Fujitsu Reimagines Employee Well-being at Work
- By DWFTrends editors
- October 12, 2021
At Fujitsu’s Japanese offices, employee well-being is now a top priority.
The "Work Life Shift 2.0" internal campaign, which the company kicked off recently in Japan, shows how far the company is willing to go to create a new way of working in the post-COVID-19 era while keeping employee mental wellness in check.
The “Work Life Shift” campaign began in July 2020, with Fujitsu announcing its vision for a new working paradigm addressing the challenges and opportunities.
Work Life Shift encouraged Fujitsu's Japan-based employees to decide the most appropriate place and time to work independently in the first iteration. It then complemented their decisions by offering tools and support for being productive and creative, wherever the employees chose to work.
Work Life Shift 2.0 recalibrates this approach as return-to-workplace becomes a significant concern and as the company looks to drive what it calls a “true Hybrid Work model.”
The model will turn the traditional work site into a collaboration hub for employees to discover unique experiences. It will also substantially reduce the number of in-house training facilities and conduct various training programs, including new employee training, workshops, and town hall meetings on the office floor.
The office will have “a new visual experience” by becoming a destination for employees to gather, work, learn and interact in November 2021. It will also open some of its F3rd satellite offices to the outside to create more locations for collaborative creation and networking from December onwards.
Employees will use biometric authentication technology for entry and the Secure Internet Gateway for its internal network, allowing them to securely practice and experience the latest technologies.
In addition, Fujitsu will promote collaboration in the office by combining its event-linked matching service Buddyup! with its Location Platform EXBOARD for Office.
The company is also looking to use data to visualize the various benefits employees gain through hybrid working. The data-driven approach aims to promote creativity and improve productivity while constantly tailoring the workplace to meet new employee needs.
Shifting to a new work model has its challenges, and Fujitsu is looking to collaborate with startups to address this through an accelerator program. The company will also work with local companies and communities to identify and solve local issues through in-house training and pro-bono activities.
Work-life balance will be a crucial focus of Work Life Shift 2.0.
For example, the company will support employees starting new families and actively promote the participation of men in childcare, with up to two months of full-paid paternal leave for male employees. It will also eliminate unconscious prejudice against those employees seeking paternity care and prevent so-called paternity harassment.
Fujitsu will also promote "workcations" that it sees as improving employee knowledge, creativity and building new relationships — a clear break from the traditional Japanese approach to employment. It also actively encourages side jobs as an option for its employees to improve their abilities and experience.
Image credit: iStockphoto/AlSimonov