An increasing number of women are retiring as they “revert” to working five days a week. Heartbreaking complaints from three employees who say they can’t balance childcare and childcare

“I was able to go to work before the coronavirus, so why can’t I do it now?”

“If you can’t come to work, you’re not a good fit for the company culture.”

After the coronavirus pandemic, we have abolished remote work and hybrid work (a way of working that combines home and remote work).Few companies are returning to a “5-day work week” system.

The opening lines are actually what employees were told by their bosses at a company that made it compulsory to work five days a week.

In the United States,It is a hot topic that giant companies such as Tesla, Amazon, and Meta have moved from remote work back to the office.However, even in Japan, companies are divided on the question of whether to come to the office or work remotely.

however,The reality is that some Japanese companies that have unilaterally changed to a “5-day-a-week” system are experiencing a succession of employee turnover.is.

What is happening at companies that have forced a return to “work five days a week”? Three female employees in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, each working at a different company, were interviewed anonymously.

“I would like to at least reduce the number of days I have to work.”

“When the coronavirus moved to Category 5,All employees are suddenly told to come to work 5 days a weekit was done. No matter what I say to the company, they don’t take my situation into consideration, and the atmosphere within the company is still really dark.”

Yuriko (20s, pseudonym), who is in charge of business planning at a listed IT services company, says so.

Yuriko’s company was working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic, butOnce the coronavirus pandemic begins to subside, we will switch to “hybrid work” where each department can decide whether to come to the office or work remotely.. At that time, Yuriko said she only went to work about three times a month.

“In addition to going to the office, I also went directly to and from my business partners about twice a month. Most of the time I worked from home. ButI didn’t feel any hindrance to my work at all.” (Yuriko)

However, in the summer of 2023, the situation will change completely when he is “ordered” to work five days a week.

The company did not give a clear explanation as to why they needed to come to work, and employees who asked executives for explanations were not given any clear explanations.”To improve performance, we need solidarity as a company.”It is said that there was an explanation.

“There were several employees in my department who were raising children, so I was asking my boss, “I hope they at least reduce the number of days they come to work.”The company just says, “Before the coronavirus, I used to come to work five days a week, so why can’t I?”was”

Remote work prohibited, employees raising children leaving the job

As a security measure, remote work by taking computers outside the office has been prohibited in principle, and employees who are raising children or caring for family members are now forced to complete all work while at work.

As a result, many employees, especially those with small children, left the company one after another.It is said that he went away.

“When I think about picking up and dropping off from nursery school, I feel like I can’t finish my work.I also heard that. My recollection is that before the coronavirus, very few people quit our company, but now several people, both men and women, are quitting every month.

Some men quit their jobs, but women are slightly more likely to quit.”

Employees who have played a central role in the company continue to leave their jobs.

“Many mid-level and above employees who have been with the company for nearly 10 years have left the company. I feel helpless because no matter what I say to the company, nothing will change.”

Yuriko herself wants to have children in the future.I started looking for a job a few months ago.It is said that the movement has started.

“I still don’t understand why I have to come to the office five days a week even though I experienced a hybrid model and things were going smoothly.I think the purpose of having people come to the office five days a week is to improve performance, but it is clear that There has never been an explanation.

ratherIsn’t the company trying to force employees to quit by presenting them with harsh conditions?I even feel that

A subordinate who returns from maternity leave immediately leaves the job.

Emi (40s, pseudonym), who works in sales in the real estate industry, was also required to come to work five days a week about a year and a half ago.

“In the real estate industry, there are relatively many companies that require people to come to the office, as they also have to inspect and manage properties. However, at my company, about one-third of the employees have jobs that require them to come to the office.

A female subordinate who recently returned from childcare leave left her job three months after returning because she wanted to be close to her child.have done. Forced attendance at work is not appropriate for today’s times.”

At Emi’s workplace, when she decided to start working five days a week, there was a lot of confusion, with people asking, “Can you at least come to work two days a week?”

