Survey on Women's Career Awareness

 

In the five years since Act on the Promotion of Female Participation and Career Advancement in the Workplace was enacted, there has been an urgent social need for local governments and companies to promote women in management positions, and various measures have been taken to encourage men to actively participate in housework and childcare and to create opportunities for women to improve their business skills.

On the other hand, what do working women think about their own promotion to management positions?

Hakuhodo Inc. conducted a "Women's Career Awareness Survey" of men and women in their 20s and 30s in June 2021, and here are the main findings of the survey.

＜Key points of the survey results>

(1) Among women in their 20s and 30s, 30% want to be in management positions and 40% want to be leaders and more than half of men do not want to be in management. More than half of men want to be in both categories.

(2) The reasons for not wanting to be in a managerial position that differed greatly between women and men were "I'm not good at standing out and attracting attention," "I'm not good at setting big policies and guidelines," and "I'm not good at leading a team," as well as concerns about team building.

(3) For women, the number of items that the "ideal manager/leader" should have is higher than for men.

(4) As for women's specific image of the ideal manager/leader, the most common responses were "motivating subordinates" and "watching over subordinates from an appropriate distance," with "nurturing and caring for subordinates" in mind. Men, on the other hand, aim for "smooth execution of work" by sharing and organizing work with subordinates.

(5) The reasons given by women for wanting to become a manager or leader were those that emphasized interpersonal relationships, such as "being relied on by subordinates and others" and "expanding internal and external networks. The top reason for men was to increase their own influence, such as "higher social status" and "opinion is more likely to be accepted.

Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare releases first survey results on "rules for conversion from fixed-term to indefinite term contract"

 

◆First Survey on conversion from fixed-term to indefinite term contract

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has released the results of its "Survey on Fixed-term Labor Contracts," revealing for the first time the actual status of the "rules for conversion from fixed-term to indefinite term contract" (newly established under the revised Labor Contract Law enacted in April 2013), which gives fixed-term contract workers the right to apply for an indefinite contract if their contracts are renewed for a total of more than five years. The survey was conducted on 5,662 business establishments employing five or more people as of April 2020 and 6,670 workers as of January 2021, respectively.

◆Approximately 30% of respondents exercised their right to apply for a change of employment

According to the survey results, the percentage of establishments employing fixed-term contract workers was 41.7%. Of those, 27.8% had the right to apply for a change of employment to an indefinite-term contract in fiscal 2018-2019 and exercised that right, while 65.5% were still employed without exercising the right to apply for a change of employment. By size of establishment, 39.9% of establishments with 1,000 or more employees, 22.2% of establishments with 300-999 employees, 22.3% of establishments with 100-299 employees, 17.1% of establishments with 30-99 employees, and 8.6% of establishments with 5-29 employees exercised their right to apply for conversion from fixed-term to indefinite term contract. The higher the number of employees, the higher the percentage of establishments exercising their right to conversion to indefinite term contract.

◆What are the reasons for not wanting to convert to indefinite term?

On the other hand, in the survey of fixed-term contract workers, 18.9% of respondents answered "Yes, I would like to," 22.6% answered "No (I would like to continue with a fixed-term contract)," and 53.6% answered "I don't know. The most common reason for wanting to convert to an indefinite term was "because it will eliminate employment uncertainty," followed by "because it will make it easier to make long-term career prospects and future life plans," and "because wages and working conditions can be expected to improve afterwards. The most common reason given for not wanting to work was "Because I am old and am rehired after retirement," followed by "Because I am not dissatisfied with the current situation," and "Because it would be meaningless if I only lost my contract period."

◆40% of respondents don't know about the "rules for conversion to indefinite term contract”

17.8% of respondents said they had heard of the "conversion rules," while 39.9% said they knew nothing about it or had never heard of it, indicating that 40% of respondents were unaware of the system itself.

It has been eight years since the new rules for conversion was established, but the system is still not fully recognized. In March, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare started a study group to review the rules for conversion to indefinite term contract, and discussions are continuing. It is hoped that both fixed-term contract workers and companies will understand the content of the rules and that the rules will be properly implemented.

Amendment to the Health Insurance Law changes the total amount of Injury and Sickness Allowance and exemption from social insurance premiums during maternity leave

The "Act for Partial Revision of the Health Insurance Act, etc. for the Purpose of Establishing a Social Security System for All Generations" was passed and enacted by the 204th Diet and promulgated on June 11.

