IR
Training camps, "purpose izakayas" and even in-company universities? Cases of "places where communication is born"
ASNOVA was founded in December 2013 and went public in April 2022. Currently, the company has 117 employees (as of March 2022) and has 24 locations nationwide, including the head office, sales office, and equipment center. As the business expands, it is conceivable that the way management and employees communicate, as well as between employees, will change.
What kind of "place" should be needed to continue to be an environment where people can freely express their opinions even as the organization grows? Based on this question, Keiji Ueda of President, Fumiya Inoue and Aiko Kurihara, who are in their first year with the company, came up with a new "place for communication" at ASNOVA.
Text: Yui Kitagawa
Photo: Yuta Ogura
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- Keiji Ueda
- President. In December 2013, Japan Rentect Co., Ltd. was established. In December 2019, the company name was changed to ASNOVA Co., Ltd. In order to meet the rental demand of wedge binding type scaffold, we have created a thorough equipment management base. In April 2022, the company achieved its goal of going public, which it had been aiming for since its establishment, and aims to expand its business in the future.
- Fumiya Inoue
- Sales Department Osaka Sales Office. Joined ASNOVA in February 2022. The company rents and sells wedge binding type scaffold mainly in the Kansai area.
- Aiko Kurihara
- Sales Department Tokyo Sales Office. Joined ASNOVA in March 2022. The company rents and sells wedge binding type scaffold mainly in the Kanto area.
Internal communication is different now than it was when the company was founded.
As the company has grown, how have you noticed changes in communication with employees?
Ueda: At the time of our founding, we had annual sales of several hundred million yen and started small, with less than 10 employees at the headquarters and equipment center. It was a small multi-tenant building, so the physical distance between us and our employees was close. However, at the time, I was starting my business while taking on debt, so looking back, I had little time to think about my employees.
Now that we have more employees and equipment center and sales office have spread all over the country, the physical distance has increased, but the psychological distance seems to be closer now.
In recent years, the company has been proactively creating systems to support employee growth, such as recurrent education and support for obtaining qualifications. What prompted you to make this a priority?
Ueda: We have tried many systems and failed. It has been the past few years that we have been able to gradually find and shape systems that suit our company. However, it would be more accurate to say that these human resources systems were created not for the employees, but for what I wanted. When we first started the company, I was mentally and financially strapped, and I couldn't study even if I wanted to. But if I'm not happy myself, there's no way I can make others happy. So I'm creating systems one by one that I think, "I would be happy if I had a system like this."
"It would be great if the company bought me a book every month," or "I'd be happy if they supported me when I obtained the qualifications I need for my job." From this, we created "ASNOVA Liberal Arts," where the company presents one book every month, and the qualification acquisition support system, which fully subsidizes the cost of obtaining a forklift license, which is essential for the job, and also provides incentives for obtaining more than 40 types of qualifications.
"Purpose Izakaya" where people discuss the future of their companies
Are there opportunities for the president and employees to communicate with each other on a daily basis?
Ueda: I want to communicate outside of work as well. As part of that, starting in 2022, I started a "Purpose Izakaya" where I and my employees talk in groups about our company's purpose, "Create your places of tomorrow with the power of kasetsu."I held a "Purpose Izakaya" event with Mr. Inoue in Osaka and with Ms. Kurihara in Tokyo, and we drank together.
Inoue: I joined the company in February 2022, and I first spoke with the president at the Purpose Izakaya in September. At first, I was very nervous because the president I had seen in the media was right in front of me, but we became friendly within the first 10 minutes (laughs).
Ueda: We only talked about purpose at the beginning.
Inoue: President Ueda is a busy man, so I thought he wouldn't have time to talk about my motivation for joining the company and my thoughts, and that he would mostly talk about his experiences with his seniors, but he listened to me very sympathetically. Before I knew it, I was asking him for love advice (laughs).
Ueda: I even gave you advice on how to get a girlfriend (laughs). But I think it's enough if you can just create an opportunity to talk.
Kurihara: After joining the company in March 2022, I met the president for the first time at Purpose Izakaya in August. I had imagined him to be a stiff person, but when I met him, I was surprised to find that he was soft-spoken and very easy to talk to.
