Systems for Achieving Work-Life Balance (Japan)

Santen seeks systems beyond what is required legally, improving work environments that encourage employees to embrace diverse values, maximize abilities regardless of gender or stage of life, work in comfort, and achieve work-life balance. We have adopted the following systems in Japan.

We disclose social data that includes progress in our systems for achieving work-life balance.

Childcare and Nursing Care Leave

  • Childcare leave:
    A system for employees to take leave until the end of the month in which the child reaches one year and six months of age (first seven days with pay)
  • Shorter working hours for childcare:
    A system for employees raising children (up to the third grade of elementary school) to work shorter hours by 30-minute increments, up to a maximum of two hours
  • Nursing care leave:
    A system for employees who have a family member in need of nursing care to take a total of 186 days of leave per family member to prepare for work and nursing care, etc.
  • Shorter hours for nursing care:
    A system for employees who have a family member in need of nursing care to work shorter hours by 30-minute increments, up to a maximum of two hours of scheduled working hours (up to three years)

Special Leave (Paid)

  • Maternity leave:
    Prenatal: Six weeks prior to expected delivery date (fourteen weeks prior in the case of multiple-birth pregnancies); up to eight weeks postpartum
  • Special childbirth leave for spouses:
    Up to three days within fourteen days of the birth of a child
  • Nursing care leave for pre-school children:
    Up to ten days of leave per year to care for nursery-school-aged children (until elementary school age)
  • Nursing care leave:
    Up to ten days of leave per year to care for a family member in need of nursing care or support
  • Menstrual leave:
    As required
  • Leave for bone marrow donation:
    Up to ten days
  • Jury leave:
    As required

Annual Paid Leave Accumulation

By law, annual paid leave lapses two years from the date of grant. Our system is designed to make effective use of expired annual leave by banking leave for a maximum of 60 days to be used for the following reasons.

  • Refreshment leave:
    Five consecutive days for every five years of service after reaching five years of service
  • Nursing care leave for family:
    When leave is required to care for a family member (spouse, child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, or sibling)
  • Home care leave for family:
    When leave is required to care for a family member (spouse, child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, or sibling) in need of support/care
  • Parental leave for children/grandchildren of jr. high school-aged and younger:
    When absence from work is required for school events, medical checkups, vaccinations, etc., for children/grandchildren of jr. high school age or younger
  • Wellness leave:
    When absence from work is required for infertility treatment, menstrual or PMS treatment, pregnancy-related hospital visits, medical examinations or poor physical health, secondary medical examinations, cancer examinations, physical examinations, brain examinations, eye examinations, or bone marrow donation
  • Volunteer leave:
    When employees wish to participate as a volunteer in disaster relief or in-house welfare activities, etc.
  • Self-study and reskilling:
    When absence from work is required to attend a training course or lectures, take a certification examination, or prepare for an examination

Other Systems to Encourage Flexible Work Styles

  • Incremental annual paid leave:
    A system that allows annual paid leave to be taken in half or quarter days
  • Flextime:
    A system in which employees determine their own start and end times between 5:00 and 22:00. Applies to the entire company (no mandatory core hours), except for organizations, etc., engaged in the manufacture and supply of products
  • Telework:
    Work from home, work at other offices within the company, and other work arrangements with no restrictions as to location
  • Career comeback:
    A registration system under which employees who have resigned for purposes of childcare, nursing care, or a spouse's transfer have the opportunity to return to work (career comeback) in the future