The following are some of the major revisions.

In addition to that,

◆Totalization of the payment period of Injury and Sickness Allowance (effective from January 1, 2022)

Injury and Sickness Allowance is paid when a person takes a leave of absence to recover from an illness or injury caused by reasons other than work, and when certain requirements are met. This does not mean that you will be paid for one year and six months, but even if you return to work during the one year and six months, and then are unable to work again due to the same illness or injury, the period of return will be included in the one year and six months. If you are unable to work for more than one year and six months after the start of payment, you will not receive the Injury and Sickness Allowance even if you are unable to work.

The amendment is to make the payment period total so that if there is a period of time when the payment is not made due to attendance at work, the payment can be extended to cover that period (payment for a total of one year and six months from the date when the payment started). The amendment was made in response to the fact that there are cases where a person works while taking a leave of absence for medical treatment for a long period of time, such as repeated hospitalization for cancer treatment.

◆Revision of the system for insured persons with optional and continued coverage (effective from January 1, 2022)

The system for optional and continued health insurance coverage allows those insured under the health insurance system to continue to be insured for up to two years after retirement, if they choose.

This amendment is a review of the basis for calculating premiums for insured persons with optional and continued coverage (if a health insurance association stipulates in its rules, the previous standard monthly remuneration can be used as the basis for calculating premiums for insured persons with optional and continued coverage whose previous standard monthly remuneration is higher than the average standard monthly remuneration of all insured persons of the association). In addition to the above, the system allows for disqualification upon application by the insured.

◆Revision of requirements for exemption from insurance premiums during childcare leave (effective from October 1, 2022)

The exemption from social insurance premiums during childcare leave is a system whereby if you are currently on childcare leave as of the last day of the month, you are exempt from the insurance premiums (including bonus premiums) for that month. Therefore, for example, even if you take two weeks of childcare leave during the month, if the leave period does not include the last day of the month, you will not be eligible for the exemption.

The amendment is to exempt the premiums for the relevant month if the childcare leave is taken for two weeks or more within the month, even if the childcare leave period does not include the end of the month. In addition, the insurance premiums for bonuses will be exempted only when the childcare leave exceeds one month.

The requirements for the insured period of childcare leave benefits will be partially changed on September 1, 2021

The requirements for the period of insured service for the "Childcare Leave Benefit" will be partially changed on September 1. As a result, even if you did not meet the requirements in the past, you may be eligible for the benefits. In particular, those who have been on maternity leave for about a year after starting work may be eligible for this benefit, so please check once.

Period of insured persons for childcare leave benefits in principle

Current

There must be at least 12 full months with 11 or more days of basic wage payment (working days) in the two years prior to the date of commencement of childcare leave.

After revision

Even if the above requirements are not met during the insured period, if there are 12 or more full months with 11 or more days of basic wage payment (working days) during the two years prior to the date of start of maternity leave, the insured period requirements for the payment of childcare leave benefits shall be fulfilled.

Treatment of leave and working hours for vaccination against new coronas

 

Vaccination itself is not a job, but the time spent on vaccination and the handling of working hours and leave in case of adverse reactions are of concern. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's position is as follows

From the viewpoint of infection prevention measures in the workplace, it is desirable to establish a leave system that can be utilized in the event that a worker becomes ill after receiving the vaccine or the vaccination, so that the worker can receive the new coronary vaccine with peace of mind.

In addition to that,

1) Establish a new leave system that can be used for vaccinations and medical treatment in the event of adverse reactions after vaccinations, and review the existing sick leave and expired annual leave accumulation systems (a system that allows employees to accumulate expired annual paid leave and use it for medical treatment) so that they can be used for these situations as well.

2) Allowing workers to be excused from work (e.g., allowing workers to be excused from work during vaccination time and moving down the end of the workday) or to be deemed to have attended work (allowing workers to be excused from work during vaccination time and treating that time as if they had worked as usual) without any specific penalty.

As long as they are available to workers on a voluntary basis, they are generally considered reasonable and not disadvantageous to workers, and therefore, even if they are accompanied by a change in work rules, they are considered to be effective as long as the revised work rules are made known to workers. 

In taking such measures, it is important to consider the wishes and intentions of workers so that the system can be easily utilized by workers who wish to receive the new coronary vaccine.

In the case of workplaces that employ 10 or more workers at any given time, procedures for changing work rules are also required.

