About NTT West
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In addition to providing a safe and secure information and communications infrastructure, we are working to balance business growth with solving social issues and creating value through the utilization of the technology, assets, and know-how we have inherited and honed in the information and communications business, the social implementation of our next-generation technology "IOWN," and co-creation with partners.
Furthermore, to maximize well-being, we are focusing on initiatives to improve employee engagement and maintain and promote health as part of creating a vibrant working environment.
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Name and affiliation of the person interviewed
- Shingo Ota, General Manager of the Labor and Welfare Department, General Affairs and Human Resources Department, NTT West Japan
- Mr. Tsuyoshi Yamada, Section Manager, Planning Section, Health and Productivity Management Promotion Office, Labor and Welfare Division, General Affairs and Human Resources Department, NTT West
- Mr. Makoto Kusumoto, Section Manager, Welfare Section, Labor and Welfare Department, General Affairs and Human Resources Department, NTT West
From left: Mr. Yamada, Mr. Ota, Mr. Kusumoto
Please tell us how you came to launch the EggU trial.
This time, we conducted a trial implementation of EggU within the General Affairs and Human Resources team, which handles projects related to ESG management as part of its work.
In addition to existing measures, we will consider solutions to individual issues.
Our company already operates various systems to ensure that employees' careers are not interrupted due to marriage and childbirth. As we continue to make improvements on a daily basis to provide thorough support according to the circumstances and needs of each employee, we have come to the need to consider more micro-level needs and ways to solve problems .
What specific issues arise from marriage and childbirth from the perspective of those involved ? We used EggU as one way to verify this.
What exactly does it mean to explore and verify "micro" needs?
For example, when a person draws up a career plan, there are various perspectives and challenges, such as "What position do I need to take and at what age in order to reach my ideal goal?" or "What kind of plan should I make?" if the person is interested in being sent overseas to advance their career.
At the same time, some employees are also considering life plans such as pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing. To enable each employee to create the career and life plan that suits them best , it is necessary to provide support through systems and mechanisms tailored to their needs.
We want to foster a corporate culture that recognizes the benefits of communicating one's career vision to the company.
There are benefits to employees sharing their life plans with the company in advance, as this allows the general affairs and human resources department to consider pre-determining departmental assignments to help employees realize their career and life plans.
I tell my employees that if there is anything they would like me to consider or anything they would like me to do in the course of their work, they should feel free to let me know, but of course not everyone is able to do this.
On the other hand, even if an employee tells you "I actually wanted it to be like this" after a transfer or assignment has been decided, it can be difficult for the general affairs and human resources department to correct course in the short term.
However, I think that it is common for employees to feel anxious or worried about the impact of disclosing their career and life plans to their company.
However, at least in terms of our company's human resources policy, we have adopted a "supportive human resources" approach aimed at each employee's "balance of work and life ," whereby employees can find out what they want to do and then consult with the company about the appropriate department and the way they can work to achieve that goal .
For this reason, we believe it is necessary to further foster a corporate culture and environment in which employees feel that "if you have any requests, it is to your advantage to speak up."
How has EggU helped you explore further the needs of your employees?
It is possible to incorporate the "body axis" into each individual's life plan.
This time, we recruited volunteers from the General Affairs and Human Resources department to try out EggU . As a result, we received feedback equivalent to "satisfaction" from over 90% of the users .
The target users are female employees who have been with the company for about 5 to 8 years and are around 30 years old. Looking at this age group across the company, some people are on maternity leave or childcare leave, and some are taking on managerial positions, so they are also a demographic that is prone to worries and anxieties about life and career planning.
At EggU , through AMH testing and counseling based on the results, each employee can consult with an external counselor (EggU counselor) with medical expertise about how to design a life plan based on their "body axis."
This initiative has revealed perspectives that we had not previously noticed.
In addition to providing support for business operations, an internal system is needed to alleviate concerns about appearances.
In the post-use survey of EggU, one question was asked about career planning: "How do female managers in the company deal with issues specific to women while carrying out their managerial duties?"
It's easy to imagine that there are concerns about the "work axis" of a career plan , but concerns about the "body axis," including hormone balance and concerns specific to women , are a perspective that men who are not directly involved in the issue may not notice. This is one of the "micro issues" that became apparent only through verification.
After the EggU trial, what would you like to use in the future?
"Balancing life and career" - To design a system that is not just for appearances but also caters to real needs.
The most valuable thing about this trial implementation of EggU was that the individual comments from each user revealed micro-issues . Also, user satisfaction was high, so we would like to expand this initiative within the company.
It's easy to say that we aim to "balance work and child-rearing" or "balance life and career," but rather than just using pretty words , we want to provide detailed support for the issues that emerge from individual cases .
[Reference] Various initiatives being implemented by NTT West Japan as of February 2025
Supporting employees in balancing their careers and personal lives as their life stages change, and enhancing the company's unique systems - Childcare leave system for children up to three years old
- Short-term work for children up to the third grade of elementary school
- Accumulated paid leave system and promotion of men taking parental leave - Promotion of taking childcare leave/leave of absence from work four weeks after birth and promotion of flexible working styles - Remote standard system that allows employees to work from remote locations - Re-employment of employees who left the company for childcare reasons and enhancement of the internal community (ERG) - System that allows employees involved in childcare to connect and support each other
In addition to the above, for more details, please visit the following website:
[NTT West Japan Diversity Promotion Initiatives]
・Promotion of women's participation in the workforce and support for work-life balance: https://www.ntt-west.co.jp/diversity/women/
・Systems, diversity data, certification, etc.: https://www.ntt-west.co.jp/diversity/data/
・Sustainability Report Data: https://www.ntt-west.co.jp/sustainability/download/
