Creating Workplaces Where Everyone Can Thrive — Beyond Constraints

In recent years, attention has turned to the burdens placed on employees who cover work for coworkers with childcare responsibilities, and some progressive companies have begun implementing active solutions. For example, in response to the mandatory paternal leave policy, efforts such as promoting uptake of childcare leave, institutionalizing flexible work arrangements, and providing careful support for return to work have spread. Using case studies from companies that have adopted such measures, the project will explore, through dialogue, what further actions can be taken to build workplaces where everyone can work more comfortably.

Project Inauguration

They have conducted research into the burdens and attitudes of employees who cover duties for colleagues with childcare responsibilities. Although excessive burden had become accepted as “normal” in many workplaces, the mandate for paternal leave has prompted visible examples of solutions. To consider working environments that accommodate not only “childcare” but a range of diverse constraints faced by employees, the project was launched.

Project Activities

2019–2020: They conducted a survey on workplace conditions and issued a press release.

2021–: They continued research as a subcommittee of the “Working Happiness Study Group” (led by Professor Takashi Maeno of Musashino University in collaboration with Persol Research and Consulting Co., Ltd.).

They have hosted dialogue sessions with participants at DE&I study groups (organized by the OTD Promotion Association; Tsukuba University Inclusive Leadership training) and wellbeing events.

Future Prospects for the EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai

They aim to spread working styles in Kansai that do not rely on shifting burdens onto others or forcing people to endure undue strain. This shift is expected to enhance the appeal of Osaka and the Kansai region and to foster momentum for “working in Kansai.”

At an Expo‑linked event planned for September 2025, in collaboration with the Sakuya Working Community, they will present corporate case studies and host World Café–style dialogues for employees of Kansai companies. The goal is to discuss concrete solutions to reduce friction and burdens between employees with childcare duties and other staff. This event aligns with the Expo’s principles of realizing a society that embraces diversity and the theme “Designing Future Societies in which Life Shines.”