Promoting work–life balance
Flexible and diverse working arrangements
Support for employees caring for aging family members
Work–life balance support systems
Promoting work style reforms
We have published Mizuho's Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, outlining our aim of being an organization that promotes flexible work styles and supports its employees' work/life commitments, goals, and interests, helping them achieve both personal and professional fulfillment. To that end, we are pursuing work style reforms to have 100% of eligible male employees take childcare leave and enable employees to work remotely.
Flexible and diverse working arrangements
Flexible working hours
At Mizuho, we are aiming to improve organizational and personal productivity through a flexible workstyle that transcends time and place, thereby realizing sustainable business growth.
In order to help employees work more effectively and productively, Mizuho offers the option of flexible working hours, such as flextime (options with and without core hours) and staggered working hours, to suit the needs of each workplace.
We also provide systems that support a good work–life balance for employees facing time limitations due to childcare and aging family care, above and beyond legal requirements. For example, employees with young children can select to work full days on some days of the week and shortened hours on other days, allowing them to flexibly adjust their working hours to fit their family's situation, their spouse's work schedule, or other circumstances.
Remote work options
In order to provide employees with flexibility in terms of the location where they work, we have set up satellite offices and introduced a remote work system available for all employees.
We have put in place the necessary framework to ensure that employees can work without coming in to the office, and this has particularly enabled employees facing time limitations due to childcare or looking after elderly family members to make maximum use of the periods of time when they are best able to work. This has not only prevented infectious diseases but also enabled a more efficient working style, demonstrating the benefits of remote work.
An employee (at the far end of the table) joins a meeting from home via tablet videoconferencing
Initiatives to reduce overtime work
In order to maintain employee health and avoid burnout, and in strict compliance with labor laws and regulations, Mizuho is not only taking a strong stance against overwork, but also making proactive efforts to reduce working hours by boosting productivity, and taking robust, company-wide measures to improve operational efficiency by reviewing our workstyle as a whole.
In particular, we have achieved more effective operational management by encouraging the use of tablet devices, etc., which support our efforts to go paperless and which employees can use to join online meetings from remote locations using IT tools, and draw up proposals while meeting with clients directly or remotely.
Other initiatives aimed at reducing overtime work include designated days where all employees are encouraged to leave the office on time ("Refresh Summer," "Refresh Winter", "Family Day"), the declaration of a Workstyle Review Promotion Period, the automatic turning off of all lights at Head Office at a set time in the evening, and the introduction of work interval system.
Further information
ESG DataBook: Average number of overtime hours worked per month (PDF/810KB)
Encouraging the use of annual leave
We are aiming to continue having our employees take 70% of their paid annual leave per year by setting it as one of our KPIs. At the same time, we are continuing to encourage employees to schedule periods of consecutive leave at appropriate intervals. Aside from standard full days off, employees can also use their paid annual leave to take a half day off up to 32 times per year, which allows them to use their leave flexibly in line with their particular situations, including their childcare, caregiving, or other responsibilities. In addition, employees can take advantage of a variety of special types of leave, such as parental leave for when one's partner gives birth, "refresh leave" for employees reaching certain long service milestones, self–development leave, and volunteer activities leave.
Support for working parents
At Mizuho, around 1,000 employees take childcare leave annually, and it has become commonplace in Japan for parents to continue working while balancing work and childcare. With the simplification of our employment track system, from FY2021 we changed our policy promoting the balance of work and childcare from one where the employee continues to work while making use of childcare support systems to one where the employee also achieves professional growth by designing their own medium- to long-term career in line with their unique goals. We have renewed our development and support programs in line with this policy as well.
Seminars on work–life balance and career development
We hold seminars on balancing work and childcare (before childcare leave, during childcare leave, and for those returning to work), providing employees with opportunities to think about balancing work and childcare as well as proactive career development.
For employees taking a leave, we provide pre-leave training to raise awareness of career development after returning to work and provide techniques for balancing work and family responsibilities.
For employees on childcare leave, we invite outside lecturers to provide seminars on ways employees can prepare to make a smooth transition into balancing work and childcare after returning to work.
For employees who have returned from childcare leave and are balancing work and childcare responsibilities, we invite outside lecturers to provide training that introduces workstyles that evolve as children grow up and considers medium- to long-term career development that facilitates ongoing growth through work.
In addition, as another means of extending career development support and assistance for employees to achieve a balance between work and childcare obligations, Mizuho has established a system wherein managers will meet with employees prior to their maternity leave, during their leave, and when they return to work, to ensure that supervisors are able to understand each employee's particular situation and needs with regard to achieving a good work–life balance and are therefore able to provide active support.
