Note:Departments and posts are as of the time of the interview(May 2019)
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At the SMBC Group, we provide support to help people balance their career with childcare or nursing care responsibilities, so employees can build a career at any stage of life. In addition to a childcare and family care leave system that exceeds statutory requirements and a system for shorter working hours and nursing care leave, we also promote acquisition of childcare leave for male employees. As a result, the number of employees of both genders in the Group who took childcare leave rose from about 2,400 in FY2014 to about 3,500 in FY2018. Below, we would like to introduce one male employee who has utilized the Group's short-term childcare leave system to balance work with childcare.
A sympathetic atmosphere where employees are encouraged to put family and health first
"My wife and I work at the same company and our daughter is now one year old. Parenthood is a huge part of our lives right now. My wife took maternity leave and now works reduced hours. I'm currently on short-term childcare leave, and the system allows me to take up to ten days for leave until my child is two years old. I use it flexibly when it becomes necessary, such as for my daughter's first day at nursery school, medical checks, and when she has a fever.
At work, the general attitude is that 'family and health come first.' If family members become ill, my boss is always willing to allow me to go home early. When you suddenly need a bit of time off or to go home early, you feel grateful when your co-workers support you. It's great to work in a place where people are naturally help each other when something happens."
A workplace that cares about employees at various stages of life
"Since our daughter was born, my wife and I have shared the housework and parenthood duties. I try to get home as early as possible to help with housework, so it feels as if I'm working fewer hours. To tell you the truth, though, I am a highly competitive person. Despite the time constraints, I am always looking for ways to overcome these limitations and consider how to aim for the top and proceed with my work. The trick is to pack in as many tasks as possible during working hours. I concentrate really hard on this, so I often find that I am extremely tired by the time I leave work ? and I often take a nap on the train home (laughs).
In raising our daughter together, I found myself becoming ever more grateful to my wife, and the way that I see the world around me has changed. I wonder how others who work while also being the career for a child or elderly relative manage their time. As the result, I have become more considerate in regard to the families of the customers and colleagues I see every day, and I feel a stronger sense of empathy towards them."
Having a greater variety of people work together helps spark new ideas
"I gained a new outlook on balancing work and childcare at around the time my daughter was born, when I was on assignment at another company with more of an international culture. There was a rich variety of people working there, with a broad mix of nationalities and careers. There was more freedom in the way people worked. Some employees worked from home so they could take care of children or family members. Taking an extended holiday was viewed as normal. When I saw people working while fulfilling their potential in an environment where they can choose their way of working as long as they achieve results, I realized there are many working styles and in my case, now was the time to devote all my energy to both work and childcare.
Working in a place that expresses diversity as if it were a painting has not only given me hints for balancing childcare and work, but has also been a great source of stimulation for my work. Take meetings, for instance. When you have a group of people from different backgrounds, the meeting is a source of diverse and unique opinions and you get lots of ideas. Our company's workforce is changing by accepting a variety of employees and utilizing their talents. As the trend toward greater diversity accelerates, I see the entire SMBC Group becoming more dynamic and interesting and I'm looking forward to these changes."
SMBC Group companies are pursuing some unique approaches for better supporting careers, including childcare subsidies, training for employees who have returned from childcare leave, and a consulting desk for employees to discuss nursing care-related issues on a 24/7 basis. In recognition of their childcare support initiatives, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has granted the Group a "Kurumin" accreditation, which recognizes the companies that actively undertake initiatives to support childcare, to Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing, SMBC Nikko Securities, Cedyna Financial Corporation, and SMBC Consumer Finance. SMBC, Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company and the Japan Research Institute have each been granted "Platinum Kurumin" accreditation in recognition of the higher level of childcare support they provide to employees. Going forward, the SMBC Group will continue to focus on helping employees balance work with childcare responsibilities.
Daily schedule
Special memory
Weekends are a valuable time for me to spend with my daughter. We went to the zoo to see the elephants a few days ago.
I used to coach our company baseball team until recently. We gained an amazing victory in the final of the leasing association tournament.