Work-Life Balance
Childcare Support
We are promoting efforts to encourage working parents, regardless of gender, to have a healthy work-life balance. Since 2019, we have been awarded Platinum Kurumin certification* with the designation of outstanding childcare support company, in recognition of our childcare support.
- *A certification awarded by the Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare to companies that meet the requirements for childcare support based on the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children. A special certification is awarded to Kurumin-certified companies that have implemented initiatives aiming for a higher standard and fulfilled certain conditions, with the designation of outstanding childcare support company.
Support for male employees' participation in childcare
To achieve the goal of increasing the percentage of male employees taking childcare leave for their children under 1 year of age to 100% by the end of fiscal 2023, we are encouraging male employees to take childcare leave immediately after birth, when the burden of childcare is particularly high.
Promotion tools
- Work-Childcare Balance Support Handbook
- Childcare seminars
- Family Meeting Sheet*
- *A tool for families to discuss childcare and household chores when taking childcare leave or returning to work
Support for employees returning to work from childcare leave
Training for employees returning from childcare leave and their supervisors
Due to the increase in dual-income households, the number of employees taking childcare leave is increasing, regardless of gender. As a result, the number of male and female employees who participate in the training is now almost equal. The training for employees who have returned to work from childcare leave and their supervisors aims to deepen their understanding of how to work after returning to work, as well as points for managers to remember in the management of subordinates, and to assist them in their daily operations.
We provide individual training for returnees and their managers to learn about self-directed career development and subordinate development management respectively, along with group work and role model roundtable discussions for both returnees and their managers. We plan to continue to provide these programs in the future.
Support Program for Early Return from Childcare Leave
- Description
This program allows employees, with a child under one year of age, who have returned to work after childcare leave to receive a subsidy equal to the difference between the licensed and unlicensed nursery usage fees (a maximum of 50,000 yen for up to a year) when their child has to be placed in an unlicensed nursery in spite of the attempt to enter a licensed nursey.
- Background and purpose
One major issue for employees returning to work from childcare leave is finding a nursery to take care of their child. Nurseries are roughly divided into licensed nurseries, which are certified by the Government, and unlicensed nurseries. In many cases, employees wish to have their children enter licensed nurseries that are less expensive, but it may not be easy to have their children accepted at licensed nurseries for the desired period as many of them have no vacancies. In this situation, they can have an option of having their child enter an unlicensed nursery, but the reality is that many choose to extend the period of their leave from the workplace due to the higher childcare fee of unlicensed nurseries.
This support program aims to reduce these barriers and help employees return from childcare leave early by providing support.
Nursing Care Support
We support employees in balancing work and nursing care at any stage of life. We have implemented a system to address employees' concerns about nursing care with the assistance of nursing care counselors at each business location. We also provide nursing care leave of up to three years as a preparatory period for establishing nursing care within the family. In addition, we are working to create a workplace environment in which employees can balance work and nursing care by disseminating a work-nursingcare balance handbook on the company intranet.
- Family care leave
Up to 3 years for each nursing care recipient.
- Special leave for nursing care
Special leave will be given to employees whose family members require constant nursing care for a period of two weeks or more.
- *Special leave can be taken separately from annual paid leave.
- Flexible work time system
- Flexible starting/finishing time
- Exemption from late-night work
- Restrictions on overtime and holiday work
- Exemption from overtime and holiday work
- Financial support for expenses relating to nursing care
From a selection of benefits, employees can choose benefits such as aid for the use of nursing homes' facilities and services, and aid for the purchase and rental of nursing care products.
Other Work-Life Balance Support Systems
In addition to childcare and nursingcare support, we have systems in place to support employees in balancing work and diverse lifestyles, such as coping with illness, caring for family members, engaging in social activities, and reskilling.
Kobelco Life Support Leave
Employees are allowed to take five days of leave per year for reasons such as childcare, nursing care, disability, infertility treatment, medical treatment, caring for family members, volunteer activities, reskilling, etc. Unused leave days can be added up to 60 days and used as needed.
Career continuation leave
Employees living separately from their spouse who is transferred to a distant location can take leave of absence (up to three years) to live with their spouse.
Re-employment entry program
Kobe Steel will consider the re-enployment of employees who had to leave the company due to marriage, child care, nursing care, or the transfer of their spouses, provided that they make prior registration at the time of their retirement and then express their wish to return to work at Kobe Steel due to a change in circumstances within five years of their retirement, in accordance with the suitability with the company's needs for re-employment.
Commuter marriage support
Employee who opt to live separately from their spouse may move into or remain in the company's housing and dormitory, subject to specific requirements, if they wish to use these locations as their married life base.
Expansion of scope for continued use of maiden names
The scope for continued use of maiden names has been broadened when the surname on the family register has changed due to marriage or other reasons.