Bavuudorj Dorjkhand

I joined OC Global in 2018 and took a year of maternity leave starting in 2019. I had been living overseas, but this became more challenging with a small child, so I came back to Japan. After my maternity leave, I stayed here to work at one of OC Global’s group companies. In 2023, I took a second year of maternity leave, and I returned to work in 2024. Now I’m now in charge of all railway projects in India.

Yohei Nishio

I joined OC Global in 2014. In 2021, I was assigned to the Philippines, where my wife gave birth. We came back to Japan after that, and I took one year of paternity leave. In 2023, I went back to work. Like Bavuudorj, I’m also involved in planning overseas railway projects.

Rui Haneda

I joined OC Global in 2017. In 2023, I took four weeks of postpartum leave, followed by around 200 days of paternity leave. I returned to work in 2024, and I currently support the sales department with proposals and a number of other tasks.

Yohei

Before my wife got pregnant, I didn’t think I’d take paternity leave. But after the birth, our baby was waking up every 40 minutes. My wife wasn’t getting enough sleep, and it was taking a real emotional toll on her. I decided to talk with my boss about taking paternity leave, and he told me, “Family comes first.

Rui

I was a member of an I&D committee at OC Global, so I knew about the importance of paternity leave. I thought, if I have a child, I’ll set an example and take paternity leave.

When I went to discuss it with my boss, he was very supportive. There was information about the I&D program on bulletin boards around the office, too, which helped reassure me it would be okay for me to take a long paternity leave.

Bavuudorj

Lately, a lot more of my coworkers have taken parental leave, and I think OC Global makes it easy for men to take leave, too.

I hadn’t even been here a year when I had my first child, so I was very worried about it.
But when I spoke with my boss, I remember being told, “Congratulations! Thanks for telling me.” When I got pregnant for the second time, my boss helped me with the transfer back to Japan.

Rui

The biggest benefit was that I got to spend a lot of time with my child. After my wife returned to work, I became the sole caregiver during the day.

At that time, my child just wouldn’t stop crying, and I realized there are people who develop mental health problems and even end up committing suicide because of the pressures of parenting. When I think about that, I’m glad I took paternity leave.

Yohei

After returning to Japan, my child wouldn’t sleep without being breastfed, so I was responsible for a lot of the other chores at home, like meals, cleaning, and laundry. Paternity leave helped me feel closer to my child, and it was great to be able to have a lot more conversations with my spouse, too.

I noticed that when men take paternity leave people say it’s incredible, but women don’t get any recognition for going on maternity leave. Soon after our baby was born, I realized just how hard it is to take care of a child on your own. I’m glad we were able to share the responsibilities of parenting as a couple.

Bavuudorj

After I came back to work, I was worried about inconveniencing the people on my team if my children got sick and I had to leave work early. But some of my coworkers told me, “It takes a village to raise a child.” That left a big impression on me.

A big part of why I joined OC Global was the comfortable working environment, which was reflected in the company’s policies, such as shorter hours, flextime work, and the programs concerning parenting. Even now, because I’m not stressed at work, or at home, I’m able to enjoy both parenting and work.

Yohei

For me, if my child gets sick while I’m in Japan, I just take time off. OC Global allows employees to work from home nine times a month, so I make good use of those days, for example, if I need to take my child to the doctor.

Rui

I take my child to daycare in the morning and pick them up in the evening, so I leave the office at 5:30pm at the latest. I never thought I’d have this kind of life [laughs]. But, at the same time, I realized I have many coworkers who are also responsible for dropping off and picking up their children. Having a child has helped me see the needs of others more clearly and think about how I can support them, too.

Bavuudorj

Parenting is tough, but kids are really cute. Your colleagues can take over for you at work, but there’s no substitute for you being there for your children. I think taking parental leave, and spending time as a couple with your children while they’re young, is an extremely special time in your life.

Yohei

I think I was really fortunate to have such a great boss at the time. Our company has a caring environment where if you say, “I want to do this,” those in leadership roles will listen to you. I would say to anyone who is considering parental leave, your supervisors are there to listen. You can talk to them about anything.

Rui

I think it’s good for men to think seriously about taking parental leave. OC Global’s policies around I&D and other initiatives have changed a lot over the past five years, and I’m pleased that there’s an environment that supports men taking paternity leave as well.