Series: Tackling Work-Life Balance (26)
Still in the process of trial and error
N.A.
Full-time Staff
Office of Information and Public Relations
On days off, I go glamping and camping with my dog.
Before I became a university employee, I worked in an industry that is generally known for its overtime work. When friends invited me out for drinks, I would reply rudely, “Hmm, I’ll go if I can! I think that I was rather proactive in tackling work that fell on me after hours and working on holidays on short notice.
As for me now, I work shortened hours, and spend my weekday evenings and weekends focusing on my son, who is in the first grade of elementary school. My days are completely different from the days when I worked until the morning, and apprehensively waited to hear back from work even after coming home and on holidays.
It is difficult to change one’s working style immediately, and I remember I had a hard time when I first started my new job. At the School of Commerce, where I was first assigned, I was in charge of admissions and public relations for the business school, but the evening courses sometimes started late at night, and combined with my own lack of skills, I tended to work a lot of overtime.
However, while many entrance examinations and PR-related events are held on weekends, being able to adjust my schedule in advance and set up make-up holidays was a big change. I think I was given a period of time to gradually adjust my work-life balance, as I have been able to devote more time to calligraphy. In my previous job, I used to skip the once-a-month practice.
However, the biggest influence on my current working style is still pregnancy and childbirth. During my pregnancy, I had heavy morning sickness, and to be honest, I was very confused. I used to think, “If I do my best, I can make it work! but I couldn’t do it in the first place. I would get sick on the way to work and have to get off halfway, making it difficult to get to work, and even when I did get to work, I couldn’t get any work done because my stomach was upset. Around that time, I was reassigned to the Academic Affairs Section of the Faculty of Commerce and the Institute of Commerce, and felt ashamed of myself for not being able to help in any way.
My son and I go out with matching umbrellas. He is still a cute first grader who is happy to be matched with his mother.
Nevertheless, I managed to get through it all because of the support I received from the system, such as pregnancy hospital leave and pregnancy disability leave, the support of my family, and most importantly, the support of my boss and colleagues at the time. I can’t tell you how much my colleagues at the time helped me… There are times when you can’t help yourself even if you try your best, and I am grateful to have the help of those around me at such times. It is a matter of course, but I have come to realize that once again, and I think I gradually shifted to a way of working where I do what I can do without overworking myself beyond what is necessary.
Even after returning to work after taking a childcare leave, I felt like breaking down many times when I saw my son clinging to my legs with tears in his eyes at the entrance to the daycare center, or when I could not work as much as I wanted because I ran out of time, or when my son fell ill and was hospitalized for a long period of time. My husband came home late and went on long business trips, so I sometimes felt depressed because I felt like I was raising a child all by myself. But I would talk to my coworkers about it during lunch breaks, and before I knew it, I was feeling much better. It was a great thing for me to have so many senior employees and comrades in child-rearing at work.
When my son was just one year old, I was selected for the first time for an exhibition at Nitten (the most popular art organization in Japan).
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult at times, there have been some positive changes, such as my husband working from home more and spending more time at home. We have gradually achieved a better balance as a family. For example, we frequently share the responsibility for picking up and dropping off our child from school and his lessons using an app calendar, my husband is in charge of our son on my calligraphy practice days, I am in charge of taking our son on local outings when my husband is away on business, and we take the dog camping as a family when we have a day off. In terms of work, I was transferred to the Public Relations Division for the first time in June, and I am enjoying working here because there are many coworkers raising children in the office, which is very helpful in terms of working styles.
It seems that the days of trial and error will still continue, but I would like to continue to live my life as a staff member, thinking about what I can do and not overlooking any opportunities to help someone else.
<Brief Personal History>
After graduating from Waseda University, she worked in the mass media industry before joining the University in April 2013, where she was in charge of Admissions and Public Relations for the Business School at the Faculty of Commerce, as well as Academic Affairs and Study Abroad at the Faculty of Commerce and the Graduate School of Commerce. Since June 2022, she has been in charge of International Public Relations and Research Public Relations at the Public Relations Division of the Public Relations Office.
