日本は長らく長時間労働の国として知られてきましたが、近年、「働き方改革」という言葉が政府の方針として打ち出されて以来、社会全体の意識が少しずつ変わりつつあります。私が勤める都内のメーカーでも、ここ数年の変化はかなり大きく、十年前とは別の会社のようだと先輩たちはよく口にします。
Japan has long been known as a country of long working hours, but ever since the government put forward the phrase "work-style reform" as official policy, society's awareness has gradually been shifting. At the Tokyo-based manufacturer where I work, the changes over the past few years have been quite significant, and the senior employees often say it feels like a completely different company from ten years ago.
具体的にどう変わったかというと、まず残業時間に上限規制が設けられました。月四十五時間、年間三百六十時間という基準を超えると、人事部から本人と上司の両方に注意のメールが届く仕組みになっています。以前は終電まで会社にいることが当たり前だっただけに、最初は戸惑う社員も少なくありませんでした。「仕事が終わっていないのに、定時で帰っていいのだろうか」という声があちこちから聞こえてきたものです。
To be specific about what has changed, an upper limit was first placed on overtime hours. If you exceed the standard of forty-five hours per month or three hundred sixty hours per year, the HR department now sends a warning email to both the employee and their supervisor. Because staying at the office until the last train was once taken for granted, quite a few employees were thrown off at first. Voices saying "Is it really okay to leave on time when my work isn't finished?" could be heard from all over the office.
私自身、入社一年目の頃は「先輩がまだ働いているのに、自分だけ帰るわけにはいかない」と思い込んでいました。しかし、上司から「定時で帰れる仕事を定時で終わらせるのも実力のうちだ」と言われて以来、考え方を改めるようになりました。実際、夜遅くまで残ったところで集中力は落ちる一方ですし、翌日の生産性も下がってしまうものです。
In my first year at the company, I had convinced myself that "since my seniors are still working, I can't possibly be the only one to go home." However, ever since my supervisor told me, "Finishing work that can be done on time, on time, is also part of being capable," I started to change my way of thinking. In fact, no matter how late you stay, your concentration only declines, and your productivity the next day inevitably drops as well.
フレックスタイム制度が導入されたことも、私の生活を大きく変えました。コアタイムさえ守れば、出社時刻と退社時刻を自分で決められるため、朝の満員電車を避けたい日は十時に出社し、夕方早く帰ることもできます。子育て中の同僚にとっては、保育園の送り迎えと両立できる反面、自己管理が一層求められる制度でもあります。
The introduction of a flextime system also greatly changed my life. As long as you cover the core hours, you can decide your own arrival and departure times, so on days when I want to avoid the packed morning trains, I come in at ten and leave early in the evening. For colleagues raising children, the system lets them balance daycare drop-offs and pickups with work, but on the other hand, it also demands a higher level of self-management.