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Promoting a Work–Life Balance
At Mazda, we seek to provide choices for our employees that allow them to balance their work with their personal
lives. We believe that this is the best way to ensure that our employees are committed to achieving results for the
company, and we are constantly updating our system that promotes a work – life balance.
Various systems that help promote a work – life balance
Super-Flextime
No-overtime day and lights-out policy
Almost all our workplaces have adopted a flextime working system for
administrative and technical staff, which features no defined core
time, so as to allow each employee to plan and manage their own
work time under their own initiative.
Employees are allowed to take paid half-days of leave, in order to
balance their work with childrearing, caring for relatives, or the need
to carry out personal business at government offices.
Staff with responsibilities for childrearing or caring for other members
of their families are able to work shorter hours or at hours to suit
themselves subject to special work arrangements being put in place.
Once in place, such arrangements last until the youngest child is in
second year at primary school (for childcare arrangements) or for as
long as required (when caring for relatives). We also work in
partnership with afterschool care program for lower-grade primary
school children in the areas where our business is located.
Half-day paid leave system
Special working arrangements for employees with childcare or caring for relatives
On-site Daycare Center 'Mazda Waku Waku-Kids-En'
We provide facilities for pre-school children within the company, with
dedicated childcare staff. The children are fed food cooked on the
premises and basic medical care is also available, allowing staff to
rest assured that their children are in good hands. The nursery also
provides afrer-school and emergency childcare where required.
In order to ensure that staff maintain a healthy home life as well as
enjoying their work and improving efficiency, we have a no-overtime
day once a week, and have a regular lights-out time (10p.m.)
throughout all offices and technical divisions.
Where an employee chooses to follow his or her spouse to a transfer
posting, we allow them to take leave for a fixed period, and to resume
their career at the point where they left on return to Mazda.
If a family member is injured or ill, we have a system that allows
employees to take leave without using their annual paid leave. This
system does not apply only when the injured or sick party is a preschool
child of an employee, but for any member of the family who is
living in the employee’s home. Up to 10 days per year of leave may be
taken in this way, at the rate of 70% of the paid leave wage.
Leave for employees following a family member due to a transfer posting
Nursing leave
Career development leave
Employees are granted leave to attend college or other training
courses that contribute to improvements in their career.
Promotion of planned use of paid leave
We promote the planned use of paid leave by both lower-level and
management staff, and during FY 2004, the members of our union
took an average of 17.5 days of leave (90% of their entitlement).
Hearing from someone who use 'Waku Waku-Kids-En'
It's a great childcare environment that lets
you go to work with peace of mind
Vehicle Engineering Division
Yoriaki Kondo
While I feel a bit bad for my children when it happens, I occasionally end up working till 8
or 9 o'clock at night because I'm concentrating so hard on a project. But at the nursery,
they offer childcare in line with your working hours, so I can achieve a balance between
childcare and my work, which would be extremely
difficult, if I was using a childcare facility of town.
I'm very grateful for that. There’s always a nurse
available, too, so if my children suddenly develop a
fever or something, they deal with it. The
environment they provide for the children is
excellent, and I feel very happy going to work
knowing my kids are there.
Glossary: 1
Core time and Flextime
Most flextime systems involve a core time in which all
employees must be at work (for example, between 10am and
3pm). Mazda has no core time, thereby enabling our
employees to be as flexible as possible about their working
hours.
Social & Environmental Report 2005
Glossary: 2
After-school care program
Childcare mainly for children in the lower stages of elementary education,
provided after school hours. The fact that such care is usually provided only
until 5 or 6pm, and situated close to local elementary schools, makes it difficult
for employees to pick up their children and maintain normal working hours.