世論 What Japan Thinks

Although Joe Jones at MutantFrog is arguing that Japan doesn’t need work-life balance, I think it is badly needed, so this ranking survey from goo Ranking looking at what systems people think companies should introduce to realise work-life balance, for both men and women, was rather informative for me.

Demographics

Between the 21st and 23rd of November 2008 1,083 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a privacte internet-based questionnaire. 50.4% of the sample were female, 9.0% in their teens, 15.7% in their twenties, 29.1% in their thirties, 25.5% in their forties, 11.3% in their fifties, and 9.4% aged sixty or older. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.

Just in case the terminology is a bit unclear, nursing refers to looking after an aged or infirm relative, and “returning to the workforce systems” is for mothers looking for a new job, as currently they find it very difficult to get a professional post after a few years out of the market. On the other hand, “support for returning to the same job” is to ease transition back into one’s old workplace after perhaps just a year or two off.

What’s needed in my opinion is training in time management to teach everyone how to do their job in the nine-to-five, and all the associated support systems that go along with that to ensure it is enforced at all levels in the workplace.

Ranking result

Q: What company systems are needed so that employees can realise a work-life balance? (Sample size=539, men)

Rank		Score
1	Carry-over of paid holidays	100
2	Flexitime	90.4
3	Introduce, lengthen child-rearing sabbaticals	90.4
4	Returning to the workforce systems	79.5
5=	Introduce, lengthen maternity leave	77.7
5=	Child-care holidays	77.7
7=	Home rental, mortgage support	72.9
7=	Half-day working	72.9
9	Dependent allowance	71.1
10	Telecommuting	68.7
11	Introduce, lengthen nursing holidays	65.1
12	“Family support” (spouse, child illness) holidays	63.9
13	Introduce, lengthen, widen child-rearing part-time working	60.8
14	Paternity leave	56.6
15	Workplace creche	56.0
16	Moving forward, backward in the day working hours	55.4
17	Introduce, lengthen, widen nursing part-time working	54.8
18	Child-birth monetary gift	51.8
19	Support for returning to same job after child-rearing sabbatical	47.6
20	Financial support for child-rearing, nursing	41.0

Q: What company systems are needed so that employees can realise a work-life balance? (Sample size=546, women)

Rank		Score
1	Introduce, lengthen maternity leave	100
2	Introduce, lengthen child-rearing sabbaticals	93.9
3	Introduce, lengthen, widen child-rearing part-time working	87.8
4	Child-care holidays	86.9
5	Introduce, lengthen nursing holidays	73.4
6	Workplace creche	72.9
7	Flexitime	72.1
8	Support for returning to same job after child-rearing sabbatical	71.2
9	Telecommuting	71.2
10=	Home rental, mortgage support	70.3
10=	Dependent allowance	70.3
12	“Family support” (spouse, child illness) holidays	69.9
13	Carry-over of paid holidays	69.0
14	Half-day working	67.7
15	Returning to the workforce systems	66.8
16	Introduce, lengthen, widen nursing part-time working	63.8
17	Paternity leave	62.4
18	Pregnancy sabbatical	56.8
19	Financial support for child-rearing, nursing	53.7
20	Child-birth monetary gift	52.4