I want to start "our own project" with friends who love technology. Front-end engineer Tomoyuki Maruyama

Hello, my name is Sugimoto and I am a writer living in Kyoto.
Kyoto is a basin, so the humidity is extremely high in the summer. People in the city say, "It's so humid," but it's hard to swim in the heavy air like warm jelly.

Well, enough of that complaining.
This time, we interviewed coder Tomoyuki Maruyama.

In this series, we will be looking at the fourth year since Monosus introduced a full flextime system, and one year since going fully remote. Monosus members are now able to decide when and where they work. We will be asking them about their own independent work styles, the changes in their attitudes towards the "company" and the organization.

How has Maruyama's work style changed since he changed his working hours and place? We had the chance to hear from Maruyama, who speaks in a relaxed manner, together with Akane Saito.

"Freedom" and "Responsibility" in a Full Flex World

Sugimoto: You work as a coder. When the full flextime system was introduced, you were in the Coding Factory (CF) under Kojima-san, who was the manager at the time. What changes did you experience when you had more flexible working hours?

Maruyama: That's right. I think that being a coder is probably the type of job that allows you to enjoy full flextime the most, or the type that allows you to use your time the most freely. I'm not good at mornings and I don't like commuting by train, so I worked from 1-2pm to around 10pm. Looking back now, that wasn't a good way to work, and I ended up causing trouble for other people.

Sugimoto: Why do you think it wasn't a good way to work?

Maruyama: Well, I guess I was a little conscious of sharing the time we worked together. There were times when I lost contact with everyone and people would ask me, "Where are you, Maruyama-san?"

Sugimoto: The client works from the morning, but Maruyama only comes to work in the afternoon. So there was a period when you couldn't contact each other. Did it start from a situation where even the members of CF didn't know who was coming to work at what time?

Maruyama: That's right. From there, Kojima asked us to clarify his whereabouts, whether he was in Yoyogi or at home, and that's when things started to improve.

Sugimoto: When the full flex system was first introduced, problems arose when everyone acted according to their own interpretation, so we decided to create shared rules that allowed people to do what they wanted.

Maruyama: I think that's where I learned not only freedom but also the sense of working together .

Sugimoto: I guess you started thinking about how to make it easier for everyone to work. After that, did you still mostly work in the afternoons?

Maruyama: Yes, that was the case until remote work began. There were times when I tried really hard and went in in the morning, but I basically worked in the afternoon, a nocturnal style.

The psychological burden of commuting is eliminated, allowing you to use your freed-up resources for work

Sugimoto: Since you started working remotely, you no longer have to take the train to work. Has your life changed in any way?

Maruyama: Actually, since we started working remotely, my schedule has become more regular. I usually start work around 10am, so I'm able to work the same hours as a regular company.

When I was commuting, I used to work late into the night, so I ended up waking up later in the morning. Recently, I've been waking up at 7 or 8 in the morning, which is really unbelievable considering how I used to be . When I have a lot of projects, I sometimes work until around 10pm, but when I have a good balance, I can stop working between 10am and 7pm.

Sugimoto: What is your work environment like at home?

Maruyama-san's workroom at home. It looks like a really comfortable place to work!

Maruyama: When remote work first started, I was living in a one-room apartment, and the boundary between work and private life was gone, so I felt like I was going crazy. I decided to move and set up a work room. Since then, I've been able to switch between work and home life by going in and out of my work room .

Sugimoto: When you're in the office, you work with other people, but when you're at home, you're alone. How do you feel about that change in your environment?

Maruyama: Engineers, including myself, have a culture of communicating through chat, so even when we were in the office, we would just chat and ask, "Please confirm." So I don't think we felt lonely or anxious about remote work.

Sugimoto: I see. So what's the biggest change that's come about as a result of working remotely?

Maruyama: I wonder? I think it's because I no longer have the psychological burden of commuting, and I can use those resources for work . I'm from the countryside, so I hate being so packed that my skin is touching the person next to me, and the slightly irritating atmosphere that is unique to rush hour in the metropolitan area.

