On December 22nd, 2015, our annual end-of-year and year-end parties were held. (Monosus aims to be the "earliest end-of-year company in Japan.") The concept of this year's party was simple: "Let's say thank you for all your hard work." We spread tatami mats all over the office, and enjoyed a fun time in the relaxed atmosphere that is so characteristic of Monosus. (For more details, please see this report .)
This year's party felt like it was packed with more "ruler-style DIY" than usual. What was the motivation behind planning it? We interviewed the three members of the party committee (Kawaharazaki, Shimizu, and Fujiwara) to find out what went on behind the scenes.
"We all want to say thank you for your hard work!"
Until I reach that idea
Three committee members (from left: Kawarazaki, Fujiwara, and Shimizu) discussing the year-end party.
- This year's party had more interesting plans than usual, including a tatami room and an open mic. Did you come up with that idea right away?
Fujiwara : Actually, this was my third idea. The first one was to have a year-end party where we would serve local cuisine from the areas Monosus has worked with. But that idea was rejected by Mr. Hayashi (CEO) (laughs).
Kawarazaki: At that time, the three of us still didn't have a clear idea of what we wanted to do. It was a crushing defeat (laughs). So when we planned the second project, we all talked about it together.
Shimizu: We created a mind map with branching routes that started with the question, "What do we want to do?"
I have Kawarazaki !
Kawarazaki (center) fumbles around and removes the mind map that was tucked under the back of his chair.
- If you've made a mind map, then your next project will probably be a success.
Shimizu : But that didn't work at all. They tried to make do with everything that was already prepared...
Fujiwara: I tried to solve the problem with money. It was the exact opposite of DIY. I suggested things like using a shop as the venue, or inviting a chef to cook the food.
- In terms of the mind map, which word or phrases led to that suggestion?
This is Kawarazaki .
Point with your pen to the part that says "Thank you for your hard work! You did a great job! Share."
Kawarazaki began with words such as, "It's the end of the year, so everyone's busy. Because they're busy, they want to relax. You worked hard, so thank you for your hard work."
Secretary Fujiwara also wants to take it easy just like everyone else.
Shimizu :In other words, we ended up thinking, "We want to take it easy."
Year-end Party Committee Member: Shimizu (Coding Factory Department Check Team Member)
We wanted to hold the event at a restaurant that looked like a traditional Kawarazaki house, but it was basically an izakaya. As expected, we were told, "Isn't that just a regular end-of-year party?" and we were once again turned down.
- I see. So you're back to square one.
Kawarasaki: As I was thinking about what I wanted to do, it started to boil down. When I finally got cornered, the words that came out of my mouth were, "We want to say thank you to everyone for their hard work." Then everyone was like, "That's it!" and the concept was decided.
Year-end Party Committee Member: Kawarazaki (Creative Business Department Design Team Leader)
The concept we decided on for the year-end party was a simple phrase: "We all want to say thank you for your hard work." However, this was the strongest feeling we could share with everyone.
The three found the core of the plan. Now it was time for the end-of-year party committee to show off their skills, and they began planning an end-of-year party full of originality and ingenuity.
Create a place where people can say "thank you for your hard work" to each other
Year-end party committee members bringing in rental tatami mats
- The venue, with tatami mats laid out on the floor and called "community center style," was a completely new setup that had never been seen before. What was the idea behind that?
Shimizu's image was of a banquet hall at a hot spring resort or inn.
Fujiwara Tatami has no seating boundaries, so you can move around freely. Another key point is that the desks are divided into small spaces, making it easier for people to get closer to each other.
At the time, Fujiwara (Production Department), who had been with the company for two months, was a member of the year-end party committee.
- Was Monosus the location from the beginning?
KawarasakiWe also looked for a rental space, but we decided that Monosus was the best choice because of the location, time, and money. Since the venue was where everyone usually works, we had to move all the desks, chairs, and computers, so it was a lot of work to set up. But everyone helped out more than we expected. Someone who knew about acoustics prepared the speakers, someone who was good with machines connected the monitors, and everyone worked to make the most of their area of expertise.
- The food wasn't just catered, some was homemade by volunteer staff. What was your reason for getting everyone to cook the food?
Fujiwara: I wanted the other staff members to be involved from the preparation stage onwards.
Kawarasaki : At first, we planned for all participants to bring their own food. We thought it would be good in the sense that everyone would do it themselves.
Fujiwara: But I was worried that the scale would become so large that it would become impossible to keep up.
