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Following childcare leave, she returned to work as a team-leading Medical Representative. She currently serves as a sales office manager while raising her child, who is now in elementary school.

What changes did you make to return to work while caring for your child?

First, I asked family members to help out. I don't think I could have returned without their support. Since the birth of my child, my husband has been helping me with housework and childcare, and now he spends more time with our child than I do. Also, another source of support is the other mothers you make friends with after your child starts going to a nursery or school. By getting to know women who are active in various occupations, I am able to broaden my horizons and feel encouraged.

What did you keep in mind when you actually resumed your work?

First of all, I stopped being a go-it-alone perfectionist because there was absolutely not enough time to do things that way. I used to be the type of person who always tries to get the job done on their own, and do it myself, but one time, when my child became ill and I was in desperate need of help, I boldly asked a junior colleague to do the job. It was a tough job and I didn’t feel a little confident assigning to a less experienced colleague, but she was able to pull it off flawlessly.

That’s excellent. Have there been any changes since then? 

She later told me that being entrusted with such a challenge motivated her to succeed. That was a lesson to me that it was okay to be more reliant on others, and that trusting others with tasks helps them to grow. Since then, I’ve been proactive about delegating work to colleagues without taking on more work than necessary.

You are now Sales Manager. How do you manage your work hours?

I and my family members meticulously plan out a schedule of how to divide up childcare and housekeeping chores. Because of coronavirus pandemic, I currently don't have duties that keep me away from home late as much as before, and my working style has changed. Of course, although some duties that have become harder to perform, at the same time I think that my job has become easier in terms of balancing it with parenting. I plan to continue to respond well to this change in environment and evolve my work style in a positive direction.

What is Great Place to Work for you?

My ideal company is one where everyone earnestly engages with their work and enjoys doing it. Recent trends have put the spotlight on topics such as balancing work and childcare, and the need for women to have a greater role in management. In order to facilitate those transformations, I think we obviously need to transform our systems as well. More importantly, however, given that we have people working in so many different environments and positions, we all must try to understand others’ situation, setting, and value. We can create a comfortable workplace by being a little more understanding of each other. I would like to lead this effort myself.