All About the JAL Group - CSR Report 2007

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Balancing Personal and Professional Life

A good work-life balance is created by promoting personal development, fulfilling leisure time and a healthy lifestyle. In encouraging each employee to achieve his or her full potential, we can at the same time strengthen the personnel and organizational resources of our company. The JAL Group aims to provide facilities and policies to create an environment where management and staff can cooperate to spread the concept of a healthy work-life balance, and where employees can actively pursue personal development.

Work-Life Balance Campaign
This project aims to promote efficiency in everyday work, maintenance of reasonable working hours and the taking of annual leave. Through this project, it is hoped that staff will become more aware of the need for a healthy work-life balance.

Flexible Working Hours
So that our ground staff can enjoy leisure time and the chance for a diversity of lifestyles, in addition to our standard starting time of 8:45 a.m. we have established five other times to choose from: 8:00, 8:15, 8:30, 9:30 and 10:00.

Work-Life Balance Day
Each week, a representative from a different department at the JAL Head Office makes a special announcement, encouraging employees to leave at the end of standard working hours.

Work-Life Balance Communication
This educational publication includes information on the use of leisure time and articles based on the personal experiences of staff.

Vacations
We encourage staff to take long holidays.

Support Programs

Maternity and Child-Care Leave
This is a policy aimed at supporting our employees and as well the next generation of the nation’s youth. The JAL Group allows employees to take child-care leave up until the end of the month of their child’s third birthday. This system compares favorably with the legal requirement for a single year of leave, extendible by six months in certain cases. Almost 60% of those who use the system take the full period offered.

A Worker and a Mother

I’ve used JAL’s maternity-leave system three times now. The first was in 1997, and each time I’ve taken one year off work. The first two times, I returned to work at JAL’s check-in counters, while the third time I returned to my present job in general affairs at JAL Sky Sapporo. Returning to employment after leave, I did have concerns about whether I’d be able to work in the same way as before, but each time my colleagues were very welcoming and I was able to make a smooth transition back. If I had resigned each time, it would have been very difficult to look for a new job and difficult too to get used to the new work. Thanks to this system, I’ve been able to raise my young children with peace of mind.

Mieko Yoshii
General Affairs, JAL Sky Sapporo

Caregiving Leave
The JAL Group also provides a system for extended leave of absence to care for elderly parents and close relatives for up to 18 months. This too compares favorably with the legally mandated 93 days. In all, 118 employees took advantage of this and our shortened-working-hours system in fiscal 2006.

Maternity Leave
This system aims to protect the welfare of pregnant employees by allowing them to take time off work in the period before they give birth. The system is in accordance with the legal requirement for six weeks’ leave before birth and eight after. In fiscal 2006, 307 of our employees took maternity leave.

Alternative Work for Pregnant Cabin Crew
This is a voluntary alternative to maternity leave, under which pregnant cabin crew elect to work as ground staff in the period prior to birth. In fiscal 2006, 150 of our cabin crew took advantage of this system.

Paternity Leave
JAL has introduced this system to encourage fathers to participate in the child-rearing process. Male employees can take paternity leave in the first 10 weeks after their baby’s birth. In 2005 (the first year of the scheme), seven employees took paternity leave, and 12 did so in 2006.

Working Arrangements to Suit Lifestyles

Discretionary Employment
This is a voluntary work system for cabin crew. If they meet certain conditions, employees can apply to work just 10 days a month, which is half the full-time workload.

Cabin-Crew Reemployment
JAL, JALways and Japan Asia Airways have introduced a system enabling reemployment of former cabin crew, from within the group or outside, on a part-time basis. This system allows us to tap the experience of these workers, while also allowing them to find work to match their lifestyles, families, child-rearing responsibilities and personal interests. In January 2007, we established the online Experienced Cabin-Crew Registration Bank so that potential staff can promptly obtain information on employment opportunities.

Getting back in the Air

Nearly 20 years ago, I quit my job as a cabin attendant to have a baby, but I always thought that I would like to go back to work if I had the chance. Although I originally worked for a different airline, my husband is a JAL captain and I learned about the system through JAL’s company newsletter. I applied and began work at Japan Asia Airways in 2005. I think the scheme is an excellent chance for anyone who leaves the workplace but later wants to return to cabin-crew employment. When I went back, it had been a long time since I’d last worked on an aircraft, so there were lots of challenges. On the other hand, the difficulties were more than compensated for by the pleasure of flying. I’m so glad I went back to work.

Mihoko Hino
Cabin attendant, Japan Asia Airways

Retired Staff Reemployment System
JAL has a system to provide reemployment opportunities to all staff who reach official retirement age but wish to continue working. Retired staff desiring reemployment are rehired by the JAL Group Senior Center and posted to a variety of positions.

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