In the previous article, "Voices from the field where ABW is practiced, vol. 4: How a team leader who transferred from another location works", we introduced the ways in which team leaders who are new to ABW communicate with their team members. These are topics that we are often asked about by customers. In particular, we often hear concerns about whether new employees and young employees will be able to adapt well and whether there are any problems with training. So this time, we spoke to Shunsuke Doi (hereinafter referred to as Doi) of the Corporate Sales Division, Corporate Branch No. 2, about ABW from the perspective of a young employee.
Mr.Shunsuke Doi, Corporate Sales Division, 2nd Corporate Branch
── You have been working under the ABW approach since the start of your working life, but how did you feel when you first joined the company?
Doi: I joined ITOKI in April 2018, and after completing the new employee training, I was assigned to the sales field. I remember feeling anxious when I was in charge of dealing with customers as the sales liaison and wanted to ask questions about the content of the work and how it was progressing, but didn't know where anyone was. However, the OJT staff and team members immediately took an interest in me.
For example, we met once a week in a co-working space (a space where you can work individually while sharing the space with other members, without needing high concentration, and where you can have short conversations and ask questions) and in a duo space (a space for two people to create output on the spot), they provided detailed support on how to create estimates, the flow of work, how to proceed with projects, etc. In addition, after the morning department meeting, we gathered as a team to organize tasks, and I was able to share and resolve any worries I had on the spot.
As mentioned above, the ABW feature, "a way of working in which you reframe your work in terms of activities* and choose a place that is suitable for those activities," has been something I've been doing since I joined the company, so I didn't find it difficult to work or feel uncomfortable there, and I thought the office was functional and cool. Rather, I got the impression that some senior employees were having a hard time adapting to the office's usage and etiquette.
For example, some employees were unable to break the habit of using assigned seats before the relocation, staying in one place all day to work, or unintentionally talking in high-concentration spaces where private conversations are prohibited. This made me realize that it takes time to change long-standing work styles and behaviors. (For information on the operation, management, and penetration of ABW within a company, please see "The real test of ABW begins after it starts! The company's internal promotion system and how to listen to employee feedback.")
At ITOKI, we break down and reinterpret our daily work into "10 activities."
── I imagine that when you first joined the company, there were many things you didn't understand and you made mistakes, but was there anything that you ran into trouble with or made mistakes in because of ABW?
Doi:When I first joined the company, I had to meet my boss in person to confirm the estimate, but I didn't know where he was in the office, so it took a long time to get approval. Now, I make use of that experience and tell him in advance, "I want to talk about this at this time," and make sure to reserve the schedules of the people involved in advance.
── How do you split the time between working in the office and working from home?
Doi: I try to combine working from the office and working from home as appropriate depending on the activities I am doing. I go to the office about three days a week. When I go to the office, people around me often talk to me, which is nice, but on the other hand, it can be hard to make progress on what I want to do, so I feel it is easier to concentrate on work that I can do alone at home. Also, since I don't have a monitor at home, I do things that can be done with a laptop, such as creating estimates, sending emails, and holding web conferences, at home, and I come to the office for other work and use two screens, the laptop and the monitor, to work.
――How do you communicate with your teammates when they're not around?
Doi:Currently, as part of a department-wide initiative, we have the opportunity to meet with the branch manager online for 30 minutes once a week. During these meetings, we check the progress and status of projects. In addition, within the team, we basically share information via group chat.
―― Honestly, are there any issues you feel you have with the way you work now?
Doi:As mentioned above, I communicate with my team members on a daily basis, but compared to before COVID-19, I feel that it is an issue that I have less interaction with people in my department. People younger than me who joined the company after the COVID-19 pandemic had fewer opportunities to communicate face-to-face, so they don't get to know the personalities of the team members, and I feel like they hesitate to talk to them or take a long time to get to know them.
Before COVID-19, one of our team members was in the XORK co-working space, so we could casually chat or discuss work, but now there are fewer opportunities to do so. Therefore, as a way to promote communication, the department head has instructed us to register detailed schedules for individual work and travel time in addition to appointments with customers. This helps us understand the situation of our department members and find the best time to consult with them. If we don't do anything, we won't be able to understand each other's current situation, so I realized the importance of proactively sharing my own situation and information.
Finally, Doi-san spoke about the importance of disseminating information yourself. It is also important for managers to listen to the voices of young members and provide support while communicating effectively. (Related article: "What is 'communication management' that builds trust?")
The ABW consulting service we support is a comprehensive work style strategy that maximizes the self-discipline of each workers and autonomously designs their work style. Let's work together to consider better ways of working in the future.
