Fukuoka City announced that it will begin a trial run of a work-at-home scheme for city employees who need to care for children or elderly relatives. The City aims to encourage similar schemes in the private sector by taking the lead with this initiative. The only other local government in Kyushu with a work-at-home program is Saga Prefecture. According to the City, 75 employees, many of whom were women, voluntarily resigned last year to care for children or elderly relatives. The City provides unpaid leave for childcare and eldercare, but has been examining ways to improve the workplace environment for women. Employees who work under the new scheme must work at least four days a week using a laptop computer provided by the City, and they must work at least one day a week at their workplace. They will be tasked with data entry and document creation, insofar as the jobs contain no personal information. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 8/11
