Efforts to support employees to continue working while receiving fertility treatment are increasing among businesses. The Guideline for the Formulation of Action Plan in line with the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children was amended in February 2021 and implemented in April 2021. The amendment added new items that must be included in companies' action plan to support workers to receive fertility treatment and continue work. In April 2024, the Labor Ministry released survey results on problems relating to fertility treatment and work (hereinafter, “the Survey”). This article looks into companies’ support programs for fertility treatment and the government’s subsidy programs.
[1] Support programs for fertility treatment
The Survey was conducted from July to August 2023, targeting companies that have disclosed data on the “Database on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace.” Answers received from 1,859 companies with 10 or more employees (2,000 workers in the case of worker questionnaire survey) have been put together and disclosed.
According to the result, 26.5% of the companies said they have a fertility treatment support program. The most common measure was a program to provide leave of absence for fertility treatment, adopted by 47.8% of the companies. Programs allowing flexible workhours or workplaces for fertility treatment (including teleworking) were implemented by 19.4%, while 14.3% said they had a program allowing workers to go to clinics for fertility treatment during work hours. Among the programs allowing flexible workhours or workplaces, measures providing time off on a half-day or hourly units was most common, followed by teleworking, short-time work, and flextime.
[2] Support subsidy (Fertility treatment work support course)
The government has set up a subsidy course for companies supporting employees to receive fertility treatment and continue to work. The subsidy is granted to small- and medium-sized companies that have taken measures to improve working environment to promote the use of a leave program or other support system for receiving fertility treatment. Conditions of applicable companies and subsidy amounts are as below.
[Conditions]
Companies that have implemented more than one program from the list below and had their employees actually use them
1. Leave program for fertility treatment (either leave for general purpose or specific purpose)
2. Program to limit non-scheduled work
3. Staggered workhour program
4. Shortened workhour program
5. Flextime
6. Teleworking
[Subsidy amounts]
A: Improvement in the working environment, use of leave programs
When a first employee used a leave program or a support program on five occasions --- 300,000 yen
B: Additional amount for extended leave
In the case a company has received A and its employee has taken leave for at least 20 consecutive days for fertility treatment --- 300,000 yen
*One company can receive A and B only once each.
Before applying for a subsidy, companies should inform their employees about their policy regarding the support programs, understand the needs of employees and prescribe the procedure for using the programs in their work rules or other documents. Companies also have to appoint a person in charge of the support measures and draw up a plan for supporting fertility treatment.
In the Labor Ministry’s website is a “manual for establishing a workplace to support employees to receive fertility treatment and continue working” and “the support handbook” for workers who receive fertility treatment, employees and colleagues. Please make use of these documents when considering support programs.
[Reference]
Labor Ministry, “Result of comprehensive survey on the problems relating to fertility treatment and work”
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_39168.html
“To receive fertility treatment and continue working”
