Sony Corp., in a move that other big-name corporations in Japan may emulate, has announced that employees with infants will from April be allowed to work entirely from home.

The program covers both genders and covers all job categories.

Details have yet to be announced, but the electronics giant has indicated it will require parents to be back in the office in the April following a child's first birthday.

Analysts said the move likely will be copied by other Japanese companies.

The only other major company to adopt such an extensive parent-friendly policy is the foreign-affiliated IBM Japan. It introduced a similar system in 2000.

Before approval is granted, Sony employees will be assessed to ensure working from home is doable.

Issues such as the timeframe, daily working hours, and work content will be up for discussion between applicants and supervisors.

While almost all of Sony's eligible female employees have taken advantage of the present fixed parental leave system, males have been less willing: only five opting to stay at home last year.

According to Sony, many employees worry that taking leave will be detrimental to their careers.

For those working at home, e-mail messages will enable employees to keep abreast of what is going on in the office, the company says.

Constant communication will also allow employees to easily make the transition back to the workplace.

In a bid to stem the falling birthrate, the government has been actively encouraging workplaces to become more parent-friendly.

New legislation that takes effect in April requires companies to ensure employees have the opportunity to actively participate in child rearing.

Sony will detail its work-from-home system in an action plan that companies are required to submit under the new legislation.(IHT/Asahi: March 7,2005)