New Employees' Contribution

Just a while ago, we got the following e-mail message from Mr. K, our executive director.

“Level 1 evaluation items for the Growth Rating System, Section B: The good attitude toward life, in the category of “Duties of a Member of Society,” has the following items:

1.    When you are asked to do some work, accept it willingly.

2.    No matter how troublesome the work is, start it right away.

3.    Always work carefully.

4.    Work energetically on tasks that others don’t want to do.

Note 1) LADDERS is an abbreviation of the Personnel Evaluation System that our company uses, and the fundamentals are the basic abilities required for all types of jobs, whereas the specifics are those things that are particularly required for a certain type of job. Level 1 is an entry level for those who have just joined the company.

Well, cleaning is a work that nobody is willing to do. However, things won’t get clean unless someone cleans them, and we cannot keep up our good condition unless somebody does it.

New company employees may have trouble contributing to their company, so what can they do for ISOWA? We ask them to do the cleaning, out of consideration for this situation.

They are in a training program to learn about making both factory and office into a showroom. Cleaning work is the main activity of this program.

The picture at the top shows some results.

The no-slip pads on the stairs at the east side of the office are now white and clean. Don’t you think they have become whiter? Don’t you think the shoe box has become whiter too?

These are all the results of their devoted cleaning. And I’m sure they will do the cleaning with all their might in the rest of the training period, since this is work they can do right now. I’d like you to support them.

As soon as I got Mr. K’s e-mail, I went over to check the results. I was so happy to find things really clean.

In advance of getting this e-mail, Mr. T asked us, “Please thank them for their efforts, if you really think it’s become clean.” Of course I did. I went see each of them and said: “This is great!”

“That really shines.”

“Keep up the good work.”

“If you find someone dirtying it, you can just rebuke him.”

That isn’t all. I found the following comment in their induction reports.

“I always used to go up the stairs without thinking about it, but from now on I will wipe off the bottoms of my shoes before I climb the stairs. I have to think about these things from the cleaner’s viewpoint.”

In my opinion, this is a good way for new company employees to develop and grow. I don’t think I can coach them like this. The other members of ISOWA compensate for what I can’t do. Such teamwork is among the most important things for us.

While I was going around the factory thinking those things, I ran across another new employee who was cleaning another stairway.

I said, “Thank you. I’m looking forward to seeing it shine.” And the worker replied, “I feel like I can contribute to ISOWA a little.”

He is growing up just as I expected. The next day, I went to check those stairs and found they were transformed like this.

I don’t want you to misunderstand - in the middle of the stairs that’s not some dirt that remains. It’s just because the paint is coming off.

I suggested to Mr. E, who manages that section, that we should repaint those places. He said, “Yes, we were just planning to do so.”

Regrettably, that paint job is not finished yet, but in a few days you’ll find it snow-white.

We senior staff must try not to trample their devoted efforts. Let’s work harder than the new employees!