- *English translation is based on AI Translation Service “Zinrai”.
Since the introduction of Work Life Shift 2.0 (WLS 2.0) in 2021, Fujitsu has been working to promote and spread new ways of working. This time, we will take up "workation" as a topic, and introduce you to exchange meetings between local governments that have concluded a workation partnership agreement with Fujitsu, as well as the experiences of employees who actually conducted workations.
- Table of Contents
About 1 year from WLS 2.0. Status of Promotion of Workations at Fujitsu
Do you know about "workations" that are drawing the public's attention now?
- Using telework to work while staying in a different area or place on a private basis, or to take a vacation or use a holiday before or after a business trip
In 2021, in an effort to get closer to the essence of work style reform, Fujitsu announced Work Life Shift 2.0, which promotes work styles in which employees can proactively choose the best time and place to work. By creating new value through the synergy between real and virtual, and between Work and Life, we aim to contribute to the resolution of social and customer issues and sustainable growth by serving as a model for the improvement of Well-being.
As part of these efforts, we are promoting the active use of "workations" as an opportunity to refresh our mind and body and to gain new knowledge and ideas.
The cooperation of local governments is essential for the implementation of fruitful workings. Fujitsu has concluded workation-partnership agreements with local governments around the country, and in addition to acquiring new knowledge from its employees, the company is promoting initiatives such as holding joint monitoring tours to publicize workation-related initiatives with local governments and posting workation-related information about local governments on its internal website.
8 municipalities gathered together! Held Fujitsu Workation Partnership Summit
Municipalities Signing Fujitsu Workation Agreements (as of January 2023)
Up until now, the focus has been on one-on-one efforts between Fujitsu and the municipalities with which we have entered into workation-partnership agreements. However, based on the idea that in the future new possibilities can be found by creating lateral cooperation between municipalities, "The 1st Fujitsu Application Partnership Summit" was held at Fujitsu Uvance Kawasaki Tower in November 2022. A total of 13 people from 8 local governments participated in the event.
The First Fujitsu Workation Partnership Summit
In the first part of the Summit, local governments introduced their latest efforts. It became clear that there were differences in the purposes and approaches of each local government, such as "creation of related population for emigration" and "invitation of enterprises", even if it was the same type of work, and in particular, it was a great stimulation for each local government to take different measures such as "parent-child work" and "disaster prevention work".
In the second part, discussions were held with the goal of "creating the future of the community by utilizing workations.". Each team shared the ideal state of the local government and discussed new ideas and solutions by combining the essential factors for regional revitalization and working.
After the Summit, there were many comments from the participating municipalities that felt the significance of the Summit.
Itoigawa-city
It was meaningful that I got to know the measures of other local governments and also got to know the person in charge. I think it was a good opportunity to exchange information with various people and to listen to local issues.
Etajima-city
There was a common understanding and a different understanding. The contents were useful for improving the way of thinking and future measures.
Nagasaki Prefecture
At the workshop, I was able to have discussions with Fujitsu employees and people from other municipalities. In the future, I think it would be interesting if Fujitsu employees and the local government could work together at the partner company.
Matsue-city
Since there are not many opportunities for exchanges between local governments, the exchange of opinions was very meaningful in the context of a partnership between local governments and Fujitsu. At the workshop, I was able to realize the significance of working for what. We also deepened our exchanges with Mr. Fujitsu and other local government officials by talking about the same topic.
Local governments participating in the Workation Partnership Agreement
Employees talking about their experience of workation
Next, we will listen to the voices of employees who have actually engaged in the workation, and discuss the benefits of the workation and how it can contribute to regional revitalization.
Honda Yuichi who participated in Hyuga-city Monitor Tour
――What impressed you during your workation?
In order to let the local people know about the daily life in Hyuga City, I was taught how to watch auctions at markets and how to choose fish carefully. I was impressed that the people of Hyuga City considered together what they could do to build a deeper relationship with us and accepted us not as tourists.
――How did your perception of workations change before and after you joined the monitor tour?
I feel that many people have the concept of workation-play, but it's true that if you don't act with an awareness of "discovering" in a different environment than usual, it's going to be just remote work. If you go there for the purpose of actively enjoying local exchange and discovering new things, you can create a deep relationship that goes beyond "locals" and "tourists."
Also, when I used to think of workation, I thought of improving productivity and work-life balance, but I changed my mind thinking that the essence of workation is to have a new perspective by feeling the differences in the lives and values of people who cannot meet in the city.
Ichiyama Masakazu, who participated in the Matsue-city Monitor Tour
――What do you find most when you do workation?
Five employees participated in this monitor tour. All of us were in different departments and different jobs, but I think we somehow developed a team-like sense of unity throughout the three days. For work that needs to be considered by more than one person, I think workation is the best way to increase team cohesion, such as building a team with working. In addition, through this experience, I learned that if telework is optimized through the Corona vortex, it is possible to carry out work without any problems.
Maki Orita, who worked in the Goto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture
――Please tell me the reason why you decided to do workation.
Because I wanted to balance my hobby of scuba diving and work. Summer scuba diving tends to be influenced by the weather and sea conditions, so it's best to stay on the island for a while. Therefore, I planned and implemented my stay in Goto, which I had always been interested in, by utilizing telework (full remote).
――What do you think of the workation?
It was very interesting to meet local people through activities and workspaces, as well as to meet food and culture. I also met workaholics and emigrants like myself, which made me think about various ways of working and living. In particular, the Goto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture are focusing on assistance for emigration, and we have found that there are a wide range of options from workation to emigration.
I also think that workation can lead to daily enjoyment and mental relaxation. In the Tokyo metropolitan area and telework, it is difficult to switch between on and off, and it tends to be difficult to get along with people, but in the island life, I was able to thoroughly divide between on and off and refresh myself through contact with people and nature. In particular, I enjoyed a fresh life that I did not have in the city, going to the sea early in the morning, climbing mountains at night to see the stars, going with local people fishing on holidays, and finally enjoying delicious fish and shochu.
Left: Morning market tour in Hyuga city monitor tourRight: Mindfulness (yoga) on a monitor tour in Matsue City
After the Well-Being of employees is realized, the solution of social issues awaits
To date, we have talked about the charms and benefits of workation in the form of community meetings and employee workation experiences. Under WLS 2.0, Fujitsu is keeping to diversify working styles beyond just working.
- Eliminating single family assignments, recommending remote working to support regional revitalization, promoting the use of shared offices, recommending side jobs, promoting male child care participation rate of 100%, etc.
Ultimately, the goal of WLS 2.0 is to achieve "well-being" for each and every person. It is our belief that we cannot contribute to solving social issues without realizing our employees' Well-Being. Going forward, Fujitsu will continue to transform itself with WLS 2.0 and Fujitsu Uvance. We will strive to achieve steady growth in the businesses listed in the "Sustainable Business Plan" and realize a sustainable future.
