Fujitsu Initiates Next Phase of its “Work Life Shift” to Realize Working Styles Centered on its Employees’ Wellbeing

TOKYO, Oct 6, 2021 – (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) – Fujitsu today kicked-off its internal “Work Life Shift 2.0” campaign in Japan, marking the beginning of the second phase of its efforts to realize a new way of working for the post-COVID era. With this campaign, Fujitsu aims to establish a true hybrid working model and allow its employees to balance their personal and work aspirations, further improving their wellbeing.

In July 2020, Fujitsu first announced the “Work Life Shift” campaign for its employees in Japan, unveiling its vision for a new working paradigm addressing the challenges and opportunities of the “New Normal.” Work Life Shift encouraged Fujitsu’s Japan-based employees to independently decide the most appropriate place and time to work, while offering tools and support so that they can be more productive and creative, wherever they choose to work.
In addition, Fujitsu will integrate the “Work Life Shift 2.0” campaign and the company-wide DX project “FUJITRA” in order to focus on the following three areas: “Practicing Hybrid Work and Collaboration Hubs”, “Evolution of the Way of Working as a DX Company”, and “Balancing Work and Life”. Through these efforts, Fujitsu aims to create a highly talented, resilient and adaptive workforce, ready to support the challenges we face as a society.

Overview of the internal “Work Life Shift 2.0” program

1. Practicing Hybrid Work and Collaboration Hubs
Looking ahead to the post-COVID era, Fujitsu will promote a true Hybrid Work model that combines the “Real and Virtual” by transforming its office from a traditional site for working into an “Collaboration Hubs” a workplace that offers employees the opportunity to experience things that they couldn’t elsewhere. This initiative will focus on the following individual measures.

– Changing the visual experience of the office and opening the satellite office to the outside
Fujitsu will 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. In addition, Fujitsu will create a new visual experience in the office by making it “a place where diverse employees gather, work, learn, and interact” (planned to be implemented in November 2021) and open some of its F3rd satellite offices (1) to the outside in an effort to create more locations for collaborative creation and networking. (Planned to be implemented in December 2021)

– Creating opportunities to experience cutting-edge technology in the office
Fujitsu deployed its FUJITSU Intelligent Office demonstration site in the JR Kawasaki Tower which it moved into in July 2021 and installed technologies from inside and outside the company, such as biometric authentication technology and the Secure Internet Gateway (2) for its internal network. This enables Fujitsu’s employees to practice and experience the latest technologies on their own. In addition, Fujitsu will promote collaboration in the office by combining its event-linked matching service “Buddyup! (3)” with location information utilization infrastructure “Location Platform EXBOARD for Office (4)”. (Implemented since September 2021)

2. Evolution of the way of working as a DX company
Using data to visualize the various benefits employees gain through the experience of Hybrid Work, Fujitsu will pursue ways of working that enhance creativity in addition to improving productivity. In addition, Fujitsu will also contribute to the resolution of issues facing customers and society by further accelerating cooperation with partners and local governments that share the same understanding of the concept of “Work Life Shift”. This initiative will include the following specific measures.

– Collaborating with startups to solve challenges arising during the “Work Life Shift” campaign
Fujitsu will utilize the “FUJITSU ACCELERATOR (5)” program to promote collaboration with startups based on the theme of “Work Life Shift.” With this program, Fujitsu has launched internal practices with startups to solve the challenges of promoting remote work such as communicating with team members, understanding stress situations and teamwork between departments. (Started July 2021)

– Cooperation with local governments for regional revitalization
Fujitsu has started a partnership with Oita Prefecture in March 2021 and will conclude collaborative agreements with other prefectural and municipal governments. It will also work with local companies and communities to identify and support the resolution of local issues through in-house training and pro-bono activities. In addition, by enabling its employees to gain new knowledge through local activities in cooperation with local governments, Fujitsu will further deepen business production skills essential to a DX company and contribute to the creation of new local communities and the revitalization of local economies.

3. Balancing Work and Life
By supporting employees to balancing their work and life aspirations Fujitsu will enable its employees in Japan to deliver the best value to its customers and society, while boosting engagement and employees’ personal wellbeing. This will consist of the following measures.

– Promoting 100% Paternal Childcare Participation
As a measure to support employees starting new families in balancing work and home life, which represents an important social issues, as well as to actively promote the participation of men in childcare, Fujitsu has provided up to two months of full-paid paternal leave for male employees after the birth of their child by increasing the number of days of paternity and childcare leave and also using accumulated leave (multi-purpose leave). (Implemented since July 2021)

Also, in order to fully support employees who work while raising children, Fujitsu will implement activities such as encouraging managers and colleagues to make “Declaration of Support for Childcare” and working to control unconscious prejudice (6), prevent so-called “Paternity Harassment” (7), and raise awareness of the role of partners in raising children. (To be implemented in the second half of 2021)

– Promoting “workcation” and side jobs
Through the combination of taking holidays, flextime system and telework, employees can refresh their mind and body, and work and rest in a proactive manner. Fujitsu will recommend active practice of “workcations” and side work that will lead to new awareness and knowledge acquisition, improvement of creativity, and building of new relationships.

Workcation
By utilizing approximately one to three weeks of telework, Fujitsu Group employees in Japan can work while staying in private in surroundings that are different from usual, and can extend their stay during business trips by taking holidays before and after their working obligations. (Fujitsu Group companies in Japan will pay for the round trip: implemented since July 2021) In addition, Fujitsu will form “Fujitsu workcation partnerships” with local governments, and in cooperation with the local communities, plans employment plans and holds workshops on regional issues. (Planned to be implemented from November 2021)

Active encouragement of side jobs
Fujitsu has also actively encouraged side jobs as an option for its employees to improve their abilities and experience through social contribution activities and external activities.
At Fujitsu, more than 300 employees have been active in a variety of fields, and it will consider matching employees who actively seek practical opportunities with those who need know-how and skills in the future.

(1) F3rd:
Fujitsu’s satellite offices, the “Third Workplace” after “office” and “Home”. They have been in operation since 2016 and are currently in operation at 23 locations throughout Japan.
(2) Secure Internet Gateway:
An innovative cloud security solution that verifies the safety of destinations by making requests over the Internet from any device of users in any location, and provides front-line protection from threats such as malware, ransomware, and phishing sites.
(3) “Buddyup!”:
A system developed by Fujitsu that enables the person to connect encounters with others to the next action by obtaining keywords that express personal interests and interests of all people that are exchanged in a communication setting.
(4) “Location Platform EXBOARD for Office”:
A system platform developed by Fujitsu that uses location information to visualize the movement of people and objects using IoT technology. To visualize the location of employees in an office in real time.
(5) FUJITSU ACCELERATOR:
A program that aims to create new business opportunities by matching business units of Fujitsu, which has a rich customer base, with partners in the startup space. The Fujitsu Group has created joint businesses with more than 100 startups to provide new value to the world by combining innovative startup technologies and products with its products and solution services.
(6) Unconscious bias:
A distortion or bias in the way one views or perceives something that one is not aware of.
(7) Paternity Harassment:
A common English phrase in Japan that describes the situation in which a male employee that wishes to take paternity leave or uses a system such as childcare leave or reduced work hours for childcare is harassed or prevented from doing so by other employees such as co-workers or superiors.

Fujitsu’s Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015 represent a set of common goals to be achieved worldwide by 2030. Fujitsu’s purpose — “to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation”–is a promise to contribute to the vision of a better future empowered by the SDGs.

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 126,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.6 trillion yen (US$34 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com.

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