"Future Stories" is a series of interviews with employees of the Group about their efforts to lead to a future of Space for your Smile.

In the material theme of "Active Participation of Diverse Human Resources," we have identified "Realization of DE&I that encourages the active participation of diverse human resources" as a materiality. We aim to create an environment that respects diversity and fosters innovation.

This time, we held a roundtable discussion with members who are working while raising children. We interviewed four employees of SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation about taking childcare leave, balancing childcare and work, and the knowledge gained from it.

―――Members interviewed this time

From left to right: Mr. Tanaka, Mr. Tamura, Mr. Hamashima, Mr. Itay

About the situation before taking maternity and childcare leave

―――Please tell us about your reaction when you tell those around you that you are going to take maternity and childcare leave, and how you took over the work.

Ms. Itaya: I told my boss six months before I took childcare leave, and everyone around me supported me, and my boss gave me advice on raising children, and he treated me warmly.

Ms. Hamashima: I told my boss when I entered the stable period, and three months before I went on maternity leave, I told the people around me, and they kindly approached me.

―――Mr. Tanaka, you took childcare leave in 2013, and at that time it was still rare for a man to take childcare leave.

Ms. Tanaka: It was rare for a male to take childcare leave, but everyone congratulated me, which was good in terms of my feelings.

However, the workload of the department at that time was quite large, so I think it put a lot of burden on everyone in the department. Still, I am grateful to everyone who was willing to send me off.

By the way, as a manager, I am now on the side of sending people on maternity leave and childcare leave, and I have experienced several work adjustments for those who have decided to take it.

Mr. Tamura: When I entered a period of stability, I told my boss and the department, and I was able to successfully complete the handover without any problems.

I have three children now and have taken childcare leave three times, and everyone has been happy to send me off at every time.

--It hasn't changed that everyone is willing to send it to you, now and a little while ago.

How do you spend your time during maternity leave, maternity leave, and now

―――Please tell us how you spend your time while taking childcare leave and after returning to work.

Mr. Itaya: My wife is still on childcare leave and is actively taking care of me, but I try to spend as much time as possible with my child, such as preparing meals in the morning, going to the park with her before work, and taking a bath in the evening. I use an app to manage my schedule.

Mr. Hamashima: In our family, my husband and I have a system in place where we can take turns working overtime, such as picking up and dropping off children from nursery school on each day of the week.

Mr. Tanaka: Listening to the two of you, I felt that it was a lot easier now that my children were getting older (laughs)\nStill, in order to shorten the time spent on housework, I bought a kit that allows me to make rice in about 5 minutes.

Ms. Tamura: It's become a lot easier for me to have my oldest child in junior high school and help me a lot. For example, in the past, you had to take a day off to take your child to the dentist, but now you can work from home and take care of it.

Balancing child-rearing and work

―――Do you have any worries or ideas for balancing child-rearing and work, and have you had any changes in your state of mind when working after having children?

From left to right: Mr. Itaya, Mr. Hamashima

Mr. Itaya: Even after the birth of my child, I was busy and didn't spend much time with him at first, but one day my wife told me that she was lonely. After that, I wanted to be more involved with children.

For example, I have started to think seriously about what is important in my work and make choices, and I have started to be even more creative than before, such as setting up meetings during the day so that I don't have to work overtime at night.

Ms. Hamashima: As soon as I returned to work, I had to take a break from work because my child was sick, and I was worried about my work, but I gradually got a sense of it and my worries were dispelled.
As a device, there are times when I have to interrupt my work due to a child's sudden response, so I always share information about my work with my partner and am careful not to become an individual.

From left to right: Mr. Tamura, Mr. Tanaka

Ms. Tanaka: As a manager, I have experienced childcare leave and child-rearing, so for example, I consult with employees who are raising children, for example, while imagining their own families and moms and dad friends. By doing so, I think that I am able to assign tasks that make it easier to balance child-rearing and work.

We are also working on a lunar communication project. There is still a long way to go before people travel, but I hope that I will be able to realize it when my children grow up, and I am conscious of the future as my own business.

Ms. Tamura: For example, when I was working in the Public Relations and Investor Relations Department, where I used to belong, I was able to respond while imagining how children would read, and I think I was able to make direct use of my experience in raising children.

As for the change of heart, my child seems to be happier than before since I started working from home. When it was mandatory to go to work, I didn't have much time to take care of them, and I feel that I must have put up with it at the time.

hope that the time we spend together now will be beneficial when our children grow up.

(Roundtable discussion date: March 8, 2024)

SKY Perfect JSAT Co., Ltd.'s rate of returning to work after childcare leave has been 100% for the past few years in a row, and the percentage of male employees taking childcare leave has been increasing every year, and the number of employees who are working to balance childcare and work is increasing.

In order to achieve the Group's materiality of "Realization of DE&I that encourages the active participation of diverse human resources," we will promote various systems and measures in addition to enhancing the maternity and childcare leave systems.