Schedule
Daily Tasks
What are your main responsibilities?
My role is to manage the Internal HR and HR Assessment teams, helping both teams work toward their goals while also ensuring that they are in alignment with the company’s direction. I regularly speak with team leaders and the CEOs to discuss proposals and confirm that we’re clear on where we’re headed.
As a member of the Assessment Team, I also have many opportunities to speak directly with employees about how things are going and to discuss HR-related matters with managers across different departments.
These conversations give me a broader understanding of what’s happening with people across the organization. Another major part of my role is using those insights to propose and implement initiatives that can lead to better organizational structures and systems.
Which tools and platforms do you use daily?
We use Slack for communication and Asana for task management. Asana is especially useful for making sure nothing falls through the cracks and for keeping track of deadlines. I had never used it before joining ZenGroup, and I remember being genuinely impressed when I first tried it!
How do you prioritize your tasks?
I consider the potential impact on the company and our employees, as well as how many people are involved and how much time a task is likely to require.
When organizing my workload, I also think about whether there are tasks I should delegate as a manager. It’s not only about managing my own capacity, but giving team members opportunities to take on new challenges is important as well.
Team Collaboration
What’s your team like?
The Internal HR team handles the essential HR processes that enable employees to work at ZenGroup. This includes payroll, social insurance, visas, and other procedures that are critical to creating an environment where employees can work with peace of mind. As the company grows, the team also plays an important role in strengthening the systems and structures needed for ZenGroup to remain a trusted organization.
The HR Assessment team assesses the current state of the company through initiatives such as designing and managing our performance evaluation system, conducting employee surveys, and holding one-on-one meetings. Based on what we learn, we develop initiatives aimed at creating a better workplace and helping the company achieve its goals.
What are the unique points about your team?
I think the skills that matter most are different for each team.
Accuracy is essential for the Internal HR Team. It’s a specialized team that requires strong knowledge of labor-related matters as well as staying current with changes in laws and regulations.
The Assessment Team needs the ability to analyze the information we gather, as well as strong listening and communication skills when meeting with employees. These are skills that also require continuous development.
What both teams have in common is the need for each HR professional to genuinely understand the company’s direction and translate it into their day-to-day work and decision-making. We also need to help employees understand that direction and put it into practice. That requires not only developing our own capabilities, but also being able to build effective systems and explain things clearly.
Do you collaborate with other departments at ZenGroup?
Yes. HR works with a wide range of departments. Whether we’re assessing what is happening across the organization, developing new systems, or putting them into practice, almost everything we do requires close collaboration with employees throughout the company.
HR itself is also divided into five teams. Through regular meetings among team leaders and day-to-day communication, we bring together our respective areas of expertise while working toward shared goals.
Learning and Development
How do you stay updated on the latest trends in your position?
I read HR industry newsletters and set up keyword alerts on news sites so relevant information naturally comes across my radar. At the same time, things change so quickly that I feel I need to be even more proactive about keeping up.
I’m not particularly good at absorbing information through video, so I’m always looking for things I can read or listen to, such as podcasts.
HR exists in virtually every company, so I also find it useful to ask friends outside ZenGroup what their companies are doing and what employees actually think about those initiatives. Sometimes you get more direct—and more critical—opinions than you might hear inside your own company. (laughs)
What are you doing for self-improvement?
I use professional qualifications as milestones for my learning. Since joining ZenGroup, I’ve studied mental health management and industrial counseling, both of which have been very helpful when working with employees and thinking about company initiatives.
At ZenGroup, there are opportunities to apply what you learn to your work depending on how you approach it, which helps me stay motivated to keep learning. I still have a great deal to learn about both HR and management, so I want to continue developing a broader range of perspectives and ideas that can help my team and the company.
I also think it’s very important to be open to feedback about both my work and my own capabilities. That isn’t always easy. When I receive feedback, I first ask myself, “Am I getting defensive?” Even if the answer is yes, I try not to be too hard on myself. Instead, I remind myself that I can grow by applying the feedback next time, and then I focus on turning it into concrete action.
Work-Life Balance
How do you manage your work-life at ZenGroup?
On weekdays, once I get home, I like to take a long bath and get as much sleep as I can.
On weekends, I spend as much time as possible doing things I’m interested in—reading books that have nothing to do with work, visiting shops I’m curious about, or going to exhibitions. I find that intentionally taking time to recharge both mentally and physically has a positive effect on my work as well.
I’ve also realized that, when I have time, deliberately trying something I wouldn’t normally do can be a great change of pace. Recently, I tried playing a shooting game. I was terrible at it, but I had fun!
Do you have any tips for maintaining productivity and avoiding burnout?
I think having personal goals and feeling that I’m making progress toward them helps me continue finding meaning in my work.
When I can connect my personal interests with my work, it almost feels like I get twice the enjoyment out of both.
Memorable Experiences
Are there any memorable experiences or successes in your role that you can share?
One experience that stands out is launching our mentoring system* not long after I joined the company.
The idea originally came from one of our CEOs. I looked at how other companies approached mentoring, developed the program guidelines, and asked a colleague with a talent for design to help put together the materials explaining the program. Then I became the very first mentor and helped launch it.
After my first mentoring session, I remember wondering, “Am I actually helping?” I wasn’t confident. I didn’t know how to determine whether the program was providing the support people truly needed or how we could make it better.
That was about five years ago. Thanks to the many experienced employees who have served as mentors, and the HR team members who have continued running the program, it is still going strong today.
Whenever I hear someone say, “I’m glad I had a mentor,” or hearabout an issue that was resolved through mentoring, I’m reminded of why the program has become an established part of how we support onboarding.
For me, success in HR may be less about producing highly visible results and more about “building the road” that helps the company and its people move closer to their goals.
*The mentoring system pairs new employees with more experienced colleagues who support their onboarding through one-on-one meetings, lunches, and other interactions.
Personal Insights
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I like that there isn’t always one right answer.
Things are constantly changing, and even the same situation can look very different depending on your perspective. This role gives me the opportunity to learn through experience. Keeping myself up to date as things change can be challenging, but it’s also something I really enjoy.
My role also gives me opportunities to understand the thinking behind the company’s direction and how to communicate it to team members and employees in my own words. I find it very rewarding when I can adjust how I communicate something and see people align around a shared direction.
When it comes to management, I enjoy coming up with new approaches and trying them out. Facing the areas where I still need to grow can sometimes be difficult, but there are endless ways to approach management. I want to keep experimenting, and believe that somewhere there is an approach that works for each team and individual.
What would you say to someone considering joining ZenGroup?
I think it’s important to take the time to understand the company, the people you work with, and yourself.
No one has a perfect set of abilities. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, and I feel that ZenGroup is an organization where people can complement one another and grow together.
I also think that the more uncertain you feel, the more important it is to return to simple principles. For example, things like “If you don’t know, ask” and “If you realize you’ve made a mistake, go back and correct it.” I’ve learned that consistently doing things that may seem basic is what ultimately builds trust and helps you grow as an HR professional.