Being "easy to talk to" is also important when discussing work-related matters. Are there any issues you feel you have in your current work environment?
Kurihara: In addition to Purpose Izakaya, sales manager often talk to Tokyo Sales Office and go out to dinner with them. My seniors are attentive and create an environment where it is easy to talk about anything, so it is easy to consult with them about things I don't understand at work.
Inoue: At the Osaka Sales Office, the Sales manager often invites me out to dinner, and sometimes I do the inviting too. We have an open communication that transcends bases and departments, so I don't feel any issues in the work environment. However, in terms of work, I would like to have more opportunities to understand equipment center. This is my first year with the company, but I don't have a complete grasp of how everyone at the center is working.
Kurihara: I'm also interested in equipment center 's work. Sales is a position to serve as a bridge between customers and equipment center. The sales work is made possible because of the people of equipment center, so I would like to be able to move in a way that makes it easier for everyone at equipment center to work while fulfilling the requests of our customers.
Cases: "A place where communication is born"
As the number of employees continues to increase in the future, it will be important to create an environment that ensures psychological safety. What kind of "place" do you think is best for people to freely share their opinions and ideas regardless of their position?
Kurihara: I'd like to actually go to equipment center and experience assembling wedge binding type scaffold. If you do it as a team, you will feel a sense of accomplishment, and it will promote communication between equipment center people and sales representatives.
Ueda: It's also good to stream the event on YouTube. It's not an idea I came up with right now, but I'm going to start a new employee training camp called "KATARUVA (KATARUVA)" in November. This is a mix of 10 locations and departments, bringing together company issues and discussing them in one night and two days. For example, we hypothesize that by trying to solve Sales Department issues from the perspective of Accounting Department and the General Affairs and Human Resources Department, we will come up with ideas that are different from everyday life. We plan to hold these events about 8 to 9 times a year so that all employees can participate at least once a year.
Inoue: I'm looking forward to "KATARUVA"! I'd be happy if there was a section in the company newsletter that introduced employees' hobbies. If you know what people like, you can have conversations about them, and it's easier to connect with people who have the same hobbies.
Kurihara: That's great. If we had an in-house SNS, we would be able to get to know each other better.
Ueda: I haven't told anyone yet, but I'm actually planning something that I want to realize in a few years. That's "ASNOVA UNIVERSITY," an in-house university. Since it's a university, there are required subjects and elective subjects, and I wonder if it would be possible to create a curriculum based on what I want to learn.
For example, compulsory courses include lectures on basic knowledge and purpose of scaffolding, and elective courses can be selected for each department or position. And because it's a university, there are seminars, where you learn about themes that interest you, and of course, when it comes to seminars, there are seminar trips. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of people in the world who do not like company trips because they cannot go where they want to go. If it's a seminar trip, I think they'll be happy because they can go where they want to learn and go where they want to go with the company's money.
Inoue: Interesting!
Ueda: Moreover, there are clubs and extracurricular activities at universities, right? ASNOVA brings together a variety of professionals from different industries. What about a system of mutual learning where employees who used to be chefs can take cooking classes, and employees who are fluent in English can take English conversation classes? Mr. Kurihara used to work in insurance sales, so he could start a club to learn about insurance and teach everyone as a teacher.
Kurihara: I see, so you can put your knowledge and experience from your previous job to good use at ASNOVA.
Inoue: It will be a place for interaction, and the teachers will likely gain more knowledge.
Ueda: Also, I think it would be good if "◯◯ izakaya" spread beyond "purpose izakaya". Anything can be applied to "◯◯", but for example, how about an "IR izakaya" that talks about IR? It would be good to talk about IR for just the first few minutes, and I hope it will become a place to communicate as a starting point.
Inoue: It's difficult to invite the president out for drinks, so it's helpful to have an excuse like that.
Ueda: If I'm invited, I definitely go. I don't think I've ever turned down an invitation unless I have other plans.
Inoue: I see. That's a relief to hear (laughs). Then I'll invite you out next time!
Ueda: Yes, let's go. I'd love to hear more about it.
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