Konishi: Use of the flexible working scheme is increasing throughout Sony, but the rate of usage among employees of the Development Division is still relatively low compared with other workplaces. I've heard that employees in planning and clerical work often use it, but I believe they can do much of their work using note PCs as their tools. Since we are working on the design of digital camera assemblies, we have to be able to see the physical components and use CAD, neither of which is possible at home. Moreover, groups of several people work on designing a single digital camera, so it is often more efficient to discuss matters on the spot when putting together the components that we each work on individually.

Matsuhashi: For that very reason, task management is vitally important when adopting flexible work time. The secret is to separate work that can only be done in the company from work that can be done at home, and to uncouple those segments of work that can be done at home from work that normally can only be done at the company. Thought processes like this are extremely important, and infuse our daily work with a vitality all its own. They change our attitudes towards work, and are effective in acquiring flexible work time on a planned and continuous basis.

Konishi: If schedules and tasks can be managed as Matsuhashi-san describes, it should be possible to figure out ways of using flexible working even for development work. There is plenty of work that can be done at home around once a month, including analyses using Excel and preparing materials.

Nagase: That's true. I can also accomplish a great deal of that sort of work on flexible workdays, which are ideally suited to individual work. I think it is a great scheme because I can really concentrate without other departmental colleagues speaking to me, making it highly efficient and enabling me to complete a lot of work much faster.

Matsuhashi: On the other hand, the disadvantage is that I cannot handle physical items, as Konishi-san said earlier. I've had the irritating experience where I took work home with me because I did not think I would need to look at physical objects, only to find that I could not complete the work because once I started I found I had to check on the items themselves. I think there is room for solutions, although the problem of not being able to use network environments or CAD remains, but I am not aware of any other disadvantages.

Konishi: I do my work in the living room, so I sometimes find it difficult to concentrate once my child gets home in the evening. I worry about what staffers in my department think when I'm on the phone to them and my child is being noisy in the background. When I'm in the company, however, I spend a lot of time in meeting rooms, and it is difficult for people to get hold of me when they need to discuss things. It is actually easier for staffers to reach me on flexible workdays because they can quickly contact me using online communications tools.

Matsuhashi:You can contact people fast, so it's easier to talk to them.

Nagase: Using online communications to speak to two or three people is convenient, but there are problems participating in larger meetings. The other day, I took part online in a meeting where everyone but me was physically present. I was able to discuss things during conversations, but got the timing wrong for making comments, and was unable to keep up with the discussion.

Konishi: Actually, when I took part online in a meeting one time I was unable to read the general mood in the gathering. You tend to get slightly behind the conversation online, and there are times when you end up not knowing who you're talking to. Participating in meetings online on flexible workdays is actually rather difficult. That said, I think that using online meetings will get easier as communications tools evolve, the number of online participants increases, and meeting management procedures improve.

Matsuhashi: I believe the necessary tools will evolve once online meetings become more common. Handling meetings should also become smoother when meetings are conducted on the premise that some participants are online.

Nagase: I became aware of the advantages of flexible working the first time I tried it. I think a surprising number of people working in development have likely never tried flexible working because they do not think they need it. When they consider it for the first time, they may feel there are too many hurdles to overcome. But once they try it, I think they will understand the benefits and convenience of flexible working, making it easier to do it again. For this reason, I would like to see everyone adopt a more relaxed attitude towards it.

Matsuhashi: In my view, people should try flexible working several times before deciding whether they should or should not use it, or whether it suits them or not. Using it just once or twice is not enough to judge whether it is inefficient or doesn't suit you. I suspect there may also be emotional reasons for not using the flexible work scheme. Once you get a sense of security from working when you are in the company, it may well be difficult to feel you are working efficiently at home, away from the company. To change this mindset, it is essential to continue taking flexible worktime and using your ingenuity.

Konishi: Hearing what Matsuhashi-san had to say made me suspect that people who have never tried flexible working do not understand what sort of work they should do at such times. I believe that such people would find it easier if they approached working at home as if they are on a business trip. When you go on a business trip, you know there is work you cannot do at your destination, but I think you will be able to work efficiently if you make systematic preparations and use flexible working to accomplish work that you have planned in advance. I'd like to see such people approach flexible worktime as if they are going on a one-day business trip.
Since flexible working serves as a means of broadening your lifestyle and making it richer, I think it will lead to a more expansive workstyle if you can take a more relaxed approach to using it.