What Happened When 'Childcare Time' Was Increased for Public Officials [Gwanga in]

Government Agencies Evaluate Childcare Policies
Popularity of Long Parental Leave Declines
Use of Short Two-Hour 'Childcare Time' Increases
"You Can Even Accompany Your Child on the Way Home from School"

A survey suggested that the most effective policies for work-family balance are the ‘childcare time’ system, which allows employees to take short two-hour leaves per day, and flexible work arrangements such as staggered working hours and telecommuting. Among various child-friendly policies introduced by the government, these have shown high utilization rates and significantly improved overall work-family balance.

According to the Ministry of Environment on the 25th, the National Institute of Biological Resources under its jurisdiction recently announced the results of a ‘Work-Life Balance System Self-Evaluation.’ The results included data from about 300 affiliated public officials on which child-friendly policies they had used over the past year. The evaluation covered eight policies: parental leave, childcare time, flexible work, maternity protection time, family care leave, family care vacation, employee health programs, and Family Day.

The policy with a notably increased usage rate was childcare time. Childcare time grants parents raising children two hours of paid leave per day. Last year, 83.3% of eligible public officials used childcare time, up 22.1 percentage points from 61.2% the previous year. This improvement was clear despite the condition that only usage of one month or longer was recognized as actual use.

The utilization rate of flexible work arrangements also showed a significant increase. Flexible work includes staggered working hours, telecommuting, part-time work, and smart work. In 2023, only 136 out of 297 employees (45.8%) used flexible work, but last year, 225 out of 299 employees (75.2%) utilized it.

Thanks to the activation of childcare time and flexible work systems, the work-family balance score rose from 92 points in 2023 to 94 points last year.

"I use childcare time to accompany my child on the way home from school"

Among employees, there are also positive reviews of the childcare time system. Mr. No Mo, affiliated with the National Institute of Biological Resources, said, “My children in grades 1 and 2 of elementary school have to stay alone for about three hours during vacations,” adding, “By using childcare time to leave work at 4 p.m., I can accompany them on their way home, which makes me feel a stronger emotional bond.”

The background includes a policy revision. Originally, childcare time was only available for parents with children under five years old, but in June last year, the government expanded the criteria to ‘children aged 8 or under grade 2 of elementary school.’ This was in response to complaints about the childcare cliff that appears just before children enter elementary school. Typically, children finish kindergarten at age six, but for dual-income couples, it is often difficult to manage their children’s commuting to and from school.

Encouragement at the institutional level also had an impact. A representative of the National Institute of Biological Resources explained, “There was a consensus that supervisors should not give hints or pressure if work-family balance is to be established,” adding, “At a management meeting, it was instructed that if a team member applies for related policies, the reason should never be questioned and the approval should be granted as is.”

On the other hand, some policies showed little change despite the foundation for use being established. For example, the utilization rate of parental leave slightly decreased from 41.9% to 41.6%. Although allowances and career recognition periods have been continuously revised and parental leave pay increased last year, many still hesitate to use it due to the long-term career interruption. Other policies such as family care leave and Family Day also showed mostly weak effects.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Personnel Management, which oversees organizational culture, will introduce new policies to promote work-family balance starting this year. For the first time among central administrative agencies, telecommuting once a week will be mandatory for pregnant public officials, and a work system allowing early leave corresponding to reduced lunch breaks will be operated. Additionally, to support child care, employees will be encouraged to autonomously adjust their individual working hours and days within the 40-hour workweek.