【Inside beBit ~Focus~】Paternity leave in a new stage of life! Niihara-san
Inside beBit - A project in which we ask 10 questions about a beBit member's work and personal life. This time, we are introducing a new series called “Inside beBit ~Focus~” in which we will delve deeper into those who are working hard to fulfill their own personal experience designs.
For our first installment, we interviewed Niihara-san, our inside sales representative, who took advantage of the paternity leave program!
日本語記事はこちらから！
【Niihara-san’s Profile】
Department・Position：UX Design, Inside Sales
Year Joined：2018
１．Tell us about your career to date
I joined Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd, an electronic components manufacturer, as a new grad in 2017. After 6 months of training in the factory, I was assigned to product planning. In August 2018, I moved to beBit to join a more challenging environment. From August 2018 ~ July 2019, I was an UXD Consultant, from July 2019 ~ April 2021 I was in customer success for USERGRAM, and from April 2021 ~ August 2022 I was the supervisor for USERGRAM inside sales. Then, from August 2022 to May 2023, I took my paternity leave, and in May 2023 I returned and started up Inside Sales dedicated to UXD.
２．Tell us about your family structure
We are a family of three: myself, my wife, and our son. My wife also works full-time, and both of our parents live about 40 minutes away by train.
My mother in law works near our house and comes over occasionally to take care of our son, but typically, my wife and I split the household chores between ourselves.
３．Tell us why you decided to take paternity leave
I had always planned to continue working, even if I had a child, and there were very few men around me who had taken paternity leave.
However, seeing my wife suffering from morning sickness was something more than I had ever imagined. I realized that when she gives birth, her body will take a lot of damage, and she would be in a state of immobility. I realized that it would be impossible to leave childcare and housework to my wife alone in such a state. That’s when I started thinking about paternity leave.
From there, I read various books and internet articles about paternity leave experiences and because of this my fears subsided, so I decided to take the leave.
I think there are typically two concerns about taking paternity leave: money and career.
Firstly, as far as money is concerned, you will receive childcare leave benefits and tax deductions, so you will actually receive about 70~80% of your original pay (although it will decrease after 6 months of leave). Additionally, various allowances related to childbirth are subsidized. As I was aware of this in advance, I planned and saved for our upcoming child, so I had no worries.
As for my career, I had concerns. I felt bad about inconveniencing everyone at work, and I wondered if it would be okay to have that gap in my career.
However, my supervisor told me in advance that I should take childcare leave if I had a child, and that the organization would be designed to manage even if I were to take the leave. This was very significant. As a result, I was able to inform my boss about my intentions to leave 8 months prior, so I was able to hand off my tasks efficiently.
As for the gap in my career, I had read other people’s experiences with paternity leave and understood that even though there is a gap in my career, 1 year or so would not have a huge impact on my long work life.
And, If I was going to take paternity leave, I wanted to take it for the same length of time as my wife and make it a memory of the time we spent together as a family, so I decided to take 9 months off.
４．How did spend your time during your paternity leave
First, housework. I was basically responsible for a majority of it right after the birth. My wife’s body had taken more damage than anticipated, so I had her rest as much as possible.
I also did as much of the childcare as possible, since I could do everything except breastfeed the baby. I think that being able to do childcare on my own at the same level as my wife at this point in my life was significant in the childcare for the rest of my leave. If I had not taken paternity leave and my main focus had been on work, I would inevitably feel like I was “helping” with the childcare. I am very glad that I was able to take childcare leave and experience the full range of housework and childcare so that I could take ownership early on.
Up until my son turned three months old, we took turns sleeping. From 8pm to 12am, I would sleep while my wife would watch our child, and from midnight, my wife would sleep. By taking turns, we were able to secure time to sleep, even when my son was just born. But, after three months, he started sleeping longer, which made it much easier for us.
Neither of us had much free time. As if one of us were to spend free time, the other would have to take care of the child alone. So, typically, we would take care of the child together. But, for example, if there was a movie that both of us wanted to watch, we would take turns to go watch the movie so that we can take care of our stress levels as well.
５．After taking paternity leave, please tell us your feelings about it, such as the difference from what you anticipated.
All I can say is that I’m very glad I took leave. Although paternity leave is becoming more common, there is still only a small portion of people taking it. Because of this, some might not feel the necessity to take paternity leave.
But, if you are able to take the leave, you definitely should. I feel that my bond with my wife was strengthened from taking the leave with her. In addition to being husband and wife, we are now partners who have fought the same fight together.
In order to avoid postpartum depression, I think it is best to take paternity leave if you can and have the experience of taking on the responsibility of housework and childcare.
６．How did you decide on the timing of your return from paternity leave?
The timing of my return wasn’t specifically set when I left. I felt that when I could return would depend on the situation, and my manager also told me that I can decide depending on the situation. Once my leave started, I felt I wanted to treasure my time with my family and took a 9 month leave from August 2022 to May 2023.
The month of April was the transition period for my son to start going to preschool, and I came back to work in May. I was worried about if I’d be able to start working smoothly, but my manager made sure to plan everything so that I can return stress free. In addition, beBit has benefits such as discounts for child illness and babysitting assistance, so I am in an environment where I am supported even if my son gets sick and has to leave from preschool.
７．Please tell us about your daily routine (before and after work) since returning
I am in charge of mornings. Our son wakes up around 6:30 AM, so I make breakfast and prepare for preschool according to this schedule. Around 8:30 AM, I take him to preschool and return home at around 8:50 AM. At 9:00 AM, I start work.
My wife works flex time, so she starts work early in the morning and gets off in the afternoon, so she picks up our son from preschool. I get off of work at 6:00 PM so I take a bath with him, play for a little bit, and put him to sleep. He falls asleep by around 9 PM, so afterwards, I finish household tasks and prepare for the following day, then go to sleep at around 11 PM.
I start childcare at exactly 6 PM, so finishing all my work prior to that time can be tough. But, on the other hand, I feel I’ve become more efficient at my work because of having a set end time.
８．What was the best part and hardest part of taking paternity leave?
The lack of sleep was definitely tough. Especially the first month, even though my wife and I both took leave, my average sleep time was about 4 hours. It was tough.
I also remember that being separated from society was painful as well. The longer I was out of work, the more I wondered if I would ever be able to return to society, and even if I did return, would I be able to play an active role?
It was nice being able to see my child grow first hand, but the best part was definitely being able to allow my wife to get some rest after the child birth. There’s so much to do that after giving birth, I feel it would be impossible to do housework and take care of the child alone. I have a newfound admiration for mothers who take care of everything after they give birth. Anyways, it was nice to have two people working on childcare and housework, as my wife would have been overwhelmed if she had to do it alone.
９．A message to those who are unsure about taking paternity leave
Please, take paternity leave!
As I’ve stated above, mothers are in far worse physical condition than imaginable after child birth, and they need the support.
At beBit, there are a lot of people who have started taking paternity leave. beBit is a workplace where everyone is supportive of you taking paternity leave! If you still have concerns regarding paternity leave, please let me know and I can give you a lot of advice!
１０．Finally, a word from his wife
Thanks to my husband taking paternity leave at the same time as me, we were both able to raise our child at the same level as first-year parents. We were happy and worried about the same things at the same time, and shared many emotions raising our child together. We are husband and wife, but we are also partners who fought the same fight together. I’m very grateful to beBit for allowing us to spend the start of our family together.
This concludes the first article of “Inside beBit ~Focus~”. We hope that this will allow those of you who are considering paternity leave to take that step, and also give you the chance to deepen your understanding of the paternity leave system itself.
Thank you, Niihara-sam, for this wonderful article!