Creating an environment where 87% of employees say their work is "meaningful and rewarding" - CHO Tetsuhito Soyama discusses HR initiatives that boost employee engagement
Based on CyberAgent's belief that maximizing employees' capabilities is a primary driver of our company's growth, we have implemented a variety of human resource policies. This has resulted in 87%* of employees responding that their work is "meaningful and rewarding."
According to a worldwide engagement survey of all global companies from 2020 to 2021, the percentage of respondents who answered "I feel my work is meaningful and rewarding" in Japan as a whole was 56%, which is 10 points below the global average. We spoke with CyberAgent's Managing Executive Officer and CHO, Tetsuhito Soyama, on how CyberAgent is able to realize a rewarding work environment in contrast to the results of this survey.
*Numbers of non-consolidated CyberAgent
Contents
The link between a company's future and purpose, and feeling a "reason-to-exist" is a source of people's job satisfaction.
― What do you think accounts for 87% of CyberAgent employees responding that they find their work "meaningful and rewarding"?
We believe that people’s sense of having a "reason-to-exist" is an essential element for job satisfaction. These days, when society as a whole is feeling trapped, job satisfaction depends on whether individuals feel a reason-to-exist, and that there is a bright future ahead. I assume that our employees resonate with CyberAgent's future and purpose, and feel a connection between these and their own reason to exist. I believe this is reflected in their response that they find their work "meaningful and rewarding."
― In terms of HR approaches, what are you doing to boost employee engagement?
Career Agent, a group that works to put the right person in the right job, has worked quite well for us. With measures such as "GEPPO," a tool for assessing employee conditions, and "Career Challenge," an internal transfer listing system, we aim to create a comfortable work environment that brings out the employees' full potential.
GEPPO has employees answer questions on a 5-point scale using the weather terms "beautiful, sunny, cloudy, rainy, and heavy rain." Changes can be tracked and compared by quantifying the subjective individual conditions and substituting them with weather charts. In human resource management, it is essential to quantify information that is qualitative and difficult to express in numbers.
It should also be noted that GEPPO has an almost 100% response rate. Our internal headhunter basically responds to all comments submitted by employees. I also encourage employees to write comments in GEPPO, and I personally respond to 100% of comments that include my name. By doing this, employees will say, "I got a response from Mr. Soyama!" and share it among others in the company. When others hear this, they feel that if management is actually checking their comments carefully, they too should write a comment. If you create a situation where people sense immediate results, employees will respond naturally.
The internal transfer listing system, Career Challenge, was not widely used when I became General Manager of the Human Resources Division in 2005. Employees seemed concerned that volunteering for a transfer would be viewed negatively. Knowing this, we set a company policy that made it clear throughout the company that applications would be kept strictly confidential and that if a transfer was approved, it would be communicated as a recommendation from HR. Today, the system is used by many engineers, accounting for 30–40% of all applicants.
Putting the right person in the right job should ensure that every employee can unleash 100% of their potential.
― In addition to recruitment and training, could you explain why you have defined talent maximization and putting the right person in the right job as the key axes of your personnel policy and are focusing efforts in this direction?
An organization has a vision for the future, and change is required to achieve that vision. We believe that talent maximization is needed in order to transition smoothly into our future. Our vision at CyberAgent is "To create the 21st century's leading company," and in order to achieve this, we must continue to change through talent maximization.
At CyberAgent, each department implements various initiatives, and uses its resourcefulness to create slogans, catchphrases, poster designs, and other creatives. Even I am often amazed at the quality and enthusiasm that goes into these (laughs). Through this, the most significant effect on employees engaged in talent maximization is that they become accustomed to change. I believe the reason that so many employees stay in sync with us regardless of changes in goals or strategies, is because they are so open to change.
Another reason we prioritize putting the right person in the right job is that doing so not only makes work more enjoyable for that person, but also improves business performance. In the past, President Fujita instructed us to "aim to put the right person in the right job in an artistic way," and we took this as an opportunity to ensure that every employee can unleash 100% of their potential.
We also pay special attention to not overlooking the promotion of outstanding talent. Through our "Pikalog" project, designed to discover the talents of young employees, those selected by recommendation make presentations about their past, present, and future to the President and Board Members. This allows all the executives to discuss by focusing their collective attention on each person individually. When a good candidate for a position comes up, the selection process can proceed smoothly if there is a consensus that they would be a good fit. This is critical when striving to identify talented employees.
Management that emphasizes human capital
― The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered working styles, but have you seen any changes in the GEPPO scores?
In 2020, we started incorporating "Remo Day," which allows employees to work remotely on certain days of the week, adopting a hybrid work pattern that combines the benefits of both coming to the office and working at home. If we compare the situation today to the situation before Remo Day was incorporated, we can see that the GEPPO score has increased in several categories.
First of all, I was completely surprised by the higher scores in the "Relationships" category. When asked, "Do you have a good relationship with your boss and others in the workplace?" 79% of employees answered "sunny." I believe this is largely due to our ability to draw out the self-initiative of employees by recognizing the diversity of work styles. Employees have been able to effectively utilize the benefits of each work style, such as focusing on work when working remotely while making time for face-to-face interaction on days when they come to the office.
Another important point is that the days they come to the office are fixed. It is quite shocking for a young employee to arrive at the office expecting to speak with a senior colleague who is not there. I suspect that relationship building has benefited from eliminating ambiguity between office and remote work and setting a well-defined balance.
Next, I believe that Project Reports have helped to increase the "Goals" category score. Every six months, the entire team works to set organizational goals, and once the organizational goals are understood, it is easier for individuals to determine their own goals. In terms of recent numbers, we have compiled over 250 Project Reports, which began in 2014, as a result of continuous operational improvements and widespread use throughout the company.
Lastly, I believe that the 10-point score increase in "Workload Distribution" was the result of efficiencies from reducing unnecessary meetings to streamline the time spent. According to some respondents, the number of meetings has been reduced by half as a result of reviewing each meeting to determine whether it is truly necessary and whether meeting length was appropriate. While there is still room for improvement, the company's overall productivity has definitely increased.
― CyberAgent certainly seem to be creating a rewarding work environment through the various measures you've mentioned.
The concept of human capital has been spreading recently, and this is a perfect example of where CyberAgent's competitiveness lies. As Fujita has stated in the past, "A great HR idea is more valuable than a great business idea." That's why our top priority in management is to ensure that employees are highly motivated to take on challenges and can work with joy and passion. In pursuit of our company's future vision, we will continue to create environments that enable employees to maximize their abilities and provide them with job satisfaction.
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