Schedule
Daily Tasks
What are your main responsibilities?
My work covers a wide range of tasks. To summarize the details, I’m involved with the onboarding and offboarding procedures for employees, managing social and labor insurance procedures, attendance management, health and safety management, and responding to human resource employee inquiries.
Which tools and platforms do you use daily?
On a daily basis, I use Slack to communicate internally and contact employees within different departments. To keep track of outstanding tasks to be completed and track progress, I use Asana.
How do you prioritize your tasks?
I prioritize my tasks with legal or internal deadlines, those are usually urgent because they could have a significant impact on employees. Besides that, I handle any urgent inquiries. I think you have to be flexible when working in human resources, because I constantly adjust my task priorities daily and share status updates with my team members.
Team Collaboration
What’s your team like?
My team is within the human resources division, and we are mostly in charge of handling internal employee affairs. We have other members within the Human Resources division who are from various backgrounds and they all have unique personalities. My team consists of me and one other member, but we are hiring!
What are the unique points about your team?
My team handles procedures that are deeply connected to the lives of our employees, such as visa renewals, maternity/paternity leave, and caregiving leave. Because we are involved in such important tasks, we feel a great sense of responsibility. However, the feeling that we are supporting each individual employee is what makes our work so rewarding.
Do you collaborate with other departments at ZenGroup?
I often collaborate with other teams in the Human Resources division and with the Finance division. The HR department is divided into four teams: Recruitment, Planning, Assessment, and Labor Affairs. Each team has a specific role, so collaboration with other HR teams is essential. We also frequently work with the Accounting department on tasks like payroll and year-end tax adjustments.
Learning and Development
How do you stay updated on the latest trends in your position?
I regularly check official sources such as the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Japan Pension Service, and Hello Work for updates on revisions to social and labor laws. I also stay up-to-date on the latest information directly related to our work through communication with our social insurance labor consultant.
What are you doing for self-improvement?
I participate in online seminars and training sessions to improve my ability to respond to legal revisions and system changes that are directly relevant to my work.
Work-Life Balance
How do you manage your work-life at ZenGroup?
During attendance check periods or when unexpected problems occur, I sometimes have to work overtime. However, I make it a point to leave on time the next day to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Do you have any tips for maintaining productivity and avoiding burnout?
Usually, I break down large goals into smaller, manageable actions. By steadily completing these smaller tasks one by one, I build a sense of accomplishment and success, which helps me stay motivated.
Memorable Experiences
Can you share a memorable experience or success in your role?
Because ZenGroup has many non-Japanese employees, my team provides visa renewal support. When I’m working with an employee to prepare their application and see their look of relief and joy after their visa is successfully renewed for their desired period, I feel a great sense of satisfaction, knowing that I was able to help, even in a small way.
Personal Insights
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy being able to directly contribute to making the work environment easier for everyone. Specifically, I feel a sense of accomplishment when I hear employees say, “Thank you, that really helped,” or “I feel relieved,” after I’ve assisted them with a procedure, answered an inquiry, or improved an operation.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in your position?
First, value accuracy and thorough checking. Labor affairs work is based on laws and regulations, so a small mistake can lead to major problems. It is very important to not hesitate to ask questions when you are unsure. Also, when dealing with employees, it’s good to set aside your own assumptions and values for a moment and focus on understanding the other person’s perspective. Try to explain systems and rules as clearly as possible.