If it were Kawarazaki , wouldn't it be better to ask a few volunteers to cook so that the project wouldn't fall through? Monosus has former chefs and people who are good at cooking, so we decided to ask them.
But I was still worried about whether it would really work out. Just as I was talking about this with Hayashi-san, Nagai-san (Vice President) came over and, seeing how I was doing, he was worried and volunteered to make something. At that moment, I felt that it was okay to go ahead with this project.
- So there was some interjection.
Kawarazaki : That's right (laughs). I was really happy that the other members were happy to help out, saying things like, "I've always wanted to participate in a Monosus event like that!"
- I heard that the plum wine made with sake and brandy was also handmade?
Kawarasaki : Yes. The Monosasu Umeshu Club kindly provided it to us, saying that we should all drink it.
Staff members are skilled at cooking, preparing food for 60 people.
Members serving the year-end party food on plates
The banquet hall, reminiscent of a hot spring inn, with tatami mats and small tables, was a place where people could take a break and relax, just as the year-end party committee had hoped. The food and drinks were all made by the participants themselves, and the venue was set up in a DIY style, with everyone working together to set up the venue.
How to spend the money we all collected as "thank you money"
- The open mic where everyone said "thank you for your hard work" to themselves and told stories about how they'd worked hard this year was a big hit. Was that an idea that came about immediately after the concept of "everyone wanting to say thank you for your hard work" was decided?
Fujiwara : Yes. At a work event I was in charge of, there was an open mic where participants could freely express their thoughts. I had seen that, so the image of everyone applauding each other immediately came to mind. I thought this would work.
- I especially liked the part where you asked the speakers at the open mic to pay you a "job fee" that was commensurate with how hard you worked. You also collected a "job fee" from everyone, not just the speakers, as a participation fee. Why was that?
Kawarazaki : We didn't collect participation fees in previous years, so we were planning to do the same this year. However, when we discussed it, someone suggested that if people received a service provided for free, they would unconsciously compromise, so even if the amount was small, paying money would increase their willingness to participate. We agreed with that idea.
However, simply paying money would not be any fun, so the idea was born of making it a "fession for hard work" that you pay to yourself for your hard work.
Shimizu : So we were wondering what to do with the money we had collected, and we found out that the coffee maker had broken and it would cost several tens of thousands of yen to repair, so we decided to use the "thank you money" to buy a new coffee maker!
Manabe, the head of the production department, stood on the stage at the open mic. He donated his entire 500 yen coin piggy bank that he had saved for the children as "pay for his hard work."
Instead of someone receiving a prize for participating in the game, the money was given back to make a coffee maker that everyone could enjoy. This was probably the main point of this project.
I think this system, in which personal belongings are circulated between oneself and everyone else (= commons), was a unique project that had never been seen before.
Creating a system that connects people to a common place where they can have fun together
Year-end party committee members checking arrangements while setting up the venue
- What have you noticed or thought through serving as a member of the year-end party committee?
Shimizu: Creating the concept was the hardest part. I learned how difficult it is to come up with ideas. But I'm glad we didn't settle on the first or second idea. If we had, it wouldn't have been such a fun project.
Kawarazaki: To be honest, the three of us who were part of the year-end party committee this year were inexperienced, so we were a little worried (laughs). Looking back, we were three people on the same path, and we thought about what makes Monosus unique as we went forward, so I think it was actually a good thing.
And above all, I was happy that everyone cooperated. It was my first time planning a company event, and I realized what it means to get people involved in doing something.
Fujiwara: It also made me think about how to spend money. At first, I was tied to the budget and only thought within that framework. But it was actually the opposite. I had to think about what I wanted to do first, and then how much money I needed to make it happen. I think collecting the participation fee as a "thank you" and thinking about how to spend it were also big points of this project.
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The year-end party committee members stopped thinking within the framework of a budget and realized what they wanted to do through DIY. It was impressive to see how their meaning of "enjoying the year-end party" changed from "enjoying it without much effort" to "enjoying thinking about it and coming up with ideas for it ourselves."
Also, by creating "gaps" for everyone to work together on things like cooking and setting up the venue, we created a "system for encouraging people to participate." We came up with a system where the money collected was used to buy something that could be given back to everyone (a coffee maker). It felt like we were able to realize a year-end party filled with "ruler-style DIY," where individual enjoyment circulated back to enjoyment for oneself and everyone (= common, shared).
I would like to thank all the committee members who struggled to plan a memorable year-end party.
NAKANIWA Keiko