Employee Roundtable Discussion

The decision to join the Company was influenced by the shining example of senior employees

• I joined the WILL GROUP as a new graduate in 2016 and have since climbed the ranks to become a branch manager at WILLOF WORK. What initially attracted me was a company presentation that I went to while jobhunting. It was the enthusiasm of the employees that left a lasting impression on me. While it might sound like a cliché, it was this spark among the people that finally convinced me. Every day since then has been fulfilling for me.
• I also joined the WILL GROUP as a new graduate in 2016, the same as Tanaka-san. During my job search, I had a vague desire to earn a decent income, which led me to interview with real estate and trading companies. The WILL GROUP was a company that met my criteria as well. During the company presentation, the current chairman, Ikeda-san, emphasized the importance of working alongside colleagues and the belief that who you work with and what you strive for is more important than your specific job. This philosophy left a profound impression on me. Identifying with the company’s mission, vision, and value also played a pivotal role in my decision to join.

• Unlike everyone else, I joined the WILL GROUP midcareer. I left the bank I joined as a new graduate and encountered the WILL GROUP when I registered as a temporary employee. At that time, an employee from the Sapporo branch, who is still there today, was handling my case. I was genuinely impressed by this person’s approach, treating me not just as a temporary worker but as a professional. This experience gave me a sense of the company’s dedication. After working as a temporary staff member for six months, I was approached with an offer to join the Company, and I decided right there. Although I wasn’t familiar with the Company’s mission, vision, and value before joining, looking back, it was the employees who embodied these principles that convinced me to join.

A company that values the courage of those who step up and care for team members

• A hallmark of the WILL GROUP is the emphasis on teamwork and valuing colleagues. This includes not just the full-time employees but also the temporary staff as well. It’s clear that every employee embraces the "for the staff" spirit.
• You are right about the Company spirit and comradery; Everyone genuinely values colleagues and offers opportunities to those who take the initiative. The WILL GROUP has unique programs, such as the Challenge Open Recruitment program where employees can apply for openly advertised positions, and the FA System, which empowers individuals to present themselves to leaders of the departments they’re interested in. The company also emphasizes communication, ensuring that when employees voice their aspirations, it doesn’t go unnoticed. As opportunities come up, they ensure the right individuals are approached, showing their commitment to guiding employees along their preferred trajectories.
• After consistently expressing my desire to work in education, I was entrusted with employee training in the Sales Promotion Department.

Both the Company and the individuals are chosen by customers and staff

• In the highly competitive fields of temporary staffing and permanent placements, differentiation can be challenging. However, I believe the WILL GROUP is distinguished by the commitment to the quality of service and the appreciation of people. The company puts a lot of effort into recruitment and training. To stand out, it’s crucial to maintain honest communication with customers, presenting both your strengths and weaknesses, while also cultivating genuine partnerships. Ultimately, I prioritize solving our customers’ challenges over generating revenue. This idea aligns with the Company’s mission to bring positive change to individuals and organizations. By engaging in continuing dialogues with our customers and by fostering relationships that encourage them to seek our guidance during challenging times, we intend to build trust, both at the organizational and individual levels. I believe this trust will ultimately translate into a competitive advantage for us.
• I agree. I conduct surveys among our temporary staff, analyze the results and provide feedback, and many of them cite their account managers as a key reason for their fondness of the WILL GROUP. The strong relationships between our account managers and temporary staff seem to be a driving force in being chosen by both our temporary staff and customers.

• The appeal of our people significantly adds to the Company’s competitive edge. In my sales role, clients often praise our strengths in compliance and dedication to supporting temporary staff. For example, customers frequently look for clarity on compliance in relation to temporary staffing regulations and suggest collaborative assessments for workflow reforms involving both temporary staff and customers. Our exceptional commitment to supporting temporary staff includes pre-shift and post-shift check-ins, alongside attendance management through our in-house system. This level of dedication sets us apart from many other staffing agencies. These practices are vital for maintaining ethical transactions. At the same time, we are currently progressing with a standardization project to normalize our processes, as we have traditionally relied on individual expertise and skills. The agility to implement changes swiftly is another distinctive trait of the Company.

