In this article, we interviewed Ms. Ayako Fujiwara, Vice President, and Mr. Tetsuya Mita, General Manager in CES Center, of tlv co., ltd. who have used our services.
When did you start working on recruiting foreign workers?
Ms. Fujiwara: We have been recruiting foreign personnel since the 1980s in line with our overseas expansion. One unique feature of our company is that no Japanese nationals are stationed at our overseas sales subsidiaries. We currently have 14 offices around the world, but basically, the people in charge of each office are local people of various ages and backgrounds. Once hired locally, they are given many opportunities to travel to Japan to gain a deeper understanding of our corporate philosophy, vision, and strategy, as well as to experience Japanese culture.
Mr. Mita: It was around 1995 that we began recruiting foreign personnel to increase the number of engineers working in Japan. From that time, it became necessary not only to understand the technical knowledge of the products, but also to investigate the sites where our steam technology is used. Then, after releasing the “Steam System Optimization Program” in Japan in 2005 and expansions to overseas sequentially, communication with overseas members became more important. The quality of communication with overseas members is completely improved after having members in Japan who are familiar with local cultures and languages overseas.
Currently, there are 11 foreign employees working in Japan out of approximately 500 employees. We hire a few people each year, mainly from countries where our sales offices are located, using human resource agents.
What are the differences between hiring Japanese and non-Japanese personnel?
Mr. Mita: We don’t place any special emphasis on the fact that they are non-Japanese, but we find it difficult to judge their personalities and abilities. While there is a certain format for Japanese resumes, there is no such format for non-Japanese resumes. You can find out the rank of a university by internet search, but it does not mean that the best candidates are at good universities. Moreover, the results of the aptitude test (SPI) that we conduct differ between Japanese and non-Japanese candidates. It is not unusual for a person who scored high on the mechanical test to not score very high on the SPI, and the results may be quite different from the score you would expect from the university’s world ranking.
It is also very difficult to evaluate foreign talents based on the first impression at an interview. The “good atmosphere” that Japanese and local people perceive is different, so recently we have been asking local members to participate in interviews via video-conference so that we can get opinions from people who are from the same country.
Ms. Fujiwara: If a person can speak English, we conduct the same interview in English as we do with Japanese people, and we are not so conscious of the fact that they are non-Japanese. However, if the motivation is location (wanting to work in Japan) and not occupation (work), we are more cautious in whether we hire them or not. We want to carefully select people who we can work with for a long time as colleagues, so even if the location of Japan is important to you, we would be concerned if you cannot explain why you chose our company. Because we have a small group of elite employees, we evaluate whether the candidate is someone we would like to hire even if our existing employees have to spend time training them.
How much importance do you place on Japanese language skills when hiring?
Mr. Mita: It depends on the department, but in my department, the CES Center (Consulting-Engineering-Service), it is not a requirement. Communication in the department itself is basically in English. Most of the foreign employees at the CES Center who are here now joined us not being able to speak Japanese.
Ms. Fujiwara: However, since it would be a problem in terms of living in Japan if they cannot speak Japanese. So we support them with Japanese language lessons twice a week after they join us. We have a Japanese teacher come to our office and give lessons in small groups of one to one or one to two. We do not set a specific period of time for the lessons, so the employees can take the lessons for as long as they wish.
Do foreign employees have any problems due to their lack of Japanese language ability?
Ms. Fujiwara: There is almost no communication between departments with few English speakers and foreign employees in terms of work, so there is no such thing as trouble. However, because of cultural differences, Japanese employees may feel some discomfort in terms of lifestyle and business manners.
Mr. Mita: Foreign employees simply do not know Japanese customs. In my opinion, those who are willing to work in Japan will try to correct themselves once you teach them. I try to speak to the employee whenever I notice it. Otherwise, other employees may get a bad impression from them. Perhaps the most common cultural difference I have taught them as Japanese business manners is “don’t put your hands in your pockets”.
What kind of measures do you take to accommodate them from their countries?
Ms. Fujiwara: We handle visa procedures within our company. We are familiar with handling visa-related procedures because we have many overseas business trips, and guests requiring visas come to our office in Japan at least once a month. As for housing, we make the initial arrangements here and then leave the house-hunting to the individual. However, I have heard complaints from foreign employees who have moved to a property along the railroad line that they cannot sleep because of the intense train noise. From a Japanese point of view, it is natural to make sure it is not too noisy if the property is along the train line, but living abroad is likely to have such troubles and unexpected things. Thus, I think there is still room to consider how to provide effective advice on living conditions, such as whether there is a supermarket within walking distance, not to mention explaining the security deposit and key money.
Do you feel that there are any issues that need to be addressed in order for foreign nationals to work in Japan for long term?
Ms. Fujiwara: What I am concerned about is the way evaluations are made and the inconvenience when considering permanent residence in Japan. Foreign employees can continue working in Japan for a long time or return to their home country in the future. But in the latter case, when there is a large difference in salary levels between Japan and their home country, the question arises as to whether the local sales company can offer the same level of salary as in Japan. In the past, when hiring foreign personnel from developing countries, the basic salary was kept low with a view to after returning to their home country, and allowances such as “return home assistance” were designed, but this was only applicable to short-term stays of 2 to 3 years. In addition, since the status of global human resources is that the salary level remains the same regardless of where they work, they naturally expect the same salary level when they return to their home country.
However, some of our distributors are still in the process of growing, so this is still an issue. It is not a matter of putting pressure on the person being hired or setting a lower salary, but rather a sense of urgency to ensure that the company is performing well enough to cover the same level of salary when the person returns to his/her home country. We need to be motivated to grow the local market.
Please tell us about the changes that have occurred in the company as a result of having foreign personnel.
Mr. Mita: it has contributed to globalism within the company. For example, members of the Research and Development Section ask foreign employees to support them when they communicate with people overseas, and employees in divisions that have had few opportunities to interact with foreign personnel have become friendly to foreign employees. I also notice development in the way of thinking during small conversations, which leads to new ideas and working style.
Ms. Fujiwara: The non-Japanese members in CES Center working in Japan are responsible for uniting teams from different countries, raising the level of technology and the quality of service, in order to provide the best solutions to our customers. Many of them are willing to share their cultural perspectives with Japanese team members, without hesitation. For example, “the Japanese way of thinking is this, but in Singapore this is the general way of thinking.”. I believe this open-mindness of foreign employees raise the level of understanding for cultural differences among Japanese employees.