Hello, this is Tsuzuki from EDOCODE's Recruitment and Public Relations team.
Among life events, parenting holds a significant place. Over the past 30 years, the percentage of dual-income households in Japan has increased from 42.3% in 1989 to 66.2% in 2019. As a result, both men and women are increasingly participating in parenting while maintaining their careers.
Actually, EDOCODE has a relatively high rate of employees who are parents. As of October 2022, out of 17 employees, 7 are actively parenting. Family participation is often encouraged in internal events and online gatherings, creating an environment where working while parenting feels close at hand.
That being said, career and family situations vary for each individual. It might not always be easy to find opportunities to learn how others are managing to balance both aspects, what considerations they have in mind, and such.
So, in this regard, we've taken the opportunity to gather real-life experiences from our members who are parenting while managing their careers. We hope that these firsthand accounts will be insightful for those considering having children, as well as colleagues who are currently parenting.
こんにちは、EDOCODE採用広報担当のツヅキです。
ライフイベントの中でも大きな割合を占める子育て。過去30年で日本の共働き家庭の割合が42.3％（1989年）から66.2%（2019年）と増えたこともあり、働きながら子育てにもしっかり関わる男女が増えています。
実は、ここEDOCODEの子育て率もなかなか高く、2022年10月時点では17中7人が子育て中。社内のイベントやオンライン飲み会でもファミリー参加が推奨されることも多く、子育てしながら働くことが身近に感じられる環境です。
とはいえ、キャリアや家庭の状況は人それぞれ。他の人がどうやってその二つを両立しているのか、どういうことに気を付けているかなど、なかなか聞く機会がないのではないでしょうか。
そこで今回は、子育て中のメンバーに「子育てとキャリア」についてのリアルな経験談を聞いてみました。子どもを持つことを考えている方や、子育て中の同僚がいる方にも、ぜひ読んでいただければ嬉しいです。
Case 1. 仕事への責任感から一度はパンクしかけたというPMの前原さん
After returning home, our first case features Hikari Maehara, a PM. Ms. Maehara joined EDOCODE before its establishment, during a time when the parent company, Wano, was handling the points mall business. Therefore, she has an extensive history with Wano and a long experience in points mall management, making her a dependable presence within the points mall team.
Ms. Maehara gave birth to her first child around three years after joining Wano. Coincidentally, it was around the time when a senior female colleague who was also a PM was returning from maternity leave, making the handover of responsibilities quite seamless. Ms. Maehara considers herself fortunate for this timing, as the transition of tasks went smoothly.
However, returning from a year and a half of maternity leave turned out to be more challenging than expected. Ms. Maehara found it difficult because she felt the need to work as intensely as she did before having a child. Balancing the responsibilities of putting the baby to sleep every night and then working left her feeling overwhelmed, eventually leading to a breaking point. It's hard to imagine now, seeing her cheerful demeanor, but she recounts how during an evaluation meeting, she couldn't stop crying.
"I didn't want my role as a parent to be seen as a disadvantage, so I ended up pushing myself beyond my limits. With limited time, work wasn't progressing as I wanted, and I found myself working late into the night while in tears every day. I remember during a performance review, I shared this with my manager, Asami-san, and she reassured me that I didn't have to go to such extremes," reflects Ms. Maehara.
Receiving understanding and support during that conversation, along with making a decision not to bring work home, were turning points for her. As her child turned two and became a bit more independent, she found herself gradually achieving a better balance between work and family responsibilities.
まず1人目は、PMの前原さん。前原さんの入社はEDOCODEが設立される以前で、まだポイントモール事業を親会社であるWanoが行っていた時代です。そのためWanoからの通算の社歴やポイントモールの担当経験も長く、ポイントモールチームの中でも頼れる存在です。
前原さんが一人目のお子さんを出産をしたのはWanoに入社してから3年くらい経った頃でした。ちょうど同じPMだった先輩女性が産休明けで帰ってくるタイミングだったこともあり、業務の引き継ぎなどはスムーズで、ラッキーだったと言います。
ただ、1年半の育休明けは思ったよりも大変だったそう。子どもがいなかったときと今で、同じように仕事をしないといけないという気持ちが大きく、毎日赤ちゃんを寝かしつけてから仕事をしていたそうですが、ある日とうとうパンクしてしまいます。今の明るい前原さんからは想像がつかないのですが、評価面談で涙がとまらなくなってしまったと言います。
「子供がいることをハンデと思われたくないという気持ちがあり、無理をしてしまっていたんだと思います。時間がなくて仕事が思ったように進まず、毎日泣きながら夜中に仕事をしていました。それを評価面談でマネジャーの麻美さんに伝えたら、そんなにしなくていいよと言ってくれたのを覚えています。」
そこで話を聞いてもらえたこと、持ち帰り仕事はしないと決めたこと、また子供が2歳になって手が少しかからなくなったことから、少しずつバランスが取れるようになったそうです。
実際に体験してみて思ったこと
Until my child turned around two years old, it was much more challenging than I had anticipated. Based on that experience, with my second child, I took a two-year parental leave, and it was considerably easier.
子供が2歳になるくらいまでは、想像していたよりかなり大変。その経験から、2人目は育休を2年取得し、だいぶ楽だった。
EDOCODEの環境の良い点
I've heard that some companies might not entrust significant tasks to employees who are parenting, but I had no such concerns.
子育て中だからと重要な仕事をさせてもらえない会社もあるそうだが、その心配は全くなかった。
Currently, we are fully remote, eliminating the need for commuting. This has provided me with extra time flexibility, which is beneficial.
現在はフルリモートで、通勤時間が不要なので、その分時間に余裕ができて良い。
There are many members who are also parents, and even if children appear in meetings, no one reacts negatively.
子育て中のメンバーも多く、ミーティングで子供が写り込んでも、誰も嫌な顔をしない。
There are vacation policies that cover preventive medical appointments, and you can take time off in hourly increments, which is very helpful.
予防接種も有休になる、時間単位で休めるなどの、休暇制度。
こうだったらいいなと思うこと
I found relief by discussing my situation during a performance review, so I think it would be great if someone could offer a listening ear to others as well.
自分は評価面談で話せて楽になったので、誰かが話を聞いてあげられるといいんだろうなと思う。
There are frequent changes in the specifications of projects I was involved in, and catching up on what happened during my leave can be quite challenging. In retrospect, I wish I had communicated the importance of documenting changes and their context, as it would have been beneficial to have that information preserved.
関わっていたプロジェクトの仕様が変わっていることも多く、休んでいた間のキャッチアップが大変。変更点や経緯などを残しておいて欲しいと伝えておけばよかった。