Toyota Readies Work-at-Home Scheme

Toyota Motor Corp. is preparing to launch a program at its headquarters in Nagoya that will allow some 25,000 white-collar employees to work almost entirely at home.

The plan targets employees in such areas as accounting, human resources, sales and engineering who have been with the company for at least five years, according to The Nikkei. The scheme will enable qualified staffers to come to the office for as few as two hours per week.

To enhance data security, work-at-home employees will be issued computers that function only as terminals for a cloud-based computing network. The system is designed to ensure no data is left in the PC when its user logs out.

Toyota says the plan is designed to help retain highly skilled employees by enabling them to better care for their families, including elderly parents. The Nikkei cites a government report that says about 100,000 Japanese workers per year quit or change jobs so they can care for their children or relatives.

Another government study says the ratio of Japanese companies with some form of telecommuting plan for employees rose to nearly 12% by the end of 2014 from 2% in 2000.