“The company’s explanation was that “remote work has reduced communication, which is leading to people leaving their jobs.”If you look at the actual number of people leaving their jobs, the number of people leaving their jobs is between the pre-coronavirus era when people were working five days a week, and the coronavirus pandemic. When comparing the remote era, there seems to be no difference in the number of people leaving the company.

However, it is said that “communication is the cause of turnover.”Even if I am forced to come to work based on such impressions, I will not feel satisfied.You can also communicate online.”

“I would like to be allowed to stay at home as a system,” not as a special exception.

Emi is worried that coming to work five days a week will lead to employees leaving the company or make it difficult to recruit.

In fact, one of my subordinates, a woman in her 30s who recently got married, said she left her job in the same industry a few years ago because “I could work remotely and it was easy to take time off.”

“Recently, I received a request from that subordinate.“I’m trying to get pregnant now and I’m worried about whether I can continue working or not.”it was done.

I don’t want to have to work remotely or leave work early as a special case because it will definitely make me feel weak.“I want remote work to be recognized as a system”He was seriously accused of

Yumi herself has to commute to and from her business, as well as having to come to work.”You’re wasting two to three hours of uptime on daily trips.”That’s what it means.

“The real estate industry tends to have a so-called “black” impression, and it is quite difficult to recruit new graduates and mid-career people.If you can appeal to your unique work style, such as being able to work remotely, it will definitely be a huge success in terms of recruitment. I think it’s a positive thing, but my voice doesn’t reach the company.”

“There’s no such thing as remote work.”

“At my previous company, the president told me, “Think of coming to work as your job.” Now, I’ve changed jobs to a company where I come to work one day a week.I couldn’t raise children while going to work.I think”

Saki (30s, pseudonym) currently works at a media-related company.I quit my previous job partly because I was forced to work five days a week.I went to work.

When Saki joined her previous company, she wanted to have time for side work, so she joined the company on the condition that she would be able to work fully remotely. She then became pregnant and went on maternity/paternity leave for a year. She thought she would be able to work fully remotely as before after returning from maternity leave, but just before her maternity leave started, her boss told her the following in an online interview.

“There is no such thing as remote work. No, definitely not.Because I come to work five times a week.”

For Saki, who was on daycare in order to enroll her child in a nursery school in Tokyo, returning to work was an absolute condition for her to enroll. Under such circumstances, he was suddenly asked to come to work five times a week, and his mind went blank.

“My boss told me, “We have a really good group of people right now. If you can’t come to work, you don’t fit in with the culture.Your body will be dark because you’re going to put it in a nursery school.” was also said.

I was so shocked that during the interview, I said, “Let me think about it with my family,” so I did my best. She then talked to her husband, but she couldn’t stop crying.”

As a result, Saki decided to leave her child at an unlicensed nursery school and quit her job at the company.

Sudden call from nursery school: “I can handle it because I’m at home.”

During his job search, he interviewed with five companies, but carefully checked to see if he was “really able to work remotely.” In the end, she decided to join the company through a referral from a company where an acquaintance worked.

“Although I work in a different department, I felt relieved in some ways by hearing the real stories.” (Mr. Saki)

Currently, I am basically working remotely, but I do need to come into the office once or twice a week. Her husband also works remotely, so she takes care of things like dropping him off at daycare and picking him up, but he is “just barely able to handle meals and housework in addition to her work.”

Mr. Saki”My husband and I don’t live close to our parents, so I don’t think we were able to both go to work and raise children.”and talk.

“One of the good things about working remotely is that my child gets a lot of colds.I often get a sudden call from the nursery school and have to pick up my child, but with full remote work, I can take some time off from work.”

However, this does not mean that full remote is the only “ideal way of working” for both companies and employees.Mr. Saki”I think it may be necessary to come to work depending on the situation.”Say.

“Each person’s work style will improve their performance differently. If the company values ​​the skills and individuality of each employee, I think it would be great if the company thought about work styles together with the employees.”