According to the FY 2020 “Tokyo Metropolitan Gender Equality Survey,” the percentage of men working in Tokyo who took childcare leave was 14.5%, which is lower than the 94.8% rate for women, indicating that it is not common for men to take childcare leave.
For more men to take childcare leave, companies need to establish a mindset that actively encourages male employees to take childcare leave. To this end, it is essential that managers and supervisors of male employees correctly understand how the increased use of maternity leave by men will affect corporate management and why it is necessary in the coming era.
We asked Mr. Sera Arai, a consultant at Work-Life Balance, Inc., a company that provides consulting services to executives of various companies in order to achieve a 100% male employee leave rate, about the effects on corporate management of encouraging male employees to take maternity leave and the impact of such leave on individual male employees. We asked Mr. Sera Arai, a consultant at Work-Life Balance, Inc.
Let’s understand the “corporate strategy for growth” that has changed with the changing times.
We have been receiving an increasing number of inquiries from managers about male parental leave, and from listening to feedback from the frontline, it seems that few have any understanding of male parental leave at all. However, one thing that everyone has in common is that even though they somewhat understand the importance of encouraging men to take maternity leave, it is difficult for them to logically understand and explain why it is necessary. The first thing I would like to say to such people is that in the future, as the demographic structure changes, it is inevitable that changes will be made in the way employees are required to work as a management strategy.
Japan has changed from a period known as the “demographic bonus period,” when a population structure with a large working population and few people supported by social security provided a bonus to the economy, to a “demographic burden period,” when more people are supported than work and the demographic structure becomes a burden to the economy. During the period of rapid economic growth, which was the period of demographic dividend, the orthodox strategy for economic growth was to have men work long hours and have people with similar values. However, during the demographic burden period, creating workplaces where people with diverse values and attributes can work short hours, including those with various conditions such as childcare and nursing care, regardless of gender, has become the rule for growth. This is because having people in various positions in the company, such as those who are responsible for childcare or nursing care, leads to the creation of products and services that meet the needs of a rapidly changing market. The men of the child-rearing generation, who are expected to play a central role in the company in the future, will take childcare leave and gain a new sense of values, which will lead to the company’s growth. Organized in this way, I think the importance of men taking maternity leave becomes more palpable.
However, companies that do not allow employees to take maternity leave or work long hours are at risk of losing business if even one employee is unable to come to work in the event of an emergency, such as a new coronavirus infection or a disaster. In fact, companies that do not allow employees to take maternity leave or work long hours are at risk of losing business in the event of an emergency such as a new coronavirus infection or disaster if even one employee is unable to come to work. Now, more than 20 years into the demographic ousage, there is no longer an option not to change the way we work in order to ensure the survival of our companies.
Promoting Male Maternity Leave is Key to Corporate Growth
Companies also need to understand that the old ways of working (or making workers work) have also affected men’s place at home and company productivity. As a result of companies not returning men to their families at the start of childcare, but rather requiring them to work more than they did before their children were born, many men have lost their place at home because they are no longer relied upon or counted on by their families. The term “Hulaleman” was even coined. With the change in work styles, many companies have made efforts to increase productivity and encourage employees to leave early, but we have also received many inquiries about how some people no longer have the intrinsic motivation to leave early.
To increase productivity, this intrinsic motivation is actually more important than anything else. For this reason, it is important to create a workplace that gives employees back their time and allows them to have a button-free start to the childcare period with their partners. Life motivation can lead to more efficient work, smoother team work, and a virtuous cycle that comes from improved trust between the company and its employees. The ability to balance work and family improves employee satisfaction, increases loyalty to the company, and encourages talented people to continue working for the company.
In addition, giving back time for life needs to be made available to employees of all ages, regardless of whether they are raising children or not. Policies that cater only to those with certain circumstances, such as childcare or nursing care, will create an antagonistic structure that will make it impossible for the organization to be monolithic in times of crisis. Only when there is a base of respect for everyone’s life, people with special needs can take time off without hesitation, and because everyone can take time off, both the generation that has already completed childcare and the generation yet to come will be able to increase productivity and search for intrinsic motivation for their own personal growth. In this way, men’s parental leave is the center pin in the bowling to change the way the majority in the organization works.
A survey shows that 80% of newly graduated male students are willing to take maternity leave, and it can be said that the ease of balancing family and work is one of the key factors for students in choosing a company. In the mid-career market, it is also important that the organization is able to provide a way of working that is supported by the family. As both men and women are expected to take on housework and childcare responsibilities, a company that does not allow men to spend time at home will be opposed by their families and will not be chosen.
