Focus
Focus7 | Prevent workers’ leave of their jobs to care family members against one’s will SEGA SAMMY Style Approach
Literacy development seminar
to stop their leave and establishing nursing care support systems
Interview
(Left)
Katsuyoshi Teramae
SEGASAMMY HOLDINGS
General Manager
Gaming Business Development Department
Gaming Business Division
（Center）
Yuki Kobayashi
SEGASAMMY HOLDINGS
Public Health Nurse
Health Management Center
Shared Services Department
Human Resource Development Division
（Right）
Yuko Takayanagi
SEGASAMMY HOLDINGS
Industrial Counselor, Workplace Adjustment Assistant (job coach), Employment Counselor for People with Disabilities
Communication Team
Sustainability Communication Department
Sustainability Division
The SEGA SAMMY GROUP is committed to improving the health and well-being of its employees, which is an important management issue, and has formulated the Health Management Declaration. SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS has been recognized as a “2024 Certified KENKO Investment for Outstanding Organizations Recognition Program (Large enterprise category)”*1 in recognition of its efforts, including health measures based on the results of health checkups.
By 2025, the so-called “baby boomers” will be over 75 years old, and that accounts for one in six people in Japan, creating a “super-aged society.” Accordingly, the number of people requiring nursing care will increase, accompanied by an increase in the number of people caring for family members. The SEGA SAMMY GROUP considers it important to support our employees involved in caregiving, shares its information, and proceeds establishing its policy. It is promoted by Human Resource Development Division and the Sustainability Division.
This time they conducted seminars on caregiving within the company. We interviewed the person in charge of the seminar about the seminar and prospects. Also, an employee who uses the caregiving support program talked about how he manages his work and caregiving while employed.
Conducting two types of seminars to improve employees' literacy of caregiving
An online seminar to help people acquire its literacy
Ms. Takayanagi
As part of DEI, the SEGA SAMMY GROUP is working to create a comfortable working environment in which all employees can maximize their potential and work actively. The support of caregiving is no exception. Everyone can be involved in caregiving, and it begins suddenly unlike childbirth or childcare. Therefore, we held an online seminar on "Balancing Work and Caregiving," intending to provide employees with the literacy to cope with caregiving without panicking when it starts. The seminar was open to all employees regardless of age or position and was held during the lunch hour to encourage more employees to attend. We invited a lecturer from outside our company. Based on the actual experience as a caregiver, the lecturer explained the basics of what to do and where to go for advice once employees become a caregiver, as well as what to consider preventing workers’ leave of their jobs against their will. The seminar helped lighten the psychological burden by learning about the initial response to caregiving and gave us an image of balancing work and caregiving . An archive is posted on the company intranet for those unable to attend the event.
Unique to the entertainment company! Video series in which an internal VTuber shares the knowledge of caregiving
Ms. Kobayashi
The Human Resource Development Division has produced a video series in which an in-house VTuber presents "useful information to prepare for nursing care" and posts it on the intranet. We made the video about 8 minutes long so that employees can watch it easily during work hours. The second video has already been released and will continue to be produced one movie approximately every two months. The video series provide a wide range of information employees should know before caregiving begins, such as how to access the Community Comprehensive Support Center , procedures for using the nursing care insurance costs associated with caregiving, activities to prevent caregiving, and how to be mentally prepared. The purpose is to reduce the number of people who leave their job against their will or give up on their careers because of caregiving. We want employees who will be providing caregiving in the future to gain knowledge now and have a positive attitude which is that they can work without any concerns while providing caregiving. The Vtuber can make an uniqueness of an entertainment company as Sega Sammy. We believe this was the best choice to help as many people as possible understand the nursing care system, which is difficult to understand.
