Activities to Support Work-Life Balance

Basic Concept

To foster a culture and environment that births innovation, Sharp endeavors to create a workplace where employees with diverse personalities, including those of different genders, generations, and values, feel motivated to perform their best. Sharp holds the position that, by giving employees more flexibility in deciding where and when they work, and by supporting them in developing proactive and well-balanced work styles suited to their individual job and stage in life, this will improve the quality of both their work and life.

Flexible Work Styles

With regard to the telework system that was introduced as an emergency response to prevent the spread of Covid-19, starting in 2023 after the disease’s shift to Class 5 classification, the requirements for the reasons for application to work from home were abolished on the premise that productivity can be maintained and improved, the weekly limit on use was expanded, and the system was officially introduced as a standard system. Additionally, by expanding the range of flexible work hours under Sharp’s flextime system, employees now have greater flexibility in choosing where and when they work.

Work Styles That Are Both Efficient and Satisfying

Sharp holds that, by working with focus and efficiency when it’s time to work and resting when it’s time to rest, both the work and personal lives of employees are enriched, and they can perform to the best of their ability. By implementing measures aimed at preventing long working hours and excessive periods of continuous work while also encouraging employees to take annual paid leave, Sharp is creating a workplace where employees are able to efficiently perform at a high level.

Main Initiatives Aimed at Establishing a Well-Balanced Work Style

Support for Balancing Work with Childcare, Nursing Care, and Medical Treatment

Pregnancy and Childcare

Sharp is working to establish a support system along with an environment that will help employees in balancing their work with their childcare responsibilities. Employees who have provided notification of their pregnancy or childbirth are given a guidebook along with information about the individual programs available in order to encourage them to take advantage of these programs.
In particular, against a backdrop of declining birthrates, diversifying work styles and lifestyles, and an increase in dual-income households, Sharp has enhanced the programs for male employees to support them in raising children, and many male employees are now taking advantage of these programs, such as those for childcare leave.

• The usage rate calculation includes parental leave and paternity leave, in accordance with the standards of the Act on Childcare Leave and Caregiver Leave.

Main programs

• Staggered commuting hours during pregnancy
• Childcare leave (until the child turns two years old, for the period requested by the employee; can be divided up)
• Parental leave (for up to four weeks during the first eight weeks after the child is born; can be divided up)
• Paternity leave (for up to five days during the period one week before the due date and six weeks after the child is born)
• Daycare adaption leave (for up to one month until the child turns two years and a month old)
• Multipurpose leave (eight days a year; can be taken for childcare and nursing)
• Child nursing leave (five days a year)
• Reduced-hours employment during childbearing/childcare (an employee can reduce work time by up to three hours per day during pregnancy, or until March 31 after his/her child has reached the sixth year of elementary school)
• Childcare support work program (allows flexible work schedules [start and end times] until March 31 after the child has reached the sixth year of elementary school)
• One-off payments for employees making an early return from leave
• Home helper expense subsidies
• Subsidy for fees of non-registered daycare facilities
• Subsidy for fees for sick children daycare and extended daycare
• Guaranteed reemployment after childbearing/childcare

Nursing Care

As the population ages, Sharp has established a support system for employees who require greater flexibility in their working arrangements to accommodate their nursing care circumstances. It is promoting use of individual programs by providing information to employees in the form of a guidebook.
Additionally, Sharp has set up nursing care consultation desks both inside and outside the company to provide more comprehensive nursing care information and has established a support system for employees who face nursing care challenges.

Main programs

• Nursing care leave (for a total of two years; can be divided up)
• Multipurpose leave (eight days a year; can be taken for nursing care)
• Nursing care leave (five days a year)
• Reduced-hours employment for nursing care (an employee can reduce work time by up to three hours per day until there is no longer the need for nursing care)
• Nursing care support work program (allows flexible work schedules [start and end times] during a six-month period)
• Reduced weekly working days for nursing care
• Home helper expense subsidies
• Support for unmarried employees with family nursing care obligations (commuting costs and other relevant expenses)
• Reemployment after nursing care

Medical Treatment

Sharp has established a support system for balancing work with medical treatment. Employees undergoing medical treatment are able to work comfortably without being pressed by time. An employee’s health and capacity for work are the key considerations in determining their work schedule and obligations.

Main programs

• Multipurpose leave (eight days a year; can be taken for medical or fertility treatment)
• Sick/injury leave (can be taken for fertility treatment)
• Reduced-hours employment after returning from sick/injury leave
• Support work program after returning from sick/injury leave
• Reduced weekly working days for medical treatment