The revised Child Care and Family Care Leave Law was passed

 

On June 3, 2021, the House of Representatives plenary session passed and enacted the revised Child Care and Family Care Leave Law, which establishes a new "male version of maternity leave" to make it easier for fathers to take time off immediately after the birth of their children.

Companies will be required to encourage each employee who has a child to take maternity leave. The aim is to encourage husbands to participate in housework and childcare, which tends to be dominated by wives, and to raise the percentage of men taking childcare leave from 7.48% in fiscal 2019 to 30% by 2025.

The male version of maternity leave is a special measure of maternity leave that allows a man to take a total of four weeks off within eight weeks of the birth of his child. Only husbands can use this system, and they can take up to two separate leaves. The deadline for applying for childcare leave is one month in advance, but the deadline has been shortened to two weeks to make it easier to take time off. With childcare leave benefits and exemption from social insurance premiums, up to 80% of the actual wages will be covered, just like the regular system. The new system is expected to take effect in October 2022.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, many husbands want to take time off immediately after their wives give birth, when postpartum depression is more likely to occur, and couples whose husbands are involved in housework and childcare tend to have two or more children. During deliberations in the Diet, it was pointed out that this was a "preferential treatment" for men, but the ministry explained that encouraging husbands to take maternity leave would reduce the burden on wives and help them continue their careers and counter the declining birthrate.

The revised law also strengthens the responsibility of companies. From April 2022, it will be mandatory for companies to inform their employees about the maternity leave system and confirm their intentions, which is currently only an effort. The aim is to create an environment where it is easy to take time off, along with in-house training and consultation services.

In addition, it will be possible for married couples to take up to two installments of the standard childcare leave, which in principle can only be taken once before the child turns one year old. Large companies with more than 1,000 employees will also be required to disclose the status of employees taking childcare leave starting in April 2023.

The report on the "Survey on Harassment in the Workplace" has been released

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has compiled a report on the "Survey on Harassment in the Workplace. Please use this report as a reference for preventing and resolving harassment in the workplace.

Incidence of harassment and workplace characteristics related to harassment
Regarding the changes in the number of consultations on harassment over the past three years, the percentage of "no change" was the highest for "power harassment," "significant annoyance from customers," "harassment in pregnancy, childbirth, childcare leave," "harassment in nursing care leave," and "sexual harassment in job hunting," while the percentage of "decrease" was the highest for "sexual harassment.
As for the characteristics of the workplace, the difference between those who experienced harassment and those who did not experienced harassment was particularly large for both power harassment and sexual harassment with regard to "little or no communication between superiors and subordinates," "no anti-harassment regulations enacted," "no room for failure or low tolerance for failure," and "lots of overtime work or difficulty in taking leave".

Status of efforts to prevent and resolve harassment
As employment management measures regarding harassment such as power harassment, sexual harassment, pregnancy, childbirth, childcare leave, and nursing care leave, about 80% of the companies have implemented "clarification and awareness-raising of the content of harassment and policies prohibiting harassment" and "establishment and awareness-raising of a consultation counter". However, the ratio of "measures to enable the person in charge to respond appropriately according to the contents and circumstances of the consultation" was around 40%.
For all types of harassment, the percentage of respondents who experienced harassment was the lowest among those who answered that their workplace was "actively working on it," and the percentage of those who answered that their workplace was "not working on it much" was the highest.

Experience of harassment
When asked whether they had experienced power harassment, sexual harassment, or significant annoyance from customers or others at their place of work in the past three years and how often, the percentage of those who had experienced each type of harassment at least once was 31.4% for power harassment, 15.0% for significant annoyance from customers or others, and 10.2% for sexual harassment.

What to do after being subjected to harassment, and what to do at work after learning of harassment
In the case of power harassment and sexual harassment, the highest percentage of respondents chose "did nothing" as their action after being subjected to harassment. On the other hand, in the case of significant annoyance from customers, etc., the percentage of "Consulted with my supervisor in the company" was the highest, followed by "Consulted with my colleagues in the company.
As for the response of the workplace after learning of harassment, "nothing in particular was done" (47.1%) for power harassment, "they listened to your requests or consulted with you to solve the problem" (34.6%) for sexual harassment, and "they listened to your requests or consulted with you to solve the problem" (48.6%) for significant annoyance from customers, etc. that had the highest percentage.