to two consecutive weeks until the child is three years old. This short-term paid parental leave system encourages male employees to take leave. |
| Nursing care leave system for children |
2005 |
A system by which employees may take paid leave if they have children not yet enrolled in elementary school who require nursing care due to sickness or injury. Employees may take leave of up to five days per year for one child and up to ten days for two or more children per year. (Paid leave) Half-day leave is also permitted.<Revised in 2010> |
| Childcare support center |
2006 |
Medical office staff at the head office provide support centering on health issues, including various concerns or questions related to pregnancy, birth and child-rearing. |
| Maternity wear |
2006 |
A system in which maternity wear is provided for BCs. |
| Kangaroo Staff system |
2007 |
A system by which alternative staff relieve BCs taking time off for childcare. |
| Guidelines governing transfers of employees with childcare and nursing care responsibilities |
2008 |
A system of rules that prevents transfers of employees that would require them to move while taking time off for childcare or nursing care. |
| Spousal accompaniment for childcare |
2008 |
A system by which employees with childcare responsibilities (e.g., with children up to the third grade in elementary school) may request to accompany their spouse who is transferred within Japan. |
| Leave to accompany spouse when transferred overseas |
2008 |
A system by which the company allows up to three years of leave so that employees can accompany spouses who are transferred overseas. |
| Encourage fathers whose infants are less than 8 weeks old to take paternity leave |
2010 |
A system by which the company allows fathers who acquired paternity leave within 8 weeks after their spouses gave birth may take paternity leave again. |
Action Plan for Supporting the Development of Next Generation
Shiseido has acquired the next-generation certification mark "Kurumin" in May 2007. This mark is accredited to companies that have achieved the goals of the "action plan for supporting the development of the next generation" based on the Law for Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation.
Shiseido has formulated Phase 3 of an action plan for supporting the development of the next generation commencing from fiscal 2010, thereby promoting various initiatives such as "supporting a balance of work, childcare and nursing care" and "reviewing how employees work."
Shiseido Sales Co., Ltd. Action Plan for Supporting the Development of the Next Generation
Shiseido Sales Co., Ltd. established the following action plan to enable employees to balance work and childcare and fully exert their abilities by creating an environment in which they can work with a sense of assurance.
Plan period
Three-year period from December 1, 2010 to November 30, 2013
Reduction of Overtime Work
Shiseido is working to eliminate long working hours and increase ways of working in order to realize work-life balance while also expanding and improving systems and measures to balance work, childcare and nursing care.
Shiseido business sites and domestic affiliated companies are concluding labor-management agreements pertaining to overtime work by business site according to laws and regulations, and reporting to concerned administrative authorities.
As for concluding the labor-management agreements, not only do we state the statutory limit related to working hours but also include aspects of the risk of overwork based on government guidelines. With this agreement, Shiseido is setting a maximum of 80 hours per month of overtime work even in exceptional cases (from 45 to 80 hours of overtime work per month is limited to occurring up to 6 times per year). Shiseido's efforts to reduce long working hours are as follows.
1. Spread knowledge of the labor-management agreement ("Agreement 36 (Saburoku kyotei)")
Based on the understanding that overtime work is mandatory upon the order of the employer (supervisors), Shiseido ensures that personnel in charge at respective workplaces are informed of and follow the details of the agreement, while various initiatives are carried out such as providing employees with relevant information by using in-house bulletin boards and other means.
2. Promotion of activities to review how employees work
At the beginning of fiscal 2010, Shiseido established the guidelines (key performance indicator (KPI) and goals related to working hours) up to fiscal 2012 for reviewing how employees work and is currently promoting activities to review how employees work at all domestic business sites. In the guidelines for reviewing how employees work, we have devised three objectives to 1) observe "Agreement 36 (Saburoku kyotei)" (including special articles), 2) achieve the acquisition rate of 60% in annual paid leave and 3) reduce overall actual working hours. Accordingly, we are making progress in terms of reviewing promotion methods of work that address each business location and workplace. We are also horizontally expanding good internal examples by developing and distributing a collection of case studies for review.
To strengthen this activity, in fiscal 2011, among the goals indicated in the guidelines ("Agreement 36 (Saburoku kyotei)"), Shiseido puts particular emphasis on reducing monthly overtime work to a maximum limit of 60 hours (which can occur up to 6 times). In this way, Shiseido is making greater efforts to reduce long working hours at workplaces.
3. Measure to switch off lights at 10 p.m.
Since fiscal 2009 at the head office, lights have gotten switched off at 10 p.m. This measure will extend to all domestic business sites, including affiliated companies in fiscal 2010, and we will also continue this initiative in fiscal 2011.
* Excluding factories, stores and storefronts that are implementing 24-hour operations or shift work.
4. Verification of actual status of overtime work between employer and employees
Actual work hours and acquisition rate of paid leave are being regularly verified between employer and employees, reflecting the results in labor-management initiatives.
Additionally, with regard to leaves and shortened work hours systems, in order to respond to the requests for more diverse working forms, Shiseido is improving childcare- and nursing care-related leaves and short working hours and time-off systems based on laws and regulations. In particular, the Company made it possible for employees to use the system for childcare for children up to the third grade in elementary school (conditions for limited-term contract employees vary depending on contract terms; however, the conditions are higher than what have been stipulated by law.)
Furthermore, the Company has a spousal accompaniment for childcare system in place, by which employees with childcare responsibilities may request to accompany a spouse transferred within Japan. As for overseas transfers, we have a leave system to allow employees to take leave up to three years so that then can accompany spouses who are transferred overseas. At the same time, regarding work-related systems, the Company introduces a specialized discretionary work hour system for researchers at research centers.
In addition to these systems, in fiscal 2011, Shiseido has introduced a work-at-home system for employees at the head office who are going through a phase of childcare, nursing or preparation for childbirth.
Shiseido group website Home
