News Room
Zpryme and Delegates from Japan Meet to Discuss Work, Life, Balance Practices in the U.S.
Posted by: Zpryme
in News Room
Austin, TX (Zpryme Advisory) – 06/17/09 – Japanese delegates were invited by the U.S. Department of State to participate in a two day (January 15 - 16) event at the offices of International Hospitality Council of Austin to explore Work and Life Balance Issues in the United States – A Project for Japan.
On the second day of the event Zpryme was invited to participate in a Q&A session in light of its broad research on Work, Life, Balance and Work, Life, Balance Quality Control. Other organizations invited to contribute that have progressive Work, Life, Balance practices in place were: National Instruments, Austin Asian-American Chamber of Commerce (AAACC), Texas Workforce Commission, University of Texas at Austin - McCombs School of Business and Texas Association of School Boards. Engaging in the Work, Life, Balance Q&A session were: Mr. Kazuhiro FUKUDA and Mr. Osamu OHNU from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan with Mr. Yasuaki ITO from the Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office of Japan accompanied by U.S. Department of State Interpreter, Mr. Takeshi Iida with Zpryme Directors Mark Ishac and Jason S. Rodriguez. Several excellent questions were raised by the Japanese delegates such as, “…what are U.S. government Work, Life, Balance incentives for the private sector?” and “… how does productivity improve in the course of Work, Life, Balance?”. Direct responses by Zpryme ranged from the evolution of “flexibility” in the office given the current economy to how Work, Life, Balance benefits affect both genders.
What started out as a rehearsed presentation of research findings quickly transitioned to a fruitful team effort across cultures. In effect, Zpryme would like to express appreciation to both the Japanese delegate's keen receptiveness and International Hospitality Council of Austin’s warm welcome.
The International Leadership Program was sponsored by U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in collaboration with local sponsor International Hospitality Council of Austin. Administration of the Austin-based event was completed by The Meridian International Center’s team - Amal Morcos and Karina Akel with host Pam Mohomed of the International Hospitality Council of Austin.
INTERNATIONAL VISITOR RELATIONSHIP PROGRAM OBJECTIVES:
The Department of State has outlined the following specific objectives for the participants:
- Policies and best practices for work-life balance at the state and local levels;
- The impact of work-life balance on the health of workers, their families, employers, and communities;
- The role of workplace flexibility in eliminating, limiting, or preventing injury and disease, creating social and physical environments that promote healthy behaviors;
- Policies and/or guidelines in the workplace established for telecommuting, flex time, child care, elderly care, and paternity/maternity leave; and
- The system of performance evaluations and salary increases.
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Additional Resources Available At:
www.exchanges.state.gov
www.ihcaustin.com
www.meridian.org
www.meti.go.jp
