Why Having Time Off Doesn't Make Things Easier | For Those Working in the Workplace
I believe that time off is important.
The system is well-established, and
if you apply for it,
it will be approved unless something extraordinary happens.
In that sense,
I think it is an environment where it is easy to take time off.
However,
when you are actually working,
there are times when I feel that having time off and
feeling relieved by taking time off
are two different things.
If someone takes time off,
the work they would have done
will be taken on by someone else somewhere.
When doing the same tasks,
if there is always someone absent,
as a result,
you end up managing the work
on the assumption that there is a vacancy.
Instead of handling 100 units of work
with 100 people,
it feels like you are managing it by pushing it to 110 somewhere.
As you continue,
you might get used to that state.
What you initially felt was a burden
eventually
becomes the norm.
However,
it doesn't mean the workload has decreased,
It is also the case that those who are doing the work are simply absorbing the burden.
Once you get used to that state,
then,
when one more person leaves,
you start to feel the sudden increase in the load.
It may be closer to the feeling that,
rather than having a state of margin,
a state of having no margin has become the standard.
Amidst this,
even though you can take time off,
the reason you feel it is somehow difficult to do so
is not so much a problem with the system,
but rather that the response mechanism for when someone is absent
is not properly established.
Adjusting within the same department.
That in itself is necessary, but
there are times when that alone
has its limits.
That is precisely why
I feel that a mechanism for handling work
that assumes absence is necessary.
For example,
a function to handle initial responses when the person in charge is away,
or to provide guidance on progress.
Even if you don't have to take on everything,
if there is a place that can at least handle the initial response,
both the person taking time off
and those remaining behind
It should become a little easier to manage.
Nowadays,
we live in an era where we can exchange data.
Instead of moving people,
by moving projects and information,
I think it is possible to separate some of the tasks.
Also,
for things like providing guidance when a person in charge is absent or
explaining progress,
regarding routine interactions,
there should be many parts that can be supported by AI.
"The person in charge is currently absent,"
"I will get back to you after checking,"
"The current status is..."
Instead of having people perform these responses from scratch every time,
supporting them as a system.
Just by separating what should be judged by people and what can be supported by a system,
I think the burden on the workplace will change.
It is important to improve the leave system, but,
assuming that people will be absent,
how to support that burden.
This is the key to creating a workplace where people can take time off with peace of mind.
It is time to rethink how we work.
Unless you consider everything up to that point,
the hardships on the front lines,
I think, will rarely change.
AI is,
a mechanism for solving problems.
Instead of filling the void of someone's absence,
solely with the efforts of others,
support it with a system.
If we can use it in that way,
both those who take time off,
and those who remain,
I feel that things might become a little easier.
In closing
I believe it is also important to support,
the burdens felt on the front lines,and the parts that change through words and responses,
as a system.
I believe this is important.
Including that perspective,
I am sharing this information.
I would be happy if you came to read again.