Providing an environment where employees can reach their full potential

For employees to demonstrate their maximum value as personnel and enthusiastically play an active role, it is essential to have a supportive working environment. To that end, in addition to supporting the physical, mental, and social health of employees, we are further expanding our system enabling flexible working styles according to the circumstances of each employee regardless of time or place, and we are making various efforts to facilitate balancing of work, childcare, and nursing care.

Employee health and wellness in an age of longer lifespans

In order to promote operational efficiency and eliminate overwork, Mizuho is focusing on making materials paperless and has designated days where all employees are encouraged to leave the office on time. Also, from October 2022 we will stop the discretionary labor system for employees involved in operational planning and change to a working style that is more conscious of efficiency, thereby promoting a more supportive working environment.

With regard to initiatives related to improving mental health, we provide training for all employees to deepen their understanding of stress and encourage self–care, and hold training for managers to promote an awareness and understanding of the mental health of themselves and their employees.

In collaboration with the Dai–ichi Life Group, we have developed "Healstep", a next-generation health business promotion service. "QOLism", an app which is a part of this service, is capable of automatically linking with wearable devices, recording meals, and sending exercise videos, and also enables users to participate in walking events. The app is used by many employees as a support tool for adopting healthy lifestyle habits in a fun way.

Flexible working styles that suit each individual's lifestyle

Mizuho is working to improve the environments in which employees work. This includes allowing employees to work from home according to their individual work circumstances, and setting up satellite offices where employees can work without commuting to the office in an environment that is essentially equivalent to that of the office. With regard to working hours, we have introduced flextime work, staggered working hours, and 3– or 4–day work weeks that enable more flexible working styles. We are also promoting the use of paid leave, and employees are able to use paid leave in half–day increments up to 32 times per fiscal year.

Support for balancing life events and career

Mizuho has established systems exceeding legal requirements so that employees balancing childcare or aging family member care with their work can continue working, and we are developing measures for those who balance childcare and work with a focus on career development. For example, we hold periodic interviews between employees and managers before the employee returns to work, during their childcare leave, and after the return to work, and hold seminars by external lecturers on the topic of long–term career development for employees who have returned to work. Because an employee survey identified that there was high demand for a network of people who are balancing work with such life events, from fiscal 2021 we also launched "Work–Life Balance Radio", a 30–minute show during the lunch break that features talks with role models and answers to listener questions.

Promoting planned childcare leave for men is also improving productivity and working environments in the workplace as a whole, as well as contributing to the promotion of women's active participation in the workplace and to talent acquisition. In addition to conducting e–learning for all employees and "New Dad Seminars" for men, we are ensuring an environment in which it is easy for both men and women to take childcare leave by promoting understanding among not only applicable employees, but also their managers and employees around them.