◆About half of women find “difficulty in working” at their current job
In a survey regarding “comfortable workplaces” run on 1,037 women who visited en-japan Inc’s “En Women’s Work,” the employment information website for women, the question “Would you say your current workplace is easy to work at?” received 52% responses stating that it was “easy to work at” (“yes” 15%, “somewhat yes” 37%) and 48% responses stating that it was “difficult to work at” (“somewhat no” 30%, “no” 18%).
◆Married women actively choose more comfortable workplaces?
In the above survey, comparing across marital status, 64% of married women and 52% of unmarried women responded that their workplace was “easy to work at.” Based on the fact that married women were more likely to be working in comfortable workplaces, it can be observed that married women who continue to work are “actively selecting a more comfortable work environment.”
◆What are the reasons for feeling that their workplace is “difficult to work at”?
For the reasons that their workplace is “difficult to work at,” the top answers among women in their 20’s were #1 “Difficult to request time off” (52%) and #2 “Unreasonable working hours and lack of flexibility” (50%), and among women in their 30’s and 40’s, #1 “Poor communication in the workplace” (30’s: 53%, 40’s: 60%) and #2 “Poor atmosphere in the work environment” (30’s: 46%, 40’s: 46%).
It appears that women in their 30’s and 40’s are primarily facing issues with human relationships at the workplace because in terms of work-life balance, they have already selected a job that matches their personal work patterns.
◆Factors for a comfortable workplace are “Good workplace atmosphere” and “Reasonable and flexible working hours”
In contrast, reasons for the workplace being easy to work at are #1 “Good workplace atmosphere” (56%), #2 “Reasonable and flexible working hours” (51%), and #3 “Ease in requesting time off” (49%). In the older age groups, it can be seen through responses such as “Ability to proceed with work using one’s own methods” that flexibility and freedom become significant factors contributing to a workplace that is easy to work at.
◆Utilizing women is no longer a topic to be ignored
The “Promotion of the Advancement of Women Act” (Law regarding the promotion of advancement of women in the workforce) to encourage the appointment of women in businesses and municipalities was passed in August 28th of this year, but businesses may soon reach a point where they must seriously consider how women work and how they can be utilized optimally in the workplace.
