Promoting the Success of Diverse Talent
At Zensho, we are committed to creating a comfortable working environment and promoting the success of diverse talent.
Promoting the advancement of female employees
"Kirara Consultation Service" provides support for working mothers during pregnancy and childcare.
This is a consultation service that supports female employees from before their maternity leave until their return to work.
We offer individual consultations on reduced working hours for employees raising preschool-aged children, and we also provide internal information on pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and elder care.
There are female counselors at the employee consultation desk.
The employee consultation desk accepts various inquiries from employees regarding work-related matters.
For issues that are difficult to discuss with men, female counselors are available to assist.
Promoting the success of employees with childcare responsibilities
Responding to the most frequent requests from Zensho Group employees, we established on-site childcare facilities and now operate six facilities in Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures.
As a company involved in the food industry, we provide safe and delicious homemade food and promote the healthy growth of children through various experiences.
Voices of Employees Who Have Returned to Work After Childcare Leave
Interviewed in November 2015
Noriko Miyagawa, Manager (Joined the company in 2007)
Maternity leave: June-September 2014
Childcare leave: September 2014 - April 2015
Please tell me about your responsibilities.
As the person in charge of BCP (Business Continuity Planning), I am responsible for establishing systems and confirming agreements to ensure that Zensho Group's business can continue in the event of a disaster or other unforeseen circumstances.
How are you feeling now that you're back?
Many of my superiors and colleagues have experience raising children, so they are very understanding and it's a great place to work. Even those who haven't experienced raising children are willing to listen to my situation and try to understand it better. It seems they also want to use my experience as a reference for the future.
How is it working while raising children?
My daughter seems to be enjoying daycare, and she greets me with a smile every day. It's the moment when all my fatigue disappears. After that, it's another battle until I get her to sleep. Right now, she's just turned one, so I'm on reduced hours and my departure time is 4pm, an hour and a half earlier than usual. I plan to gradually increase my working hours as I see how things go. I'm very grateful that I can adjust things in consultation with the person in charge at the "Kirara Consultation Room," which is the company's internal support desk.
Did you do anything to prepare for your return to work while on parental leave?
First, I checked the situation regarding daycare centers. When I went to the ward office to get my maternal and child health handbook after confirming my pregnancy, I checked the annual schedule for daycare enrollment applications. When I was seven months pregnant, I went around to each daycare center to check their facilities and accessibility, and discussed it with my husband to decide on our preferred order. I was a little hesitant about putting my child into daycare at nine months old, but considering that it would be difficult to get in unless we enrolled in April, and that the number of spots for the one-year-old class would be even smaller, I ended my maternity leave early. Thanks to that, my child was able to get into our fourth-choice daycare center.
Do you have any thoughts on the company's response?
There are still few working mothers who have returned to work, so I feel a strong sense of determination to work together to make things better. It's also very easy to talk to people about it. I had done a lot of research on breastfeeding beforehand, so I was particular about it, and I'm still breastfeeding my child. I've also gained understanding from those around me regarding expressing milk, so I've been able to continue breastfeeding without giving up.
