Empowered JAPAN Webinar Report

Empowered JAPAN Executive Steering Committee was established in 2018, “To realize a world where everyone canwork and learn, from anywhere, at anytime.” To promote the true value of workstyle innovation including telework, the committee
has been coordinating symposiums in both Tokyo and regional cities. And in collaboration with various local governments,
Microsoft, and partners, the committee has been serving as an advisor to provide telework training for both corporate andindividuals. In response to the spread of infection of corona virus (COVID-19) and the government announcement on February 25,2020, which included the request to citizens to telework, the steering committee made the decision to launch a series of freewebinars starting from March 17, 2020, to provide practical information for individuals and organizations across the nation, totelework and/or practice online education.

Category：Mindset and Communication
Date：March, 23, 2020
Speaker：Naomi Tomiyoshi
Chief Researcher
Japan Telework Association

Teleworking to Achieve BCP: Minimum Necessary
Rules and Important Points for Implementation
As a part of the BCP (business continuity plan) for preventing the spread of COVID-19, themovement towards teleworking is accelerating.
For business executives who are considering adopting teleworking, but concerned about
the preparation of large-scale systems, Ms. Naomi Tomiyoshi, the Chief Researcher at Japan
Telework Association explained the minimum rules they should know as an emergency
response.
Ms. Tomiyoshi joined the association in 2016 after building her career as a systemengineer at Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. She was involved in the development of a telework model
trial event, and the formulation of model rules for work regulations by the Ministry ofHealth, Labour, and Welfare. Since 2018, she is based in two locations, Tokyo and Fukuoka,
and practicing productivity improvement by maximizing the use of IT.

Born in Kagoshima Prefecture. After working at Fuji
Xerox in Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Tokyo as a systemengineer and a solutions planner, started a new job at
the Japan Telework Association from FY2016.
Responsible for planning and operation of experiencebased events operated by the Ministry of Health, Labourand Welfare, as well as for committees dealing withTelework refers to a flexible workstyle that is not limited to location or time, and enabledby ICT (information communication technologies). "Tele" in telework means distance. "If you
work from a place outside of the office, even by one step away, it means you areteleworking," said Ms. Tomiyoshi. Employment types are usually categorized into employed
and self-employed, and an increasing number of companies with the first type are adopting
teleworking. We will explain about teleworking from home within the category.

issues such as model employment rules. Also in chargeof municipal programs such as teleworking for people
with disabilities. After working completely from home inFukuoka in FY2017, began splitting time between Tokyoand Fukuoka from 2018. Fully utilizes IT to implement
self-management for making effective use of gap timeand improving hourly productivity. Holds many lectureson teleworking with themes such as lectures forcorporate employees, lectures for self-employedindividuals, and experience-based lectures.

What kind of preparations does a company need to do before adopting home style
teleworking? According to Ms. Tomiyoshi, there are four items required for teleworking
during ordinary times: labor management, work environment, information communication
systems, and business. However, in an emergency situation, if a company has labor
management and an information communication system, they should be able to manage.
First, for labor management, managing working hours become difficult if you work fromhome. When adopting teleworking, using a specialized management tool is one of theways, however, in an emergency situation, we must devise alternative time management
methods. "For example, report the start and end of work hours by email. This at least helps
to understand the daily working hours of each employee." (Ms. Tomiyoshi)

Empowered JAPAN Webinar Report
On the other hand, it is difficult to draw a line between work and private life, and teleworkers tend to extend their working hours.
Ms. Tomiyoshi who has experience in working full-time from home advised that "in principle, commit to zero overtime, and be
conscious of the work rhythm including the private rhythm which has no variation." She also emphasized that working from homehelps improving one’s self-management skills.
When working from home, communication and utility expenses are incurred, and companies are responsible for them. If employees
are responsible for them, it must be defined by the employment regulations. However, Ms. Tomiyoshi said, "in an emergency situation,
employees can be responsible for them under their agreement." (Ms. Tomiyoshi) Even for a workplace, its options can be expanded if
the company clearly specifies the regulations.
"In summary, there are three points you should remember: time management, expenses, and work location. I also recommend
following the guidelines for the work regulation models and telework provided by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, when
you readjust the company's telework systems later on." (Ms. Tomiyoshi)
Second, for information communication systems, companies must have a communication tool (Teams, Zoom, Chatwork, etc.) andan information sharing tool (Microsoft 365, Google drive, Dropbox, etc.). The difficulty of communication compared to non-face-toface is a typical issue when working from home. Ms. Tomiyoshi recommended that "conducting daily morning and evening meetings
using a video conference tool helps easing the feeling of loneliness."
Referring to BCP cases of other companies that are advanced with teleworking is also helpful:
SUNA Co. Ltd. in Fukuyama city, Hiroshima prefecture was able to continue undertaking business even when western Japan faced
disasters from heavy rainfall as a result of adopting teleworking 5 years ago. Iwai Cosmo Securities Co., Ltd. in Osaka city distributed
tablets to sales staff and established a telework-style of direct attendance and direct return with their slogan "shorter labor hours andhigher income!" Hokurikujinzainet Co., Ltd. in Kanazawa city, Ishikawa prefecture, as a measure to prevent employees from leaving
the company, promoted "a workstyle that is not limited to location and time" such as the full-flex system, and enabled continuous
employment of someone who moved overseas.
Ms. Tomiyoshi pointed out four keys that we could learn from these advancing companies. (1) Be accustomed to teleworking
through daily use, (2) Development of infrastructure, chat, video conferencing tools, etc., (3) Flexibility in labor hours, for example,
allowing employees to take time off as short as an hour, (4) Establishment of rules for emergency response, for example, who is incharge of making decisions in an emergency situation. As you can see from these examples, that gradually preparing your company
for teleworking contributes to strengthening of the organization when facing risks of disaster or losing a job.

"Telework is a positive reform for society, workers, and companies. I would like many companies to take this opportunity to workfrom home as an urgent measure for COVID-19, reconsider the common concept of how we should work, and reform to anorganization that can overcome various obstructions. Let us work together and change the concept of teleworking to 'offense' forsolving business issues from 'defense' for continuing business." (Ms. Tomiyoshi)
The government is advancing with support programs and has announced a subsidy program to support the adoption of teleworkas an emergency measure against COVID-19. Please check the latest information from "Telework General Portal Site" by the Ministryof Health, Labour, and Welfare, and if you have any questions, contact Telework Support Center. The latest information is also available
through the newsletter distributed by the Japan Telework Association.