In order to be a company that is chosen by the human resources market, where talented people can continue to work, it is necessary to become a company where men can take maternity leave.
Another reason why men need to take maternity leave – to protect the lives of employees’ families.
There is some data that we would like you to know about why men need to take maternity leave, even from a different perspective than management strategy. Did you know that the leading cause of death among women after childbirth is not hemorrhage and death from childbirth, but “suicide”? (2015-16, National Center for Child Health and Development survey). Knowing this fact, you may understand that promoting men to take maternity leave is a matter of life and death. When husbands are working, wives are left alone to care for their newborns and are not allowed to expose them to the outside air for the first month after birth, so they tend to spend all day locked in a room with their children. This kind of solitary child-rearing puts the wife in a mental stressful situation. In order not to lose their precious partners, it is important for couples to raise their children together for at least two weeks to one month after childbirth, the peak period for the onset of postpartum depression, which is a factor in suicide. I hope that managers, supervisors, and human resource personnel understand that male maternity leave is not a luxury that “those who can take it will take it,” but is now an indispensable part of society’s infrastructure, and that they will make sure to inform both the people who will be raising children themselves and the employees around them.
Six messages to male employees
In order to promote male maternity leave, it is essential to raise the awareness not only of management but also of the managers who directly supervise the men themselves. Even if management understands the importance of maternity leave for men, managers may be unaware of it and, moreover, with good intentions, may harass male employees who wish to take maternity leave by telling them, “If you take a leave, there may be no place for you to return to,” “What will happen to your career,” and other such patter. To prevent this from happening, it is important to clearly communicate the company’s top management’s ideas within the company and share awareness with managers.
In addition, men themselves may be reluctant to take maternity leave. In such cases, please make sure to tell them the following
1. prevent a loss of strength by starting a childcare program together.
Although the starting line for childcare is the same for both spouses, gradually the wife spends more time involved in childcare, which can lead to a disparity in information and abilities. As they repeatedly say, “I won’t do it because I won’t,” or “I won’t do it because I can’t,” they don’t even know what to do. By working together through trial and error, couples can develop skills together and avoid being “mosquito-proofed” out of the home.
2. childcare leave benefits cover about 80% of income
Some people fear that taking maternity leave will reduce their income, but this is often a misconception. While on maternity leave, there is no pay, but 67% of the standard monthly wage is paid under the Childcare Leave Benefit. Although it may seem small at first glance, it is not much different from the real take-home pay and covers about 80% of monthly income, as it is also exempt from social insurance premiums, etc. In addition, depending on the length of maternity leave taken, resident taxes and childcare fees for the following year may also be lower, so there have been cases where disposable income was actually only 1% different from normal income even after six months of maternity leave. To dispel concerns about income, you may want to encourage them to simulate their income during maternity leave on the Web or elsewhere.
3. seeds of innovation through life changes comparable to studying abroad.
Childcare can be a life-changing experience comparable to studying abroad. Exposure to new values and experiences is a good opportunity to have the seeds of innovation in our work.
4. valuable opportunity to rethink your career
The time off will give them a chance to think carefully about how they will live their long lives and how they will design their working styles.
5. to avoid losing a valued partner
As mentioned earlier, to prevent postpartum depression, it is important for men to participate in childcare and support the mind and body of their precious partners.
6. important time with the older child (after the second child)
For the second and subsequent births, you will need to take care of the older child, pick up and drop off the child at daycare, and take care of the emotional needs of the child. By allowing the father to take care of the older child, or sometimes allowing the mother and the older child alone time together, the father can show that he cares about the older child as well as the baby.
Future Male Maternity Leave and Corporate Strategies for Corona Disaster Changes
According to a survey by the Cabinet Office, about half of the respondents are now more aware of the importance of family than before as a result of the recent spread of infectious diseases. About 40% of respondents also became more aware of the importance of social connections outside of work.
Some companies try to create a track record by encouraging male employees to take even one day of maternity leave in order to improve their corporate image, but this has no real effect. Until now, the competition for men’s maternity leave has been in the rate at which they take it, but as awareness of the importance of the family grows, the competition will now be in the content, such as the number of days taken and the satisfaction level of the men themselves and their families.
Furthermore, in the age of 100 years of life, enriching the lives of employees, regardless of whether they have a family or not, will be the key to sustainable corporate growth. By connecting employees to society outside of work, they can input ideas from the external community, form connections they cannot make within the company, and learn about new needs.
With the Corona Disaster, now is the time for companies to steer toward new strategies for further growth, as people’s consciousness moves beyond work.