*2 At the time of the interview (March 2024)
We want many employees to be interested in caregiving! Thoughts of the person in charge of conducting the in-house seminar
The Sustainability Division felt the response of improved literacy
Sustainability Division got a confidence in improving the literacy of caregiving
Ms. Takayanagi
I was so anxious until we announced the seminar because I thought that people would think caregiving was a gloomy topic and it would be difficult to attract employees. Contrary to my anxiousness, however, applications came in immediately after we made an announcement. I was surprised at how many people wanted to know about caregiving. As a result, the seminar attracted far more participants than expected.
Many participants recommended the seminar to others after attending. I was even asked to give some materials for the seminar to share with the coworkers. I was thrilled that the participants were satisfied with the seminar. The number of views of the archive has exceeded 1,000, and I have a confidence that employees’ care literacy has improved.
We want to continue to hold seminars which employees can satisfy with, so we are developing plans with various ideas. What we are considering is a seminar tailored to the information that each position requires. In addition to literacy improvement seminars for all employees, we are thinking that seminars for managers, consulted by their team members about balancing work and caregiving, are also needed. This is because if managers have knowledge about caregiving, they can guide their team members so that they do not leave their jobs to care to care family members.
In addition to seminars, we have set up a page about caregiving on the intranet. As caregivers must have little time to gather information, we would like to make this page as useful as possible so that they can easily check legal changes and company regulations.
The Human Resource Development Division took on the challenge of creating a caregiving course by an internal VTuber to attract more employees.
Ms. Kobayashi
Before joining SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS, I worked as a public health nurse at the Community Comprehensive Support Center. This experience help me pick up information that I want employees to know about caregivng when deciding the themes of the courses. There was an idea to provide information in "print," but in order to make more people "want to see" the information, we decided to challenge to create a course using an internal VTuber. This was a new attempt, but I had heard that SEGA SAMMY's corporate culture was "no restrictions on how to communicate," so I was sure there would be no opposition. That said, I was relieved when it was approved.
Although we decided to use VTuber, I had absolutely no experience creating VTuber videos or avatars myself, so I asked SEGA SAMMY’s group company, to help with video production and character design. It was very difficult to set up the character, but I asked my colleagues at work and the designers at the group companies for their input, and we created a character that fits the image of the SEGA SAMMY GROUP. That is how Sailor was born.
One of the innovations regarding the characters was to create a name, appearance, and voice that would not make people aware of their gender. We felt that if a female character explained caregiving, it would be tied to the preconceived notion that caregiving is something women do. As we have created this character with a lot of attention to detail, we would like to use it to disseminate information outside caregiving.
－Sailor－
・The name “Sailor” was derived from the word “sailor,” which means someone who provides valuable information to employees as a guide on the voyage of life.
・The design is in keeping with the “GRAND HARBOR” motif of the reception at SEGA SAMMY’s headquarters, which is based on images of travel and voyages.
・Wearing an outfit that was made by referencing the dress worn by the reception staff.
・The color of the eyes is SEGA SAMMY blue and green.
Although we put much effort into character creation, the most challenging part of creating the video was keeping the information concise. As I was involved in various cases in the field of nursing care, I have much to share. However, instead of including everything, I listened to what information the people around us wanted to know and devised the content and the way to convey it. As a result, we received positive feedback from those who watched the video, saying they were glad to have gained knowledge.
We aim to improve care literacy throughout the SEGA SAMMY GROUP first with a series of introductory videos that can be viewed easily. After that, I hope to be able to provide information that only I can pass on because I have been in the nursing care field, such information that cannot be found by searching the Internet. Laws and systems are constantly changing, so we are always trying to catch up and update the information we provide.
Practicing remote work while caregiving for the family! Voice of the employee who is using the Caregiving Support Program
How do caregiving employees feel about the changes in their working style and the company’s support system? Mr. Teramae, who has been using the select-location system (which allows employees to choose where they work) for about two years, responded to the interview.
