Our work style

Employees can work remotely once a week if they wish. They can work anywhere they like for the day of remote work such as at home, cafes, libraries, etc. Choosing Mondays or Fridays as a remote workday lets you take more of the long weekend trips you’ve always wanted. Or, designating Wednesdays as a remote workday can help balance your week overall. Many staff like the system because they are able to focus on their writing or tasks that require concentration without any disruptions on the remote workday. Additionally, on these days, employees can choose to start work early and, therefore, finish up early. This gives them opportunities for more free time after work.

Full time employees are able to choose to work 4 days a week. The one non-workday can be used for any purpose, including side jobs, hobbies, parenting, professional development, relaxing and more. Currently, multiple employees take advantage of this option.

Employees are able to work “jitan” style if they wish. The working hours are flexible between 8:00am and 7:00pm. This allows employees to choose the best schedule to fit their lifestyles. About half of full time employees, particularly those who have children, choose this work style.

The paid volunteer leave system allows employees to take time off of work in order to serve the community. Four days of this leave yearly are granted to full time employees. For example, in 2019, one employee served a community which suffered damage from a typhoon.

Peer Bonus is a system through which all employees give bonuses to each other. Recently, it has been introduced in more corporations as a means to boost employee motivation and satisfaction at work. Harch’s original Peer Bonus system, GIFT, utilizes blockchain to provide employee rewards. Multiple media outlets covered this cutting-edge workplace innovation.

To promote socialization among all staff, complementary employee lunch outings are held monthly in randomly selected groups of 3 or 4 members. All staff are shuffled, giving everyone the opportunity to communicate across departments or teams. 1,500 yen per person for each lunch is compensated by the company. The restaurant and date are chosen collectively by each group, allowing employees to explore a variety of local dining options.

Employees who commute by bicycle are compensated for the bike parking and provided with an additional 5,000 yen monthly stipend. Biking to work not only reduces the carbon footprint, but also promotes physical health and well-being. Employees who commute from locations near the office are encouraged to take advantage of this benefit.

Because the company does not require large-scale facilities or stock management, talent is Harch’s most valuable asset. Harch fully understands and supports each employee’s career goals and actively invests in their education by offering financial support. The professional development stipend may comprise full or half of an educational expense, depending on the study content and the total expense. Stipends offered include:

Influenza vaccination fees are compensated once every flu season, up to 4,000 yen per person. This applies to every employee and their children. Compensating employees’ children reduces the likelihood that working parents will require one week off to care for children if they get the flu.

Hiring babysitters to look after children makes working extra hours or taking business trips possible for employees, when necessary. Up to 10,000 yen monthly is compensated to hire babysitters for professional purposes.