Square Enix to offer permanent work-from-home program as of December 1

Square Enix, which currently has a work-from-home system in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will officially offer a permanent work-from-home program to all executive officers and employees as of December 1, the company announced.

This program will become the permanent core of Square Enix’s work system, and is not limited to its current pandemic control measures. Through this, Square Enix aims to implement a flexible and diverse work environment, as well as bolster productivity and create an optimal work-life balance for its employees.

In addition to expanding its staff’s employment options, the system will enable Square Enix to acquire more diverse human resources, as well as establish a system that can respond to unexpected events such as disasters or changes in employment models.

By adopting “a new style of working for a new world,” Square Enix will enable its staff to be more creative as it continues to provide content and services that live up to the expectations of users around the world, increasing its value as a company.

Find further details below.

Work-From-Home Program

Providing customers with unforgettable entertainment requires creativity and productivity. Moreover, the nature of the work involved demands consistent, robust security. As such, the Work-From-Home Program will combine “home-based” and “office-based” models.

Square Enix will designate each employee as either “home based” (working an average of at least three days per week from home) or “office based” (working an average of at least three days per week from the office). In general, all eligible employees will be designated as “home based.” Division heads will designate some positions or individual employees as “office based” as dictated by the nature of the work involved.

Status changes will be allowed on a monthly basis depending upon the intensity of an employee’s duties. Square Enix expects approximately 80% of employees to be home based in December, the first month of the program’s implementation.

• Program Name: Work-From-Home Program
• Eligible Companies:
  • Square Enix Co., Ltd.
  • Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
  • Luminous Productions Co., Ltd.
• Start Date: December 1, 2020

Reasons for Program Implementation

Square Enix had for some time been exploring options for enabling greater flexibility in working styles when the COVID-19 outbreak occurred. In response, Square Enix implemented a series of measures starting in February 2020 that included enabling work from home, staggered working hours, and online conferencing.

Following a sustained period with these measures in place, Square Enix conducted a survey in June that demonstrated that roughly 80 percent of employees had a positive view of work from home. Square Enix also carefully considered a wide range of opinions from businesses as diverse as games, publication, and music regarding the practicality of work from home. This program was finalized based on those considerations. By enabling the option of monthly status changes rather than establishing blanket rules regarding who works from home and who from the office, Square Enix has designed a program that should be highly satisfactory both to those performing duties and those managing them.