We interviewed Ms. Sayaka Onoe, Manager of Human Resource Development Unit, Human Resource Strategy Department from East Japan Railway Company, about hiring foreign new graduates studying overseas universities and mid-career foreign workers.
When did you start working on hiring foreign personnel?
Since 2012. Initially, we hired only a few people, but in 2014 we began to increase the number of recruits in line with the progress of our international business. We hire about 10 people a year, including both new graduates and mid-career hires. Currently, most of our employees are from Asia, but we are considering strengthening our recruitment of people from countries where we are expanding our business.
What are the differences between hiring Japanese and foreign personnel?
There are two differences: The first is the way we make contact with potential recruits. Our hiring policy is to “accept diverse human resources from various regions”, which is true not only for non-Japanese but also for Japanese. Currently, however, the foreign human resources we can meet in Japan are mainly foreign students, and their nationalities are mostly from Asia, which limits the regions they can work in, and there is also a bias toward universities. From the perspective of recruiting a wide range of global human resources, we feel that there is a limit to the recruitment channels we have used so far.
Therefore, in recent years we have been actively participating in career events held overseas and “Study Go Work Japan Interviews” organized by ASIA to JAPAN in order to make contacts with foreign human resources living overseas. Many people overseas are unaware that JR East is developing overseas business, so we make every effort to create opportunities for them to first develop an interest in our company.
The second is an understanding of our job types. We have career-track positions(future managerial positions) and area positions that are active in business fields centered on each area in East Japan, and many people overseas wish to “utilize the expertise they developed as a student. In the case of career-track positions, not only expertise but also management skills and a managerial perspective are required as candidates for executive positions. We are struggling with making them understand this concept unique to Japan.
What points do you emphasize the most during the selection process?
In order to gain practical knowledge of railroad operations, our career-track employees are always assigned to work at stations and other workplaces at the beginning. At that time, we always make sure that they are comfortable with on-site work so that they do not feel the gap from their expectations. It is not that they cannot move on to the next step without first taking the step of working in the field. But it is important that they correctly understand that “experience in the field is necessary for future overseas business and management work. I feel that foreign employees have a relatively strong sense of resistance to being assigned to the field first, so I try to confirm that they really understand by having them interact with foreign employees who are active in the field.
We are not a company where changing jobs is the norm, but rather we hire people who are willing to work for us for a long time, and this is no different for foreign employees. Experience is the cornerstone of providing safe and stable railroad business, and it is not something that can be acquired in a few years. It is necessary for you to understand first of all that a certain amount of training is necessary even though it seems not cool work.
In other aspects of character, we place importance on “high level of enthusiasm” and “human attractiveness. Railroads are a business that relies on the trust of customers, so honesty and passion are essential. In particular, as we strengthen our international business, the desire to “absolutely get it done” is essential despite difficult projects. Since we also want employees to serve as bridges between Japanese and local people, we also place importance on their personalities and communication skills. There is a possibility of being assigned to a section that handles negotiations or management.
How about Japanese language skills?
Currently, we are also looking for a certain level of Japanese language ability. Even if your Japanese proficiency is low at the time of hiring, we would like you to be at the N1 level on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) by the time you join the company. To support this, we have asked some foreign personnel who are able to do so to join us in October starting in 2018. We also have them attend a language school in the evenings for six months until April.
Are there any other efforts you are making regarding the acceptance of foreign nationals?
We launched the “Foreign Nationality Employee Network” in 2018. This was triggered by a consultation from a foreign employee who wanted to talk with a senior employee who also has a foreign nationality. Specifically, we set up a forum for exchanging opinions four to five times a year and hold various discussions. We have themes such as “careers that foreign employees think about,” and we ask them to think about the services we can provide for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics from a foreigner’s point of view. In addition, we have also shared problems unique to foreign employees and compiled them into a booklet. For example, how to deal with the situation of not being able to obtain a housing tax credit when looking for a house after marriage, so that others will not have the same problems.
Participation in the network is voluntary, but about half of the foreign employees have joined. The network has been well received, with comments such as, “It has created new exchanges,” and “I have learned that other people are having the same difficulties”. I believe that it is important for us to provide an opportunity and community for our foreign employees. In the future, I would like to have foreign employees manage the program on their own initiative and continue to make it a place where they can take care of their concerns and problems. We are planning to have our first Muslim woman join our company in the near future, and I believe that they can take care of religious matters such as prayer and meals at this kind of place.
In addition, by regularly providing such opportunities, core members will become more aware of their seniority, and this will also help them develop their management skills. I expect that this will also increase their loyalty to the company.
Finally, please tell us about the changes that have occurred in the company as a result of hiring foreign personnel.
I am in charge of diversity as well as recruitment, and having foreign employees in the workplace is truly diversity. Compared to Japanese, many foreign employees express their opinions clearly. However, even if they say something out of the ordinary, I feel that it can lead to new discoveries and perspectives. Such something new can lead to a change in the mindset of employees, the organization, and the company. Thus, I think that the presence of foreign employees is a great source of strength for the company.
Also, the Japanese employees around them follow up on the foreign employees, and I was impressed by the warmth in the way they look after the employees they are following up on. This has the effect of strengthening teamwork, which is important in the railroad business. Not only from the perspective of diversity, but more and more people will be hired as personnel who will be expected to take main role for future projects. I expect that the company’s change will be accelerated if foreign personnel are able to play an active role at the managerial level. It is not simply a matter of bringing a new breeze into the workplace, but the abilities, experience, and knowledge of foreign personnel will be directly related to our success. This is what is required in the future phase of the company, and I believe that the company must reform itself to nurture such human resources.