The Toyota Motor Corp. logo. will be on display in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo on March 9.
01:00 JST, June 30, 2024
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to implement a new work system this year that will allow some administrative and technical employees not directly involved in production to take three days off a week, it has been learned.
Their total working hours and salary levels will not be changed. The new system aims to increase employee motivation and retain skilled workers by allowing them to choose their working days as they see fit.
Currently, Toyota uses a flextime system where working hours are staggered, but a minimum of 2 hours per day. The new system will eliminate this minimum and instead allow employees to work longer on some days, allowing them to have more days off while maintaining the same total working hours.
The new system will mainly apply to administrative functions, such as sales, purchasing and accounting, but also to technical functions, such as software, vehicle development and quality control. The labor and management sides of the company plan to discuss work assignments, evaluation methods and other details before the system launches.
Toyota wants to make its work system more flexible and encourage employees to work independently, which increases their motivation.
However, there is concern that employees will extend their workdays to take more days off. To prevent this, the company plans to encourage employees to take well-planned paid vacation days. It will also try not to impose excessive burdens on employees; for example, overtime that exceeds a certain number of hours is not covered by this system.
Companies, especially large corporations, are increasingly introducing systems that allow employees to take three or more days off per week if they wish, while placing greater emphasis on performance. In the auto industry, competition for automated driving and electric vehicles is increasing, so Toyota plans to use the new work system to recruit and retain capable workers.