We also regularly provide e–learning courses and other means of enhancing all employees' understanding of the systems and benefits Mizuho offers, as well as those guaranteed under Japan's Act on Childcare Leave & Caregiver Leave. These courses aim to reduce any hesitation employees may have about using the systems/benefits available, to ensure smoother communication between those using these systems/benefits and their coworkers, and to prevent harassment.
Childcare leave for male employees
We have set a KPI to maintain our standard of 100% of eligible male employees taking childcare leave. We are working to change the mindset and behavior of all executives and employees by providing five paid business days of childcare leave and by having managers check their male staff’s awareness and intention to take childcare leave when a child is born.
Since July 2019, the presidents of Mizuho Financial Group, Mizuho Bank, Mizuho Trust & Banking, Mizuho Securities, and Mizuho Research & Technologies have participated in the Declaration for 100% Paternity Leave by Men of Work-Life Balance Co., Ltd.
With the 2022 revision of the Act on Childcare Leave & Caregiver Leave, we have formulated a new action plan to encourage eligible male employees to take childcare leave, and notified all employees of this step. We hold e-learning courses for all employees, and invite outside lecturers to provide seminars on subjects such as the significance of male employees taking childcare leave to employees with a new baby, employees looking to take childcare leave, and managers. We conduct a variety of initiatives aimed at promoting male employees' participation in childcare, including sending congratulatory email messages to employees with a new baby and their supervisors. We also work to provide information to alleviate employee concerns regarding hurdles to promotion that often result from taking childcare leave, for example through the introduction of role models.
On “talentbook” (an external website) we introduce a male employee who took three months’ childcare leave. The article is available at the following link: https://www.talent-book.jp/mizuhofg/stories/48175 (Japanese language only)
By encouraging male employees to take childcare leave, we aim to promote a better understanding and implementation of work-life balance throughout the organization. Our belief is that a strong commitment to achieving a healthy work-life balance leads to a more productive workplace.
Employer-sponsored childcare centers
Given the limited number of childcare centers for children in Japan today, Mizuho provides slots specially set aside for Mizuho employees at more than 400 employer-sponsored childcare centers throughout Japan to enable employees to return to work smoothly. By making it possible for our employees to use childcare centers near their homes or on their way to work, we are expanding the options for employees to choose childcare centers that suit their increasingly diverse work styles and lifestyles.
Childcare support system handbooks
Mizuho has created the Handbook for Balancing Childbirth, Childcare and Work explaining our childbirth and childcare support systems in order to encourage employees to make use of these systems, and to support a smooth return to work. A Work–Life Balance Support Handbook has also been created for management to guide their efforts to provide work–life balance support for members of their team.
We also post videos to help attain a work-life balance, which cover basic facts about working parents, the experience of male employees who have taken parental leave, and roundtable meetings with experienced working parents, to facilitate access to relevant information when needed.
Workplace Family Day
Mizuho has held Workplace Family Days every year since 2008. On these days, employees are invited to bring their children and family members into their workplaces. The event provides family members an opportunity to learn more about the employee’s work and to meet and interact with other employees. On the day of the visit, the employee can return home with their family members by taking a half day of vacation or finishing the day working from home, thus providing an opportunity to spend extra time with their children and family members.
In FY2023, 2,000 children and other family members of employees enjoyed the event.
Children lift a hundred million yen!
Exchanging business cards with the Group CEO
Nurturing the next generation
In order to contribute to the creation of an environment in which the children who will lead and shape the next generation of society may be born and raised in good health, Mizuho is implementing various initiatives related to revising support systems and work styles to be more conducive to achieving a balance between work and family commitments. In 2007, and again in 2010, 2013, and 2015, Mizuho received "Kurumin" certification from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, under the Japanese Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next–Generation Children.
In FY2015, five Mizuho group companies* received Platinum Kurumin certification, an award given to previously–certified Kurumin companies that make significant efforts in implementing and maintaining systems that assist workers in balancing work and childcare.
* Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.; Mizuho Bank, Ltd.; Mizuho Trust & Banking Co., Ltd.; Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd.; and Mizuho Research & Technologies, Ltd.
"General Business Owner Action Plan" (1st Stage) (Japanese Text Only) (PDF/16KB)
"General Business Owner Action Plan" (2nd Stage) (Japanese Text Only) (PDF/16KB)
"General Business Owner Action Plan" (3rd Stage) (Japanese Text Only) (PDF/98KB)
"General Business Owner Action Plan" (4rd Stage) (Japanese Text Only) (PDF/98KB)
"General Business Owner Action Plan" (5th Stage) (Japanese Text Only) (PDF/98KB)
Support for employees caring for aging family members
Mizuho has established a number of systems to support employees balancing work with caring for sick or aging family members. These include family–care leave and shortened or staggered working hours over and above those required by law, as well as seminars aimed at relieving employees' concerns and anxieties about balancing work and family care commitments.
