AUGUST 2018 HR
Office Appeal? Exploding the Millennial myth about job satisfaction
By Julian Ryall
Japan rightly has a reputation for developing hard-working, diligent, and capable staff, but the jobs market here has evolved over the past decade. Is a new generation of employees seeking more than simply a paycheck? Do they really care about being happy in their jobs as well as paid appropriately for their skills and knowledge?
Many of these young Japanese have studied or worked abroad and they like what they saw in terms of work–life balance, diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). They now expect such things here, and foreign nationals also bring these requirements with them when they arrive in Japan.
The onus, therefore, is increasingly on companies to create a culture that is conducive to this generation.
The vast majority of internationally minded companies have absolutely no qualms about doing so. The challenge has been to acquire and retain the best staff at a time when Japan faces a shortage of labor—a problem that will only worsen in the foreseeable future.
The ACCJ - 在日米国商工会議所
