Innovation Story - The Overseas Group's First Childcare Center Established!
Our Challenge to Support the Future of Our Precious Children

Two employees involved in establishing the childcare center and two employees who currently use it.
From the right
Mr. Satoru Onishi:President of TSBD
Ms.Asma:Employee and childcare center user
Ms.Khadiza:Employee and childcare center user
Mr.Mahbubur:Accounting Section Manager and Childcare Center Manager
*Affiliations are current as of the time of the interview.

OnishiTSBD, which specializes in sewing trim covers, has a relatively high percentage of female employees, standing at about 60 percent. As a result, some employees have opted to resign due to childcare responsibilities, making the retention of skilled personnel a key operational challenge. Every time there was a childcare-related resignation announcement, I felt deeply frustrated, thinking, "We should have done more to support them." Motivated by this, I started exploring what we, as a Group, could do to help.
During the process, BEPZA* introduced a regulatory requirement for companies with 40 or more employees to set up childcare centers. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to create a workplace where our employees could continue working with peace of mind. In addition, during a business plan report meeting, the president at the time raised an issue and asked us to enhance our sustainability activities with a view to creating employment opportunities in the community to ensure greater social contribution. This perfect alignment between on-site issues and management’s vision accelerated our plan to establish a childcare center.

MahbuburWhen establishing the childcare center, our utmost priority was the safety of the children. Any accident would not only damage trust in the company, but more importantly, could cause immense grief to our employees and their families. To avoid such an outcome, we identified every potential risk in both the facility and operations, and introduced rigorous countermeasures. We also focused on creating a comfortable environment. We have been improving the center, including building a brand-new garden, so that children can enjoy their time under our care. Seeing the children having so much fun under the sun rewards our efforts in making continuous daily improvements.

OnishiAs a result of these efforts, the utilization rate surpassed our initial expectations. Positive word-of-mouth among the employees who used the center quickly spread a sense of security, causing the number of enrolled children to double within a year. Demand is now so high that there is a waiting list.

AsmaMany employees at TSBD live apart from their families in order to work here. Workplaces with limited childcare support are quite common here. Without this childcare center, I would have resigned by now. The center gives me a sense of security because I know my child is being cared for nearby, which allows me to focus on my work. I am deeply grateful to have a workplace that makes me want to continue working here.

KhadizaBalancing work and childcare has allowed me to keep sending money to my family, which has been a great help. My child has so much fun at the center every day. Seeing them make wonderful memories through events like birthday parties makes me feel glad about using the childcare center.

MahbuburThe childcare center led to high employee satisfaction and brightened the entire workplace. Prior to the center’s opening, the project encountered difficulties, such as temporary suspensions caused by political instability. Nevertheless, we successfully overcame these difficulties thanks to the support from our group companies and Japanese companies in the nearby area. Currently, some local residents have expressed their desire to join our company because of the childcare center. We are also contributing to society by creating employment opportunities for babysitters. I feel incredibly proud to be part of this initiative, which has even been highly praised by the BEPZA.

OnishiThrough the determined efforts of our employees, we achieved a zero resignation rate due to the childcare benefits we offer. We now feel the powerful impact this initiative has achieved. As a company dedicated to realizing people’s potential, we will continue to improve the center so that even more children can have a wonderful time and a greater number of employees can enjoy a supportive workplace.