Created in partnership with the Helpdesk on Business & Human Rights
In 2020, Nikon — a Japanese multinational optics and imaging business — emphasized its commitment to supporting employees’ work-life balance. To achieve this, the company has implemented various policies that promote reduced overtime work and facilitate flexible working hours, work from home and childcare leave. Specifically, in 2020 Nikon introduced ‘Super Flex Working Time’, which provides employees with the flexibility to structure their own working hours, outside of a traditional corporate work-time period. In September and October 2019, ‘Nikon Telework Days’ were adopted across the two months encouraging employees to work from home at least one day. By March 2020, the programme had a usage rate of 79.3% with 3,524 employees participating.
With regard to childcare, Nikon allowed its staff to take up to two years of childcare leave with staggered working hours, reduced working hours and leave on an hourly basis. In May 2019, Nikon extended working hour provisions to cover childcare leave up to a child’s graduation from elementary school. In 2020, attending a children’s school event was also included in the scope of paid leave. For its various initiatives and policies, Nikon won the Platinum Kurumin mark, a certification awarded by Japan’s Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare for the implementation of work-life balance assistance measures.