The possibility of a company trip

Hello everyone. I'm Markie Aoki, a meeting facilitator. I usually facilitate meetings at Monosus, helping with various discussions, but I recently had the opportunity to help with a company trip. I've never worked for a company that had a company trip, so I found it very refreshing and interesting, and I saw some potential in it. So, even though I'm an outsider, I thought I'd write a bit about it.

Employees can come up with plans and go on trips with friends who want to go.

Above all, what I find interesting about this trip is that it allows various employees to come up with ideas for the company trip. This time, I was in charge of the "Walk the Kumano Kodo" project, but as you can see in this article, there are also a variety of other interesting projects being put together, such as a "Mahjong Training Camp," a "Trip to Korea," and a "Mongolian Warrior Training to Explore Nomadic Life." Of course, participation is not mandatory, and employees who want to participate can join the projects they want to take part in. It's also fun that it's OK to participate in multiple projects as long as your schedule allows.

Eh, aren't you a colleague who works together on a regular basis?

Apparently, the employees who planned this "Let's Walk the Kumano Kodo!" trip aren't actually part of a team that normally works in the same place or does the same kind of work. I was surprised to hear conversations like, "We've seen each other online a few times, but this is the first time we've really spent time together." Wow, I can't believe they were able to decide to go on a three-day, two-night trip after that! Actually, it might be better to meet each other on a fun trip before going to work, rather than meeting at work, so that you can get to know each other better.

Traveling together helps you see the person

For this company trip, we all gathered in Kumano by various means of transportation, with some arriving a little early and others arriving later because they missed their train. With the members who arrived a little early, we started off by soaking our feet in the footbath at Shirahama Onsen. It was quite enjoyable. Thanks to some of the people who were late, we were able to sneak into places we normally wouldn't be able to, like the fish market, and devour a delicious seafood bowl. Kumano is my family's home, so we had a great time buying delicious ingredients at the local supermarket and cooking together. We spent long walks in the forest, soaked our feet in the refreshing river, and worked together to cook and eat. It was a very satisfying experience to get to know each person and see what they really are like. I've always liked the employees at Monosas, but I've grown even more fond of the colleagues I met on this trip, rather than through work. These kinds of feelings are important.

A company that has the "room" to propose interesting ideas

Of course, in everyday work, there are many constraints: there are clients, deadlines, promises to keep, performance to be delivered, etc. However, Monosus' company trips give employees the freedom to "plan and propose interesting things on their own."

It would be fun to go there together, or I'd like Mr./Ms. XX to take me to Korea, which he/she knows a lot about. You can create fun and playful activities with other members of your company that you don't often get to do in your regular client work. I think having that kind of room will be very important in the coming age. The world is getting increasingly harsh, and while efficiency and cost-effectiveness through AI are obviously important...I think we're entering an age where "room to make our own changes" is a rare thing.

A trip that families can join in on

Company trips are usually something that only employees participate in, but Monosus seems to allow families to go as well (though they probably cover expenses, of course). On a company trip I was previously involved in to Suo-Oshima, several children participated, and the whole family seemed to enjoy themselves, praising each other's children's progress and interacting with each other. I think it's a good thing for families to see, "Oh, so there are people like this at Dad's company," or "So this is how Mom spends her time at work." With some employees leaving their families to work at the company and then returning to their families, this is also a good opportunity to foster mutual understanding.

When you watch it, you can see that they have a relationship where they care about each other's families, which is wonderful.

It would be nice if it spread to various companies.

I regularly work as a meeting facilitator at various companies and organizations, and I sometimes help out with meetings at companies where the atmosphere is just not right, even though important work is being done and results are being achieved. There are many organizations in the world where employees don't trust each other, or where relationships are strained.

Each employee feels that they would really like to do things a little more this way, but somehow they can't bring themselves to say it, or they seem to have given up.

I have seen many cases where a company has secured a fair number of good personnel, but the individual feels that "this company just can't do it" or "it's difficult to change this organization," and quits.

Perhaps if Monosus had more of a system that gives employees a sense of "room to do things themselves," like the company trips they do where employees come up with plans and anyone who wants to go can join, it might improve communication within the company and relationships between employees. In that sense, I feel like this style of company trip should be more widely spread in the world.

I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time.

The staff members who walked the Kumano Kodo with me this time were excited, saying things like, "Next time, I want to enjoy Kumano in an even deeper way," and "Next time, I want to walk with more Monosus colleagues." These are colleagues who usually work in the company cafeteria and develop websites. I'd love to join them on an opportunity to turn off their computers and smartphones, walk through the deep Kumano forests, eat delicious food, soak in hot springs, and have a great time. Guiding people along the Kumano Kodo is my life's work. To everyone reading this article, let's walk Kumano together someday. Please don't hesitate to get in touch.