A Research by Deloitte: A quarter of women wanting to leave the current employer answered the reason as non-flexible way of working

Tokyo, JAPAN, 7 July 2023

Deloitte Tohmatsu Group (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Group CEO: Kenichi Kimura) is releasing the Japan version of “Women @ Work: A Global Outlook” based on global research by Deloitte from October 2022 to January 2023, following last year’s report.　

This research started since 2021 to articulate overall challenges on working environment, satisfaction, outlook, and initiatives for working women. 5,000 working women participated in the survey across 10 countries, from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, South Africa, U.K., and U.S., in addition to Japan. Japan version focuses on the trends from 500 working women in Japan and compares them to the global numbers.

Flexibility at work leads to intention to stay with the current employer with higher loyalty

“Lack of flexibility around when I work” was the biggest reason for Japanese women wanting to leave the current employer (26%). The research also showed that flexiblity at work leads to higher retention, as 28% of women with high flexibility showed their intentions to stay with the current employer for more than 5 years while only 1% answered so when it comes to women with no flexibility at work.

Women with high flexibility at work also scored higher in “loyalty to employer” by 12 points, compared to women with no flexibility at work. 

Flexibility at work is one of the keys to improve women’s retention at work by looking at the main reason for wanting to leave/intention to stay with the current employer and loyalty. However, more than 90% women answered “flexible working opportunities does affect the promotion” and “workload will not be adjusted accordingly even if requesting flexible working option” just like the result from last year. This articulates the challenges for women in achieving both flexible working and successful career.   
 

Menstruation leave has accessibility issues though legalized, while organizational support still lacks in menopause

49% of women answered “extremely important” or “very important” for organizations to offer paid leave for menstruation, while majority of organizations in Japan are not paying for menstruation leave as menstruation leave is legalized in Japan but with no wage-related specifications. ^*1

50% of women also answered that paid leave for menopause is important just like menstruation leave, while it is not legalized yet. Menopause (11%) was bigger factor in the resignation cases due to the lack of organizational support, compared to menstruation (3%).

Generation affected by menopause often overlaps with generation for managerial positions, and it is one of the areas organizations should offer further support.
 

Compared to the global average, more women answered that they “work through any pain/symptoms” in Japan ([menstruation] global: 40%, Japan: 44％) ([menopause] global: 20％, Japan: 35％). Considering the fact that Japan has legal menstruation leave, having the leave system for menstruation and menopause is not enough just like flexible way of working in the previous chapter.
 

Not only installing systems but also enabling culture are required to support workstyle and healthcare for women.

This research indicates that providing flexible way of working and support for female-specific healthcare is effective in women’s retention and leadership and is required for organizations to work on those initiatives to create sustainable workplace for women. However, organizations are required to understand and take actions not only installing those systems but also ensuring inclusive culture to embrace both supporting systems and successful career at the same time.

For details, please check the report from the link below.　
The Full Report for Japan version
The Global Report