[Dream big and make it a reality.] Aspirations of ALCONIX's new graduates in 2024; Interview with Head of HR affairs Dept.

Introducing our new graduate employees for 2024

Expectations for New Employees

―This year, six fresh new graduates joined the company. What kind of people are the new recruits?

Tsugawa：I am very pleased to welcome six new members with a great diversity this year as well as before. 

This year's new employees are all passionate with each having a wide variety of hobbies and interests during their student days, including some who engaged in sports such as judo and mountain climbing, some who like theater and gliding, and even one of them specialized in studying SDGs at university. 

All of them had the ability to focus on what they liked and devote themselves to it. That made them distinctive, unique, and eye-catching when I held the interviews with them. 

I look forward to working with these personnel who can work hard on what they each need to do. 

―How do you want this year's new employees to grow in 10 years?

Tsugawa： I expect them to "take action with their own initiatives." 

Rather than simply waiting for instructions, I would like them to set their own goals for themselves such as "where I see myself in 10 years." 

In addition, it is also essential to make a plan for what actions I need to take to achieve that goal. Be conscious and aware of taking proactive action to create your ideal life in 10 years from now. 

One can be more likely to work hard at his/her voluntarily set goals than what someone else has told me to do. 

In fact, each of the six newcomers has something they were passionate about when they were at university. 

Each student has ample potential to set goals and take action on their own, so I am looking forward to seeing what goals they will set for themselves.

Organization with diversity made up of proactive and active individuals

―I see. It seems that ALCONIX has an environment where people who can take initiative can grow themselves. What can we do to become more proactive as businesspersons?

Tsugawa：The important thing is to think about what you want to do with your company, how you want to improve it, and how you want to present it to the world. 

However, at a first glance it may seem difficult to immediately see things from a bird's eye view and actively tackle the issue as if it were your own problem. 

Then, please start with a small project, like holding an event for a club activity in a company or hosting a social gathering with your colleagues. 

The more you make preparations and research for this, the more interested you will become in various things, and when you succeed you will feel a sense of accomplishment. As you start to think of it as something that concerns you personally, so will you also develop a sense of responsibility. 

Stacking experiences, your horizons will gradually broaden and you will be able to launch larger business. With this process repeated, you will naturally begin to think about what you can do to make the company better, and you will be able to take action on your own. 

Also, when starting a project, don't do it alone; instead, gather friends and act together with them, as this will increase your network, perspective, and knowledge.

―Are there any other points that ALCONIX considers when recruiting new graduates?

Tsugawa：We also place importance on "diversity”.

Particularly, I believe that what you were passionate about during your student days is the key to creating a group with diverse perspectives, experiences, connections, and ways of thinking. 

That is why, during the limited time you have as a student, I want you to take a look at yourself and ask yourself, "What should I do, what can I do, what do I want to do?" and work hard at the things you want to carry out. 

People who can do this often have these capabilities which I, as the head of personnel dept., expect people to hold; "proactiveness" to actively get involved in what they want to do, "expressiveness" to communicate their will neatly to others, and the "leadership" to drive others and put it into action. 

I would also like you to value "being punctual" and "greetings." These things may seem obvious, but they are very important. 

The biggest difference between students and professional workers is that the latter gets paid to work. Keeping your promises is very important because that leads to the most important thing in business: trust and reliability. 

To do this, first of all, start by coming to work on time(*) and being able to greet and thank people cheerfully. 

(*) ALCONIX CORPORATION has implemented a flextime system. In this case, "coming to work on time" means coming to work at the time you have declared in advance and without any unauthorized absences. 

"Work-related health," "Pleasant work environment," Work satisfaction"

―How do the workers in ALCONIX make a balance between work and personal life?

Tsugawa：I believe that the most important thing in life is to "enrich your life," and I always tell my employees, "Don't become a workaholic." 

People who only work tend to have a narrow perspective, a small network of contacts, and a dull way of thinking. Furthermore, work is not always fun; it can be tough at times. Having a fulfilling private life gives you something to rely on outside of work, and it can expand your world expand rapidly, with new connections, new ideas and knowledge. 

I hope you will utilize this new perspective in your work too. For example, I have made every effort possible to master karate as my life's work. 

When I was stationed in Vietnam, I had the opportunity to exercise and teach students as general manager of a local karate organization, and even now I still go to Vietnam to conduct judging and instruction during my holidays. 

Through karate, I have seniors, juniors, and friends all over the world, and from these connections I can gain information, knowledge, and perspectives that I would never be able to have access to in Japan. 

These kinds of "connections" are extremely valuable assets for trading company employees who create business through connections between people beyond borders. 

It will surely make your life richer and more enjoyable. 

In that sense, I would be happy if you could find anything that you want to spend your life in mastering, and I would like you to keep your antenna up and continue to challenge yourself with new things both at work and in your personal life. 

I also have a lot of things I want to do, including climbing Mount Everest and going to Antarctica. 

