Our Support Systems
Work arrangements for childcare and caregiving
Reduced working hours for childcare
Employees with children below elementary school age can request reduced working hours or a reduced number of working days per week. (Conditions apply to eligible employees.)
Reduced working hours
Employees with children below elementary school age or caring for a family member in need of care can request a reduction in working hours of up to two hours per day. In the case of caregiving, employees can use this system for up to two periods within a three-years starting from the initial date of commencement.
NIMS working systems
NIMS offers the following working systems, regardless of whether an employee is involved in childcare or caregiving.
Discretionary work system
This allows employees, especially those in research and development, considerable discretion over how they allocate their work time, methods, and efforts, with a set number of hours considered as having been worked according to our labor-management agreement. (Conditions apply to eligible employees.)
Flextime system
This allows employees to decide on individual daily start and end times within a set flexible period. (Conditions apply to eligible employees.)
Remote working system
This allows employees to work from home or elsewhere up to four days per month. (Conditions apply to eligible employees.)
Leave and absence arrangements for childcare and caregiving
Special leaves
| Paid prenatal and postnatal leave | Six weeks before and eight weeks after childbirth (available to all employees). |
| Paid birth leave for spouse | Up to two days within two weeks of the day of hospitalization for childbirth up to the day of birth (available to all employees). |
| Paid childcare leave | Up to five days within six weeks before the expected birth date and eight weeks after childbirth (available to all employees). |
| Leave for prenatal checkups |
♦ Until the 23rd week of pregnancy: once every four weeks |
| Easing of commute during pregnancy | Up to one hour per day at the beginning and end of the workday (paid for all employees). |
| Rest times or meal breaks during pregnancy | As deemed necessary within regular working hours (paid for all employees). |
| Childcare time | For childcare of children up to a year old, up to 30 minutes twice a day (paid for all employees). |
| Nursing leave | For nursing pre-elementary school children, up to five days for an employee with one child and up to 10 days for two or more children (paid for all employees). |
| Caregiving leave | To provide caregiving for a family member in need of care, up to five days for one person needing care and up to 10 days for two or more persons (paid for all employees). |
Unpaid leave of absence
| Childcare leave of absence | (For permanent employees and career-building employees) Employees living with children under three years old can take leave. (For fixed term employees) In principle, employees living with children under one year old can take leave of absence. |
| Childbirth leave of absence | Up to four weeks (28 days) leave of absence for childcare within the eight weeks following the birth. Further, if desired, a scope of work may be agreed with NIMS for this period. However, this leave of absence cannot be taken if the employee has taken up the eight weeks of paid postnatal leave. |
| Caregiving leave | For taking care of a family member in need of care, up to 93 days in total, which can be split into a maximum of three periods. |
Support system for employees during childcare and caregiving
Support is provided for research, engineering, and administrative positions for one year during childcare and caregiving, including redeployment as technical staff or similar (including for fixed term research and engineering positions).
Visiting researchers whose primary workplace is NIMS are also eligible.
Private childcare facility utilization system
Part of financial support is offered for temporary childcare during hours not covered by nurseries, kindergartens, or after-school care. This is available for children between three months and nine years old. (Permanent and fixed term employees only)
In the case of private childcare facilities with which NIMS has a contract, NIMS subsidizes half of the hourly fees. For other approved private childcare facilities, half of the hourly fee (up to 450 yen if the hourly fee exceeds 900 yen) is paid.