Swiftly addressing challenges for the next phase of growth

• On the other hand, we also face challenges. In recent years, our once-vibrant investment in talent, something that we value highly, appears to have plateaued. Nevertheless, the WILL GROUP maintains a culture that believes in the potential of developing talent and offers opportunities to these people. This culture has become ingrained among employees, infusing the Company with fresh ideas and a passion that drives our collective energy. However, there has been a noticeable shift over time. In the current mature phase of the Domestic Work segment, there seem to be limited avenues for channeling the energy required for a growth phase. Personally, I believe this situation has led to the departure of talented individuals who were eager but found fewer opportunities to make a contribution.
• I feel the same way. I believe that the Company’s growth and changes in work styles have been an influence, but I have also observed that the employees who joined during the pandemic had fewer opportunities for on-the-job training and employee interactions compared with before the pandemic. This has led to a sense of unsatisfactory communications, including the spread of our company culture. While we have regular opportunities for one-on-one meetings and cross-departmental dialogues, there is room for improvement.
• The WILL GROUP is a place where people come together in pursuit of a common goal, resonate with each other’s energy, and overcome challenges with determination to achieve results. The ability to initiate these actions makes me firmly believe that our potential exceeds our current perceptions.

• Moreover, the divisional system based on job roles and the market has strengths and weaknesses. When the Company was smaller, we were all on one floor, and it was easy to recognize everyone. However, now that we have multiple offices in different locations and remote work is also a part of the equation it is challenging to share information and create synergies for the strengths of our divisional system. We would like to address these challenges sooner rather than later for the Company’s continued growth.

Expanding employment choices: Creating value as the WILL GROUP

• In the ongoing discussion about business divisions, the WILL GROUP as a corporation operates across several business sectors, including construction, nursing care, sales, call centers, and manufacturing. It’s not only about building a successful career within each segment; many of our temporary staff also aspire to gain experience in job across different fields. For instance, some temporary staff working in call centers could mistakenly see the WILL GROUP primarily as a company specializing in call centers. This misperception could limit both employees and temporary staff for fully realizing their potential. To address this issue, starting from April 2023, we launched an initiative for career changes and for gaining diverse experiences. While the outcome is undecided, there are instances where individuals who previously worked in sales have successfully transitioned to infrastructure engineers without prior experience and are now working hard.
• As we already offer a wide range of career options, I agree with Okamoto-san that it’s essential to raise awareness about the various ways of working and continue to provide opportunities for individuals to explore them. I think it’s important to begin with the idea that there are many job options available and then create an environment where, for instance, in a construction company, employees can acquire qualifications and advance their careers with specialized knowledge. Achieving this will also increase the Company’s value.
• In the past, staffing companies were primarily valued for their role in talent acquisition and retention. However, with the social background of awareness of the SDGs and increasing diversity, it is now difficult to be valued for that reason alone. In my division, we have started a collaborative venture with a government agency commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Our aim is to offer employment support and career development services to individuals who are not registered as temporary workers. Our focus is on aiding the social reintegration of individuals who could encounter employment barriers due to gaps in their work history, even if they have substantial skills and experience.
• I work in the nursing care field, and when individuals who were previously in caregiving roles return to work after maternity or childcare leave, I offer not only caregiving positions to those who have concerns about physical demands and childcare responsibilities but also introduce opportunities in call centers or administrative roles. While our company might not have generated significant synergies through the divisional system, at the operational level, we have been providing support for career changes for some time now.
• Tanaka-san and I used to work together at the Atsugi branch, he was working in the nursing care business segment and I was working with manufacturing companies. He would reach out to me, discussing temporary staff members in the nursing care field and their individual preferences and conditions, often suggesting that a transition to a role in manufacturing might be a better fit. From that time, I always admired how he was broadening the career choices available to temporary staff.

Our vision beyond “Believe in Your Possibility”

• I recently moved to a department that focuses on creating group synergy, and I am eager to further explore career development for temporary staff. As individuals enter their 30s and 40s, they often have concerns about their future, which is less common for people during their 20s. Some people end up regretting missed opportunities to become permanent employees. Therefore, we intend to develop a system where staff can start thinking about their future and career paths from a young age. To accomplish this goal, we are initially focusing on improving the career counseling skills of our representatives.
• To improve company value moving forward, it is widely recognized that it is no possible to rely solely on traditional staffing business models. I am currently leading an initiative in employment support services and a knowledge standardization project. Looking ahead, we will continue to develop and offer new services and value.
• The WILL GROUP has a system called Raise, where employees can plan and propose new businesses. I also submitted a proposal with the goal of creating initiatives that would provide working parents with a better work-life balance. While my proposal was not chosen, I am determined to narrow my focus and make another try.
• The WILL GROUP is growing internationally, yet our recognition in Japan remains limited. I would like to be involved in work that rejuvenates Japan. With our mission of bringing positive change to individuals and organizations, I believe that by harnessing synergies with industry and a range of business sectors, we can create a more positive Japan. Achieving this kind of growth as a company should boost employee well-being and increase the value of the Company. Let’s join together to instill positivity in both the Company and society.