Respect for human rights, the development of human resources, and the promotion of diversity
Employee Interview: 7
Shin-Etsu Challengers
I want to apply what I learned interacting with my children during childcare leave to my interactions with the local community
Y.M.
General Affairs Group, Takefu Plant
Joined Shin-Etsu Chemical in 2009, was engaged in the manufacture of rare earth magnets at the Takefu Plant (Fukui Prefecture).
In 2020, took approximately six months of childcare leave following the birth of second daughter. Starting in December 2022, expanded the scope of responsibilities in the plant's General Affairs Group, serving as the community liaison, among other roles.
Days of joy despite the hardships of raising children
When my second daughter was born, I decided it would be difficult to get help from my wife’s parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so I took six months of childcare leave. During my childcare leave, I was able to spend quite a bit of time playing with my eldest daughter, who is five, and we also went out for walks when the weather was nice. Sometimes, my eldest daughter would try to wash the dishes for my wife and me, and I was very touched by her desire to help, even though she usually ended up creating even more clean-up work! Meanwhile, my second daughter kept me smiling every day as I tried to sense her unexpressed thoughts and feelings and wondered, “Is this what she's asking for?”
I was the one who put them to bed at night, but my second daughter couldn't fall asleep unless she was being held in my arms, and she seemed to have some kind of switch on her back that caused her eyes to open as soon as I laid her down on the futon. It was like running an endless marathon. However, I tried various adjustments, such as the way I held the baby, the music I played, and the strength and speed at which I patted her back. Despite the hardships of raising a child, I got to enjoy finding out what my daughter used to do just before falling asleep. She always looked up the ceiling and found one spot to gaze at, which we called “discovering stars.”
No concerns about taking childcare leave as a man
Although there were no male employees around me who took childcare leave, the childcare leave system is well known in our Company, and I had no major concerns about taking it.
According to media reports, the reasons why men are not taking childcare leave include financial issues, being too busy at work, the impact on those around them, and the negative impact on their career development. Fortunately, having the support of the people around me and being protected by the system, I was able to take childcare leave without any worries, except for the income aspect. In terms of income, I decided to limit my leave to six months, based on the government's childcare leave benefit payment rate*. I hope that the government’s payment rate will be reconsidered so that those male employees who will be taking childcare leave in the future can take up to a year off without worrying about their income.
*Childcare leave benefit payment rate
In principle, the childcare leave benefit provided by the Japanese government is based on one's wages at the start of childcare leave, with 67% of the base amount paid until the 180th day of childcare leave and 50% paid after the 181st day (as of April 2024).
Want to apply my childcare experience in my community liaison work
It’s been a year since I was transferred to the General Affairs Group, and there are still many things I don’t know. I'm embarrassed to admit that when I encountered our ESG initiatives, I had only a dim idea what the term meant. I learned that the “S” stands for “social” and includes balancing work and childcare as a work style reform. ESG initiatives are becoming more and more important to our Company every year, and I am currently learning a lot about their deeper meaning in the General Affairs Group. Meanwhile, I hope to apply what I learned interacting with my own children on childcare leave whenever I get the chance to interact with children in my community liaison work.
Key Sustainability Issues
- The foundation of all activities: legal compliance, fair corporate activities
- Health and safety of employees and contractors
- Energy-saving, resource-saving, and reduction of the environmental impacts
- Product quality improvements and product safety control
- Promoting CSR procurement and the diversification of supply sources
- Respect for human rights, the development of human resources, and the promotion of diversity
- Respect for and protection of intellectual property
- Contribution to industry and social initiatives
- Accurate and timely information disclosure and communication with stakeholders