Promoting Work Style Reform

As a water and environmental infrastructure company, we believe that reforming the way we work is indispensable to attaining sustainable growth in our Group, where human resources play a pivotal role in corporate competitiveness. To become a company where diverse human resources flourish, the METAWATER Group is building an environment and culture that enables more diverse employment. At the same time, we are working to bring about a change in mentality whereby each and every employee perceives work style reform as their own responsibility, and recognizes and respects diverse work styles.

Reforming Work Styles and Creating Opportunities for Diverse Human Resources to Flourish

The METAWATER Group has put in place a variety of concrete working environment measures to reform work styles, including the introduction of a telework system, the establishment of satellite offices, the introduction of a four-day workweek, a review of office layouts using the *ABW method, and a 30 minute reduction in scheduled working hours. Through these measures, a culture of mutual recognition of the diversification of work styles is being created in our Group. For the next step, we have been working to expand the number of satellite offices in the Tokyo metropolitan area and eliminate the practice of transferring workers without their families since fiscal 2020 in order to realize a "work style that is not dependent on location" from the viewpoint of diversifying work locations.

Establishment of Telework System

Since introducing the "telework system" in 2019, the METAWATER Group has promoted initiatives such as the development of internal infrastructure for remote work. These include the use of web conferencing systems and the cloud, as well as the distribution of mobile tools that facilitate smooth remote access to internal networks. As a result, we now have an environment in which telework is available to almost all employees at Head Office, sales offices, and other offices. As of June 2021, telework utilization rates in some departments had exceeded 70%.

Eliminating the Practice of Transferring Workers Without Their Families

The METAWATER Group has strongly promoted the use of telework to allow employees to work in a way that is not restricted by time or place, and to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
At the same time, by eliminating the practice of transferring workers without their families, particularly among the senior generation, the number of employees living away from home decreased from 300 in 2017 to 130 in 2020. In order to respond to changes in work values, such as the increasingly-popular trend toward attaining a work-life balance, the METAWATER Group is also working to create a workplace environment where employees can continue to work energetically while spending precious time with their families. By May 2021, the number of employees living away from home had further decreased to 100. Our end goal is to have no employees living away from home, and we will continue to phase out this practice gradually.

*ABW

ABW (Activity-Based Working) is a mechanism that aims to improve performance by allowing employees to choose their place of work based on the content and purpose of their job.
For example, our Western Japan Office has created an environment where each employee can choose the best location to carry out their work. Examples of this are "communication areas" such as cafes where workers can communicate easily, and “concentration areas” where workers can easily concentrate on their work.