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Cases of Re-connect X 01
NTT Communications is addressing social issues through initiatives based on its Re-connect X business vision.
Applying the Flexible and
Hybrid Workstyle to Promote
DX Management Reform
Disparities in the Remote Work Environment
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has become established broadly, resulting in the rapid spread of DX in areas such as workstyle reform and enhancing operational efficiency,which in turn has led to a heightened awareness of DX as an indispensable element of corporate management reform. NTT Communications has been promoting its “Three-Pronged”workstyle reform, consisting of corporate culture and awareness, systems and rules, and the environment and tools, since around 2002, thereby facilitating its transition to full-scale remote work during the pandemic.However, successful examples such as this are often limited to a handful of companies and business units, and there is a need to establish working environments that match the realities of each company.
Contributing to Society by Providing a DX Solution that Addresses Management Concerns
Roughly 80% of the NTT Communications workforce has been working remotely since February 2020. Riding the momentum of ongoing trends to adapt to living with COVID-19, we are striving to enable each employee to work with enthusiasm as a “remote work native” as the next stage of our workstyle reform. To that end, we have been advancing initiatives focused on the four core areas of: practicing open communication, creating flexible systems and rules, reconstructing the office as a place for new creation and collaboration, and utilizing DX and data to improve operational processes. Consequently, we were able to show results such as a tenfold increase in online conferences and higher employee satisfaction due to the introduction of a super-flextime system with no core work times. By combining the experience, know-how, and solutions we have gained along the way, we created the Flexible and Hybrid Workstyle model, which offers the freedom of choosing work hours and location as well as working on-site or remotely according to the business type and format of each customer. We have begun to contribute to society through this model.For example, our efforts include contact centers operated from homes and digitizing contact points for customers, support for remote work and safety management including the prevention of heatstroke for essential workers at construction sites, and a Remote Work Handbook provided free of charge on our website.
Making an Additional Contribution to Building a Decarbonized,
Recycling-oriented Society
The Flexible and Hybrid Workstyle we are striving to establish throughout society has the potential to impact business practices even in industries, companies, and units that were considered to be incompatible with remote work and ultimately transform society and industry. By making use of the diverse data that constitutes an unavoidable aspect of reforming and expanding workstyles, we will not only facilitate DX management reform that enhances productivity and operational efficiency, as well as the creation of new businesses that utilize data, but will also alleviate the environmental burden through paperless offices and lower energy consumption for transportation and help realize a decarbonized and recycling-oriented society.
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Mitsuhiro Kihara
Vice President ofBusiness Strategy,
Business Planning,
Business Solution DivisionVOICE We were essentially forced to expand remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, eventually accelerating the pace of digitization and revising workstyles premised on face-to-face interaction, use of printed materials, and personal seals. We are recommending the Flexible and Hybrid Workstyle as a further evolution of remote work that can give concrete form to data-driven management by designing new workstyles that transcend the limitations of time and place, as well as “digital first” operations and processes. NTT Communications will help overcome social and industrial issues by co-creating and practicing flexible and hybrid workstyles with our customers.
Note: The content of this article is as of December 2021