Informational seminars
To help employees prepare for the possibility of suddenly and unexpectedly needing to care for a sick or aging family member, Mizuho holds seminars covering the basics of balancing work with family commitments, and develop relevant guidebooks.
Family care advisory desk
Mizuho has established an advisory desk staffed by external specialists who can provide advice to employees via email or telephone regarding concerns about caring for sick or aging family members.
Work–life balance support systems
Childbirth and childcare support systems
| System/program | Applicable period | Overview |
| Shortened working hours for fertility treatment | Period for needed hospital visits | Shortened working hours at the request of the employee |
| Staggered working hours for fertility treatment | Period for needed hospital visits | Staggered working hours at the request of the employee |
| Pregnancy support | Up to 1 year | Leave available on application by employee for the purpose of advanced fertility treatment |
| Pre–natal maternity leave | 6 weeks before due date | Leave at the request of the pregnant employee |
| Post–natal maternity leave | 8 weeks following childbirth | Prohibited from working in principle |
| Birth-time childcare leave | 8 weeks following childbirth | Leave at the request of the eligible employee |
| Childcare time | From birth until age 1 | Guaranteed childcare time twice a day (30 minutes × 2) |
| Childcare leave | From birth until age 2 | Leave at the request of an employee who gave birth to a child; up to 5 days as paid leave |
| Shortened working hours to support childcare | From birth until the third grade of elementary school | Available on application by the employee; it is also possible to combine shortened working hours and full–time work. |
| Staggered working hours to support childcare | From birth until the third grade of elementary school | Available on application by the employee |
| Exemption from overtime work to support childcare | From birth until the third grade of elementary school | Overtime work restrictions or exemption at the request of the employee |
| Parental leave | From 1 month before the due date to 2 months after the due date | An employee whose spouse or same–sex partner is giving birth may apply to take special leave of up to 5 days within the stated period |
| Child illness or injury leave | From birth until the first grade of elementary school (about age 6 in Japan) | Special leave of up to five days per child per year allowed when a child is sick; leave may be taken in hourly units; this leave is separate from annual paid leave |
| Accrued leave | N/A | Annual paid leave which wasn’t taken can be used as accrued leave when an employee’s child is sick. |
| Subsidy for expenses for a home helper, nanny, or babysitter | N/A | Part or all of such expenses are covered by the subsidy. |
| Daycare subsidy | N/A | For employees who want to make an early return to work from maternity/childcare leave, Mizuho will subsidize half or a portion of the cost of daycare |
Childbirth and childcare support systems (Overview)
Caregiver support systems
| System/program | Applicable period | Overview |
| Family care leave | Up to 488 work days | Leave of absence granted following application by an employee with a family member requiring regular care. |
| Family member illness or injury leave | 5 days per year, per eligible family member, during the period in which the family member requires care | Special leave other than annual paid leave, which can be granted to provide care for a sick or aging family member. Up to 5 days can be taken for each family member needing care. This leave may be taken in hourly units. |
| Accumulated leave for caregiving | Up to 180 days during the period in which the family member requires care | Up to 180 days of unused annual leave can be accumulated and used at a later date to care for a sick or aging family member. |
| Shortened working hours to support caregiving purposes | The period during which the family member requires care; no upper limit | Shortened work hours at the request of the employee. (It is also possible to combine shortened hours and full–time work.) |
| Staggered working hours to support caregiving | The period during which the family member requires care; no upper limit | Working hours changed at the request of the employee. |
| Exemption from overtime work to support caregiving | The period during which the family member requires care; no upper limit | Overtime work restrictions or exemption at the request of the employee. |
| Reduced working days to support caregiving | The period during which the family member requires care; no upper limit | A maximum of 2 business days per week set as non–work days. |
| Subsidy for expenses for a home helper or a babysitter | N/A | Part or all of such expenses are covered by the subsidy. |
| Caregiver subsidy | After starting to take family care leave, for the period from the day after the completion of receiving family care benefit payments (a type of public benefit), until the final day of family care leave | An amount equivalent to a certain portion of the employee's salary |
Flexible human resources management to support a good work–life balance
We aim to ensure that our human resources management supports a good work–life balance, for example by reducing the hurdles employees face when balancing their work with childcare or aging family member care.
| System/program | Overview |
| Relocation by request | System to request a transfer due to their spouse being relocated. |
| Relocation due to childcare or aging family care | System for employees using childcare support systems or caring for a sick or aging family member to request a transfer to a location closer to their home. |
| Leave for accompanying partners on long-distance personnel transfers | System allowing an employee to take a leave of absence for at least three months to accompany the spouse relocated to a remote place, provided that the employee will return to work within three years |