Creating a workplace where men can easily take childcare leave

As part of our equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives, we encourage men to take paternity leave. Equality and Equity in society begins with life at home. We would like not only our customers but also our co-workers to realize a home where that each person in the household has the opportunity to be involved in housework and childcare and everyone can be themselves with good health.

At IKEA Japan, male co-workers can take 15 days of paid leave before or after the supose's (partner's) childbirth. In FY23, the percentage of co-workers who have taken IKEA Japan’s special leave or/and statutory childcare leave is 96%, and the acquisition rate of statutory childcare leave was 63%.

So we spoke with some male co-workers who took childcare leave, his colleagues and the People Culture (P&C) team who supported the co-workers who took the leave. Let's hear about their stories about childcare leave.

Follow experienced dads!

First of all, we asked the fathers about the reasons for taking childcare leave. It seems that many people took it because of the influence of the experienced fathers, who serve as role models, and their own experience with their first child.

"I've always regretted not taking childcare leave when my wife needed the most support for my first child," says Hiroto, Sales co-worker of IKEA Tsuruhama.

With the amendment of the Act on Childcare leave in October 2022, it can be taken in installments and that makes it easier for some people to take time off and hand over their job. In addition, there were also voices that taking the leave is getting more natural to expected in the family and the team. The birth of a child is a major event in life and a time of great change for the family. Co-workers who took the childcare leave seem to see it as a valuable time to be close to their partners and families.

New born baby of Jun, Accounting & Reporting Specialist of Service Office

Anxiety about deciding the timing

On the other hand, there were some co-workers who were hesitant to take childcare leave. There are many reasons for this, such as whether it will be a burden on team members, whether there is a position when they return, whether it overlaps with the project that they are doing, got a not very good response from some managers, not sure about what the salary structure will be.

However, Takehiro, Commerical Activity Leader of IKEA Tsuruhama says, “I was a little anxious and confused about deciding the best timing and period for both of our family and the company, but by consulting with the team and manager, those worries were gone, and I think we were able to make a good decision for both."

Masaharu of IKEA Tsuruhama says, "I thought it would be impossible to take childcare leave, but my P&C manager and my manager encouraged me to take it, so I got the courage to do so"

There were many voices of gratitude for the team from the co-workers who took childcare leave. "I would like to thank my manager and all the colleagues around me for creating a supportive and encouraging atmosphere," says Jango, Fulfilment Project Implementation Manager of Service Office.

Masaharu, Check-out Services Manager of IKEA Tsuruhama

Grow as a team

Mikako, Commercial Manager of IKEA Tsuruhama reflected her team’s reaction. "There is already an atmosphere where everyone thinks “of course you take childcare leave”, so when we send them off, we say, 'Have fun!‘ and when he came back ‘welcome back! Did you have fun?’ “. There is a strong togetherness value lived in each team to support the co-workers who take childcare leave.

Tsuyoshi, Accounting & Reporting Manager of Service Office also mentioned about the changes he has seen in his team. "The co-worker who took childcare leave is very reliable in our team, so the team was worried about him taking a long leave, but when he can't be counted on, each team members was able to make her/his own decisions and was responsible for the results.”

Daniel, Daniel, Fulfilment Solution Responsible of IKEA Yokohama also says “My leave was an opportunity for others to learn what I was doing”.

The changes in the team structure have resulted in growth as a team. Each co-worker takes this an opportunity to optimize their way of working, and takes leadership and support each other. In addition, the presence of role models and best practices has also made it easier for other co-workers to take leave without anxiety.

On the other hand, we also found some challenges around the team structure, such as lack of backup arrangements, unexpected increase in tasks due to lack of communication, resource shortage of the team during the peak season, and the needs for support from manager and P&C team to request support from other teams when needed.

Daniel, Goods Flow co-worker of IKEA Yokohama and his team members

Advice from experienced dads

Hiroto, IKEA Tsuruhama

“One thing I can say is that you should definitely take childcare leave. However, I would recommend you discuss it with your partner thoroughly and take it at the timing when necessary. Especially for the first child, I think there is a lot of anxiety around the childbirth, since there are many of the first-time experiences for both you and your partner but two of you should work on it together for your precious child. You don't have to go through it alone.”

Takehiro, IKEA Tsuruhama

“Of course there are some things that only mothers can physically do, such as breastfeeding, but other than that, it does not matter if you are a man or a woman. Please be sure to talk with your partner, team, and line manager regarding the timing and duration of your childcare leave to ensure that you take the best and most meaningful leave. And don't forget to thank those who understand and send you off on a leave.”

Yuki, IKEA Nagakute

“I thought it was all about preparation. Whether you're preparing for work or for a new life with a baby at home, earlier the better."

Creating an environment where everyone can take childcare leave without anxiety

P&C team supports co-workers by explaining the options available for them to easily choose the best way to meet their needs so that they can spend quality time with their families. P&C also provide training and promote better understanding among managers and teams about childcare leave.

We aim to create an environment in which co-workers can take leave comfortably when they need to. We will keep following up to understand the challenges around childcare leave, and providing a variety of options to meet the needs of both the business and co-workers.

Jango, Fulfilment Project Implementation Manager of Service Office.