TOP
Enriching＋TOP
HR Answers 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Work Styles (Part Two): "Is It Easy For Men To Take Childcare Leave?" "How Do You Balance Childcare and Work?" and More

2025.10.24

Culture

HR Answers 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Work Styles (Part Two): "Is It Easy For Men To Take Childcare Leave?" "How Do You Balance Childcare and Work?" and More

As work style reforms continue, some may wonder, "Which companies are making efforts to offer flexible ways of working?" At Sumitomo Corporation, we provide comprehensive systems and environments to enable each employee to work in a way that suits their situation in life. To shed some light on the subject, we spoke with two HR representatives responsible for both new graduate and mid-career recruitment, who answered 10 frequently asked questions, including "How is remote work being used?" "What is the rate of maternity/childcare leave uptake?" "How do we support employees raising children while working?" and more.

This article is part two of a two-part series. Part one can be found here:

HR Answers 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Work Styles (Part One): "How is Teleworking System Used?" "How About Overseas Assignments?" and More

Talent Acquisition Team,
HR Strategy Department

Yuna Ohkura

Ohkura joined Sumitomo Corporation as a new graduate in 2019. After joining, she was involved with many HR activities as a HR officer for the Media & Digital and Lifestyle Groups. From FY2024, she transferred to her current team, overseeing mid-career recruitment and the internal job posting system.
Talent Acquisition Team,
HR Strategy Department

Nene Takagi

Takagi joined Sumitomo Corporation as a new graduate in 2024. Since joining, she has been responsible for new graduate recruitment. In addition to managing the recruitment process, she oversees work-experience internship and selection for full-degree overseas university students, among other responsibilities.

Index

Q6. What "work-life support systems" are available according to employee's situation in life?
Q7: Is it easy to work while pregnant or after childbirth? What systems are in place?
Q8. What is the status of childcare leave uptake and return to work? Is it easy for men to take leave?
Q9. What systems are available for working while raising children, and how are they used?
Q10. How do employees with children work?

Q6. What "work-life support systems" are available according to employee's situation in life?

Ohkura Our support systems are organized around three pillars: childcare, caregiving and medical treatment.

Childcare	Partnerships with nearby daycare centers, discounted babysitter vouchers, etc. (see questions 8–9 for details).
Caregiving	Consultation sessions and e-learning for basic caregiving knowledge
Medical treatment	Coordination with in-house clinic, with sick leave (paid) available for fertility treatments.

Takagi Long-term career continuity requires support that fits everyone's lives at all stages. Sumitomo Corporation provides comprehensive support from every angle, giving employees confidence to plan their careers.

Q7: Is it easy to work while pregnant or after childbirth? What systems are in place?

Ohkura We have various systems for pregnancy and childbirth, many exceeding legal requirements. For example, “Pregnancy Checkup Leave” allows absence for prenatal checkups as paid leave without any limit on the number of absences. In addition, “Spouse Maternity Leave” can be taken by employees whose partner is giving birth – up to five days of paid leave in total.

Takagi One of my seniors experienced severe morning sickness during pregnancy and used “Pregnancy Disability Leave.” This leave is separate from regular paid leave, is valid for up to 20 days, and is paid, so she could take time off without major concern.

List of support systems for balancing work and child-rearing（

PDF / 277KB）

Our People ＞ Well-being

Q8. What is the status of childcare leave uptake and return to work? Is it easy for men to take leave?

Takagi Childcare leave may be taken until the day before a child’s second birthday. We aim to create a workplace where, regardless of gender, employees who wish to take childcare leave can do so at the timing and for the duration they desire. In FY2024, the parental leave utilization rate among male employees reached 78.6 percent – well above the national average of 30.1 percent – with an average leave period of more than one month. Beyond simply encouraging employees to take leave, we are fostering a supportive environment through initiatives such as roundtable discussions on paternity leave and panel discussions involving employees raising children and their supervisors. Year by year, we can feel the momentum growing toward a workplace culture where taking childcare leave is increasingly common.

Panel discussion with employees raising children and their supervisors

FY2024 (standalone)	Overall	Female	Male
Childcare leave uptake rate	62.4%	98.1%	78.6%
Average period of childcare leave	144 days	304 days	37 days
Return-to-work rate	100%	100%	100%

Ohkura One male employee took one year of childcare leave in his fifth year. By talking to his manager early, he had sufficient time for handover of duties. During his leave, he reflected on his career, and after returning he gained a deeper understanding of diverse work styles from his childcare experience. It’s a good example of how effectively using our systems can expand not only work flexibility but also personal potential.

List of support systems for balancing work and child-rearing（

PDF / 277KB）

Q9. What systems are available for working while raising children, and how are they used?

Ohkura After returning from childcare leave, several systems remain available, particularly “Leave to look after a sick child,” “childcare breaks” and the “shortened work hour system,” which are more generous than legal requirements.

List of support systems for balancing work and child-rearing（

PDF / 277KB）

During the FY2024 Papa-Mama Cafe (an internal forum for parents to exchange information), it was inspiring to see participants sharing how they use these systems and manage their work-life balance. Support is also available for employees posted overseas with children.

Takagi Unique childcare support includes partnerships with daycare centers and childcare consulting services. These partnerships allow employees to secure spots in partnered facilities if finding daycare is difficult. The childcare consulting service provides individualized consultations with external childcare experts, who offer tailored solutions to a wide range of concerns that arise at different stages – such as navigating nursery school enrollment, returning to work, parenting, child development, education, home learning and school advancement.

Consultants are available to discuss any parenting-related matter – for example, compiling a list of extracurricular activities within commuting distance from home, or providing advice on how to share household and parenting responsibilities. Even if the issue is not directly connected to work or returning to work, they respond with agility to employee needs. Since this kind of service is rarely found elsewhere, it's a program we particularly encourage employees to take advantage of.

Q10. How do employees with children work?

Takagi For example, some employees use the “babysitter discount program” to delegate daycare pickup and after-school care to a sitter, freeing up time for work. Others make use of the “super flexible work hours system" on days with school events – for example stepping away for about four hours to attend, then returning to work afterwards. Everyone is finding ways to balance childcare and work by taking advantage of these programs.

Ohkura It’s not uncommon for employees to encounter major life events like pregnancy, childbirth or childcare and only then look at our internal programs – often with the reaction, “I didn’t realize this benefit even existed!” I’d encourage everyone to take another look at our welfare programs and actively use those that fit their situation in life.

One-day schedule example from a male employee taking 3 months of childcare leave

HR Answers 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Work Styles (Part One): "How is Teleworking System Used?" "How About Overseas Assignments?" and More

Learn more

HR Answers 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Work Styles (Part Two): "Is It Easy For Men To Take Childcare Leave?" "How Do You Balance Childcare and Work?" and More

Q6. What "work-life support systems" are available according to employee's situation in life?

Q7: Is it easy to work while pregnant or after childbirth? What systems are in place?

Q8. What is the status of childcare leave uptake and return to work? Is it easy for men to take leave?

Q9. What systems are available for working while raising children, and how are they used?

Q10. How do employees with children work?

Comment

Comment

HR Answers 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Work Styles (Part Two): "Is It Easy For Men To Take Childcare Leave?" "How Do You Balance Childcare and Work?" and More

Q6. What "work-life support systems" are available according to employee's situation in life?

Q7: Is it easy to work while pregnant or after childbirth? What systems are in place?

Q8. What is the status of childcare leave uptake and return to work? Is it easy for men to take leave?

Q9. What systems are available for working while raising children, and how are they used?

Q10. How do employees with children work?

Comment

Comment

Recommend

Ranking