Benesse offers employees a broad range of options in their working conditions, to ensure that each one can “live well.”
Shigeki Tanaka,
High School Sales Division When I was single, I put top priority on work and often scheduled activities for Saturday and Sunday as well, going to the office or taking work home on holidays. However, after getting married and having a child, for reasons of necessity, I began to adopt a more equal balance between work and my private life. In order to spend time with my family, I have adopted more regular working hours and try to work efficiently and do high-quality work during the hours that I am at the office. I do my best to help my wife by taking on some of the burden of housework and child-raising, and together, we do our best to make a good life for our family. |
Kazuko Oya, Preschool Division Since neither of our parents live close by, we cannot leave our son with his grandparents. We also were not able to get him into a day care center near the house, so we have to take him to a day care center some distance away. My husband takes the child to day care, and I continue to work, though on a reduced-hours schedule so I can pick our son up at the end of the day. The company is setting up a system for employees to work from home, and though it has not been fully organized and implemented throughout the company yet, I currently work from home at least 2-3 times a month. Fortunately my husband helps out a lot with the burden of raising our child. |
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(daily activity schedule as a working father)
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(daily activity schedule as a working mother)
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“It is reassuring to know that my child is nearby.”
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| Nobue Sato, Elementary School Product Division |
There are still lots of things that I want to be able to achieve at Benesse. I want to continue working, and try to be a working mother who can bring fulfillment to both myself and my family.
“It is important to me to be able to work, yet still be myself.”
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| Sho Kim-Fu, Education Research Department |
I have faced two hurdles while working in Japan - one is that I am not a Japanese citizen, and the other is the burden of raising my children. Despite these challenges, I have been able to continue working for Benesse for over ten years. While I have been doing my best to fit in with both Japanese culture and Benesse's corporate culture, both my superior and my co-workers have accepted me for who I am as an individual, and not treated me as just “a Chinese person.” Every day I come to work, I feel a sense of gratitude for that acceptance.
“I can give quality time to my family, as well as to my work.”
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| Masaaki Hashimoto, Elementary School Product Division |
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