Kousoku Offset Earns Kurumin Certification for Childcare Support Initiatives
Kousoku Offset, a company based in Nishi-ku, Osaka, is taking significant strides in supporting families in the workplace. On June 5, the company was awarded the prestigious Kurumin certification by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. This recognition is granted to companies that have established a robust action plan for promoting childcare, surpassing the basic requirements set forth by the Next Generation育成支援策法 (Next Generation育成支援策法). To qualify, companies must meet specific standards across eight criteria, including high rates of parental leave utilization, comprehensive childcare support systems, efficient management of working hours, and the promotion of diverse work styles.
To enhance the support for childbirth and childcare, Kousoku Offset has implemented several internal regulations that go beyond legal requirements.
1. Extended Maternity Leave: Female employees can take 126 days (18 weeks) of paid maternity leave, which is 28 days longer than the standard 98 days (14 weeks) mandated by labor laws.
2. Paternity Leave: Male employees are entitled to five days of paid leave for the birth of their child, known as ‘Spousal Birth Leave.’
3. Parental Time: The company applies the provisions of childcare time, usually designated for female employees with young children, to male employees as well. This allows male employees to request up to 30 minutes of paid time off twice a day to attend to childcare duties for children under one year of age.
The company has actively promoted the importance of parental leave for men through internal communications, such as newsletters and intranet announcements, as well as presentations in meetings. As a result, the uptake of male parental leave has significantly increased from 20% in FY2020 to 33% in FY2021 and an impressive 50% in FY2022 and 2023. For the fiscal year 2024, the goal is to achieve a 100% uptake. Between FY2023 and FY2024, among seven eligible male employees, five have taken parental leave, and six have utilized the spousal birth leave. All of these employees have successfully availed themselves of either form of leave.
Moreover, this commitment to fostering a culture that supports male parental leave has paved the way for a notable incident; a male employee (44 years old) from the production department took about eight months of extended parental leave for the birth of his second child. During this leave, although it is unpaid, he is eligible for childcare leave benefits from employment insurance. To share his experience and inform colleagues, he wrote about it in the company newsletter.
He expressed his gratitude, stating, "I was pleased with the understanding from my workplace. The timing of my leave coincided with my elder daughter entering school, allowing me to accompany her to and from school and help her recognize her friends." Meanwhile, his wife shared, "Being able to watch my husband and our children grow together has become a precious experience."
Kousoku Offset takes pride in this certification and considers it a motivation for future improvement. The company is currently working on developing comprehensive manuals to facilitate smoother acquisition and return processes for parental leave. Additionally, they are exploring ways to support employees who may take over the responsibilities of those on parental leave, such as providing supplementary compensation. The aim is to continue evolving and challenging the boundaries of workplace support for parents.
For any inquiries regarding this matter, please contact the General Affairs Department at Kousoku Offset by phone at 072-227-1211. (Note: Solicitation calls based on this press release will not be accepted.)
Unique Initiatives
To enhance the support for childbirth and childcare, Kousoku Offset has implemented several internal regulations that go beyond legal requirements.
1. Extended Maternity Leave: Female employees can take 126 days (18 weeks) of paid maternity leave, which is 28 days longer than the standard 98 days (14 weeks) mandated by labor laws.
2. Paternity Leave: Male employees are entitled to five days of paid leave for the birth of their child, known as ‘Spousal Birth Leave.’
3. Parental Time: The company applies the provisions of childcare time, usually designated for female employees with young children, to male employees as well. This allows male employees to request up to 30 minutes of paid time off twice a day to attend to childcare duties for children under one year of age.
Increasing Male Paternity Leave
The company has actively promoted the importance of parental leave for men through internal communications, such as newsletters and intranet announcements, as well as presentations in meetings. As a result, the uptake of male parental leave has significantly increased from 20% in FY2020 to 33% in FY2021 and an impressive 50% in FY2022 and 2023. For the fiscal year 2024, the goal is to achieve a 100% uptake. Between FY2023 and FY2024, among seven eligible male employees, five have taken parental leave, and six have utilized the spousal birth leave. All of these employees have successfully availed themselves of either form of leave.
Moreover, this commitment to fostering a culture that supports male parental leave has paved the way for a notable incident; a male employee (44 years old) from the production department took about eight months of extended parental leave for the birth of his second child. During this leave, although it is unpaid, he is eligible for childcare leave benefits from employment insurance. To share his experience and inform colleagues, he wrote about it in the company newsletter.
He expressed his gratitude, stating, "I was pleased with the understanding from my workplace. The timing of my leave coincided with my elder daughter entering school, allowing me to accompany her to and from school and help her recognize her friends." Meanwhile, his wife shared, "Being able to watch my husband and our children grow together has become a precious experience."
Future Initiatives
Kousoku Offset takes pride in this certification and considers it a motivation for future improvement. The company is currently working on developing comprehensive manuals to facilitate smoother acquisition and return processes for parental leave. Additionally, they are exploring ways to support employees who may take over the responsibilities of those on parental leave, such as providing supplementary compensation. The aim is to continue evolving and challenging the boundaries of workplace support for parents.
About the Company
- - Company Name: Kousoku Offset Corporation (Part of the Mainichi Shimbun Group Holdings)
- - CEO: Tomo Shimada
- - Headquarters: 2‐5‐24 Kitanihonbashi, Nishi-ku, Osaka
- - Employees: 354 (307 men, 47 women) as of June 1
- - Corporate Website: Kousoku Offset
- - Business Activities: Kousoku Offset operates under the motto "Transmitting what needs to be conveyed in an understandable form," offering services such as newspaper printing, commercial printing, graphic design, web planning, and more.
For Further Inquiries
For any inquiries regarding this matter, please contact the General Affairs Department at Kousoku Offset by phone at 072-227-1211. (Note: Solicitation calls based on this press release will not be accepted.)
Topics People & Culture）
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