―I see. It seems that with a view to enriching their private lives, efforts are being made in ALCONIX to create an environment where both men and women can work comfortably. What specific efforts are being made?

Tsugawa：There is almost no overtime at ALCONIX CORPORATION. The average overtime hours are about 15 hours per month.

In addition, the paid leave utilization rate for fiscal year 2023 is over 80%, and this year, under the leadership of the GA&HR Dept., we are aiming for a 100% paid leave utilization rate.

However, even if we put in place a system for work style reform, it will not easily spread to the workplace unless those in higher-ups practice it. 

Therefore, as the head of the GA& HR Dept., I am taking the initiative to enrich my private life so that the system can be easily used in the field as well. 

Additionally, ALCONIX actively promotes "women's participation in the workforce." 

We have also abolished the distinction between general and general position jobs, and are also reviewing our salary system. 

What we have learned through our efforts to promote women's participation in the workforce over the past few years is that our female employees are extremely talented. 

On the other hand, men and women cannot help but be aware of the differences in terms of physical bodies and lifestyles. 

Rather than simply promoting women's participation in the workforce as a policy, we recognize it as the most important thing to provide an environment in which everyone can work comfortably and demonstrate their abilities, regardless of gender, while taking into consideration the characteristics and personality of each employee. 

We believe it is essential to create an environment where both men and women can work comfortably, by increasing the rate at which men take parental leave, reducing overtime hours, ensuring 100% utilization of paid leave, and allowing employees to take nursing care leave. 

The situation is still not completely equal, but we are moving forward through trial and error. 

―It's true, I get the impression that everyone is enjoying themselves, taking up lessons or going to the gym after work. I realized that this was due to such measures. Furthermore, ALCONIX as a lot of club activities.

Tsugawa：Yes, we have a variety of in-house clubs, including a baseball club, futsal club, running club, table tennis club, and training club. In fact, I started some of them. 

In club activities, hierarchical relationships are negligible, and the emphasis is on employees’ mutual connecting with each other through hobbies. I also belong to a club and am really looking forward to playing hard with my juniors. 

On such occasions, by listening to new opinions and sharing concerns regardless of hierarchical relationships or differences in department, I am able to reflect everyone's opinions and new perspectives in my work, which has a positive impact on my work. 

If you have any ideas about what kind of club you would like to have and would like to start a new club, we welcome you! We look forward to hearing from you. 

―I heard that there is a club that you founded

Tsugawa：As I mentioned earlier, I founded the ALCONIX Training Club in April 2024. 

The club's motto is “Try your hand at anything, take the long way and go slow and steady, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, so give it a try!" and everyone trains together, regardless of experience or age. 

Originally, I often heard people say, "It would be nice if there was a club activity for basic training that anyone could do easily." 

I had long wanted to create a place where there were no hierarchical or work-related constraints, a place that was a little tough but that anyone could enjoy, so I started this club, which also incorporates some martial arts knowledge, together with some volunteer employees. 

It's difficult to get everyone's schedules to match up, and their levels vary, so it can be difficult for me as a teacher. 

However, drinking beer together after working up a sweat in training tastes so good, and more than anything, seeing everyone who participates in the club working so hard makes me truly glad that I started the club. 

―That sounds like a lot of fun. I often see them enjoying themselves in club activities, which makes me envious. What are the characteristics of ALCONIX CORPORATION's corporate culture?

Tsugawa：We are proud of our corporate culture of saying YES to people who say they want to work here. 

I have said many times that I want you to take initiative, but no matter how much initiative you take, it is meaningless if you cannot put it into action. 

ALCONIX CORPORATION has an environment that supports people who take initiative. Age or career history doesn't matter. 

I would like people to raise their hands and say, "I would like to try this." There is a lot that can be done, so we will do our best to support anyone with a solid vision. 

For those who are interested in trying this in their second or third year after graduating, there is also the opportunity to be stationed overseas. 

To achieve this, it is important to not simply carry out instructions, but to proactively raise your hand and take on the challenges that interest you and that you would like to try. 

By taking action yourself, you will become interested in the work itself, and this will give you a desire to improve and produce better results. 

That feeling will be a great source of energy. 

It also helps develop the ability to learn. 

It's not easy to actually take action. 

It requires a lot of preparation and knowledge. 

The knowledge required is broad, so there are inevitably many opportunities to learn. 

What's more, what you learn can be used in other projects, so the scope of your work will continue to expand. 

Of course, not all work is fun, but if you're going to work, you want to have fun and be able to grow at work. 

To all of you who will be businesspersons

―thank you. Finally, as a senior businessperson, do you have any advice for those about to enter the business society?

Tsugawa：I hope you will use these four irreplaceable years to take a look at yourself and thoroughly pursue what you love. 

Of course, I want you to study hard, but it would be a waste to just waste your time as a university student. 

Having a clear understanding of what you need to do now and taking action towards it will be your defining characteristic and a source of nourishment in life. 

Please make your life richer from now on.