Human Capital

Mr. O is in his 16th year at the company, and works on developing materials for resists for color filters.
He took childcare leave when his first child was born.

Mr. T is in his 7th year at the company, analyzing products and raw materials and supporting development.
He took childcare leave when his second child was born.

My wife returned to her parents' home to give birth to our first child, so I missed out on those precious newborn days. This time, she stayed here, and since we had to care for both our older child and the newborn, I suggested that I take childcare leave.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my wife was unable to return to her hometown for childbirth and there was no one to help her except me, so I decided to take childcare leave. I spoke to my boss more than six months in advance about my intention to take leave, and informed my team members four months in advance. We were able to increase staffing, and the handover went smoothly. Preparing for the handover made me think about how to reduce dependence on individuals, and it was refreshing to organize and summarize that know-how.

I also spoke to my boss about taking two months of childcare leave six months in advance. My boss adjusted the workload for each member of the team, so I was able to take childcare leave without any issues, and the equipment maintenance manuals I had been preparing regularly helped with the handover. This reminds me of the importance of always having procedure manuals and similar documentation in place.

At first, my wife and I weren't used to taking care of the baby, so we spent the whole day going to the same places and doing the same things together—and before we knew it, it was already evening. I barely remember that first week (laughs). The month went by in a flash, but my wife said it was a fulfilling time.

It was so touching because I could feel the the baby getting heavier each day—that's something I missed with our first child! Also, I spent a week alone with our first child before my wife and the baby were discharged from the hospital, so I got to see our older child trying so hard, even though they had always been clingy to my wife. However, they became selfish again after my wife returned (laughs).

I first started with clerical work, and then gradually increased my workload, which helped me return to work smoothly.

After my childcare leave, I took on a new role, but because I had already handed over my previous responsibilities, I was able to transition into the new role smoothly. Also, my attitude has changed a lot since my childcare leave. I'm now much more serious about working efficiently so I can get home early. I now work backwards from the time I want to leave the office, which has helped me cut down on unnecessary work, and I think I'm producing the same results as before my childcare leave.

I understand what you mean. Since I returned to work, my wife has been counting on me to come home early! (laughs) I was only able to take childcare leave this time thanks to the support of those around me. There are people in the company with a variety of circumstances. In the future, we may see people not only on childcare leave, but also caring for family members or being ill themselves. I want to create an environment where we can work together as a team, supporting each other, no matter the situation.

Having experienced childcare leave, I think I have become more considerate of the different circumstances people are in. I will have subordinates starting in the spring. Life events, especially childbirth and childcare, can be stressful, so I would like to work together with them to find a way to continue working without giving up on their careers. When a male team member comes to me for advice about taking childcare leave, I would like to use my experience to support him right from the preparation stage.

Mr. H is in his 9th year at the company and works in manufacturing.
He took childcare leave when his first child was born.

Mr. M is responsible for the manufacturing division of color filter resists.

It all started when our company announced that 100% of men would take childcare leave. My boss also reached out to me to ask if I wanted to take childcare leave, so I thought I'd give it a try. At first, my wife was skeptical and said, "You're not going to take it anyway, are you?" (laughs)

I have three children myself. There are parts of raising children that you can only experience once, so I thought it would be great if men could also take childcare leave to deepen their ties with their families and gain more life experience, and I encouraged him to do so. There are male employees who have taken childcare leave in the past at our workplace, so I think we have the culture that makes it easy to take childcare leave.

It was just when the manufacturing site's system was being replaced, so I was worried about leaving work, but my team members warmly sent me off, so I was able to take my leave with peace of mind. It's not desirable in a manufacturing workplace to have tasks that only one person can perform. My team members can handle tasks outside their usual responsibilities without any problem. They took over my work during my leave without requiring any special handover from me.

At our workplace, we are working to eliminate the idea that only certain people can do certain tasks, and to promote multi-skilling so that one person can handle multiple tasks and processes. In our section, we have created an environment where we take turns exploring new areas and work together to build skills, not only for work processes but also for administrative tasks.

My wife went back to her hometown to give birth, so I took childcare leave when she returned. She breastfed at night, so I fed the baby during the day and let her take a nap. I'm in charge of the laundry and dishes. Before my childcare leave, I didn't do much housework, but during my leave, my wife and I shared the responsibilities. It helped me understand how difficult raising a child is, and I feel it was a good period where I was able to watch our child grow up. My wife was also very happy that I was able to take childcare leave. My father and father-in-law were envious, saying, "It's great that even men can take childcare leave."

Of course, the workload on the shop floor increased when Mr. H was away. However, because we had created a system where the members could cover for one another to keep production going, we were able to handle the situation smoothly by working together. I don't need to give any particular instructions, because the members discuss things and help each other out to get the job done, so I leave it in their hands. In the manufacturing division, this kind of culture has taken root through activities such as on-site improvement meetings. I think this is because each and every one of us has an awareness of becoming a multi-skilled worker, and we act by thinking about what we need to do in each of the four sections.

I was able to start work without any problems from the first day after my childcare leave. The team members taught me about the system changes that were made during my leave, and I was able to fit in naturally. This is my ninth year with the company. Many junior colleagues have joined the company, and I'm now in a position to teach them, so I want to be a role model for them not only in the workplace but in other areas as well. I also want to promote multi-skilling in the workplace and want to learn other jobs and improve my skills, so that when someone needs to take leave for their own reasons, I can say "No problem!"

My section has a young team, with many people in their 20s. I regularly talk with Mr. H on-site, and I hope he will be able to lead the workplace in the future. I think there will be people in our workplace who want to take childcare leave, so I want to continue creating an environment where we can support them confidently, while ensuring that the workplace remains safe and easy to work in.