The system was established after he faced caring for his a parent and consulted his supervisor
Mr. Teramae
Four years ago, my father, who lives in Osaka, had a stroke and needed nursing care. My mother and sister took the lead in caring for him, but living in Yokohama then, I was worried about what I could do if something unexpected happened that my mother and sister could not handle alone. I was worried because I lived far away from home, and it would not be possible for me to rush to the family home immediately.
At that time, I thought to myself, “Now is the time for me to be filial to my parents.” For some time, I had wanted to return to Osaka after my retirement to be of filial piety to my parents, but the timing was hastened when my father had a stroke. “If I miss this opportunity, I will definitely regret it.” Then I thought, “I should have the courage to ask the company if they would allow me to work remotely in Osaka.”
I thought remote work was possible because, in the project I was involved in at the time, all communication with overseas companies was conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I was unsure if remote work for caregiving
would be approved, so I anxiously consulted with my immediate executive director. Then the director readily agreed, saying, “Compared to systems related to childbirth and childcare, systems for long-term care are not yet in place. If you take the lead in laying down the rails, it will be a plus for the company, so we would love to have you do it.”
I later learned that the company was just at that time discussing introducing the select-time system, in which employees can select when to work, and the select-location system, in which employees can select where to work. I was told that I would be the first person in the program, and the Human Resource Development Division immediately approached me, and a select-location system was put in place. I was shocked at the speed of the process.
I am now based in Osaka, working while caring for my father with my mother, sister, and wife. I basically come to the SEGA SAMMY head office in Tokyo twice a month. However, when a project reaches the busiest part, I consult the department members and may come to work more than twice a month when necessary. Over the past two years since moving to Osaka, I have gradually gained a better understanding of caregiving. Recently, I finally feel that I have established a routine in my life of working while caring for my family.
I want to create a path for those who follow by showing that we can change the way we work and still achieve results
I think SEGA SAMMY GROUP’s caregiving support programs, such as the select-location system, are excellent programs. I am genuinely grateful that my thought of "wanting to be filial to my parents" was accepted and the system was put in place, and I am happy that I consulted with the company. In addition, remote work has been made possible because my family was convinced to move the base of our life from Yokohama to Osaka. I can only be grateful for the company's and my family's understanding that allowed me to work this way.
Because I have the support of so many people, I consider it my mission to achieve solid results in my work. I want to ensure that there is no loss in productivity and proudly say, "I can balance work and caregiving.” If the caregiving support program's users achieve proper results, the program should be spread to other employees. My boss told me to lay down the rails, and I intend to lead those who follow.
As in my case, caregiving begins suddenly. I had not gathered any information beforehand, so when the caregiving started, I was sometimes stunned because I did not know what to do. Everyone will face caregiving eventually. Don't think it's too far off yet, but gather information at seminars and other events. I think many people will wonder, as I did, whether they can work while caring for their family members once caregiving starts. Caregiving support programs are available for those with such concerns, and I encourage them to take advantage of them.
Supporting our diverse human resources to play an active role by establishing systems that allow employees to choose their working hours and location flexibly
In this issue, we shared a person in charge of disseminating information on caregiving, including seminars, and the voice of an employee who works while providing caregiving.
The SEGA SAMMY GROUP has established systems to prevent career fragmentation and unwanted leave from work so that a diverse range of human resources can play an active role. The select-time and select-location systems allow employees to choose working hours and locations according to individual circumstances, such as childcare or caregiving.
With regard to support for balancing caregiving and work, we have implemented measures that exceed legal requirements in terms of the duration of caregiving leave and the hours to use shortened working hours for caregiving. We have various support systems in place to help employees balance work and caregiving so that the financial burden of caring for family members and the physical burden of returning home can be alleviated as much as possible.*3
SEGA SAMMY GROUP’s mission is “Constantly Creating, Forever Captivating—Making Life More Colorful.” The company’s sustainability vision is “Sustainability helps keep life colorful .” It is important to create a safe working environment where employees can understand each other regardless of whether they care for the family. To this end, the SEGA SAMMY GROUP will continue to develop its caregiving-related initiatives.