Sugimoto: I understand that... One more thing, I think Monosas often went out to eat and drink together, so do you feel a sense of dissatisfaction that you no longer have the opportunities to get together?

Maruyama: That's true. Even in CF, we would often say "Let's go for a drink" after work. In that sense, I think it's a shame that we no longer have a place to let out work stress or share our feelings with each other .

The presence of friends discourages children from "leaving the nest"

Sugimoto: I think there are some people who think that if you can complete your work responsibly through remote work, then freelancing is fine. Why do you still want to work for this company?

Maruyama: Ah, that's true. There was a time when I thought about going freelance, or rather, leaving this place quite often. I wondered, "Is there any point in me being here now, when I've absorbed all kinds of technology?" But when I thought about, "What do I want to do most while working at the company now?", I realized that I wanted to work with colleagues who love technology .

Since last year, members who are good at front-end web development have come together to form a unit, and I have become the leader. I think this is something that I can do because I am part of a company.

Sugimoto: According to an article written by Mr. Ito five years ago , Mr. Maruyama applied to Monosus because he wanted to be a front-end engineer. After joining the company, he read and shared articles related to web production, attended seminars, and studied.

Maruyama: I feel like I've been taking a break from studying that sort of thing lately, but it's true that if you don't keep studying, you won't be able to compete in this industry. I feel like I'm learning 20% out of a sense of crisis and 80% simply out of my own interest.

Sugimoto: I read Mr. Ito's article and thought it was very heartwarming. What did you think of your superiors, Mr. Ito and Mr. Kojima?

Maruyama: They are both really kind people and would scold me when I did something wrong. I came to this company as a new graduate with no work experience, so I was grateful that they taught me proper manners as a working adult.

Sugimoto: It's been eight years since you started working as a front-end engineer. You're now a full-fledged professional, but what do you think about the work you're doing now?

Maruyama: I feel like a lot of different thoughts are intertwined. Of course it's interesting, but there are also a lot of hard times. I'd say it's half fun and half hard.

The next stage is to "create something ourselves"

Sugimoto: I came to Tokyo by myself from Oita, and when I joined the company I was just working part-time, but now I'm leading a unit with friends who are interested in front-end engineering. It's a future I never could have imagined.

Maruyama: When you think about it, it seems like it would be pretty good (laughs).

Sugimoto: I think it's a great feeling! Now that you've reached this stage, what stage do you want to aim for next?

Maruyama: I can't really imagine it clearly either. I'm struggling to conjure up an image of it.

Sugimoto: When you look back over the past eight years, is there a job that you think marked a step up in your career?

Maruyama: I think there are a few. One is that I taught at the Monosasu Juku in Kamiyama, Tokushima in 2016. By teaching others, I became able to read source code fluently, I no longer had doubts about my own coding methods and theories, and I think I became able to make decisions more quickly when I'm in doubt.

Maruyama-san giving a lecture at Monosasusuku

The other is a system construction project that I was in charge of last year. It was a different genre from the projects I usually take on at CF, and there were many corrections and additions to be made, but by completing it, I felt like I had advanced to the next level.

Sugimoto: So, the next time you step up to the next stage, the key may be to "try something you've never done before." Is there anything you want to try with your current unit?

Maruyama: Right now, I'm working on creating and delivering projects that are commissioned by clients, but I think it would be good if we could create something on our own as a new project . I don't know if it will be a web service or an app. I think I have some ideas, but I don't have a clear image of it yet. Personally, I'm interested in VR, AR, and other futuristic things, so I'd like to do something like that.

Sugimoto: Finally, what kind of company do you think Monosus is?

Maruyama: I joined the company as a new graduate and only knew about Monosus, so I just accepted it like "Oh, I see," but it's a company that I don't really understand . They do web production, but they also have "Monosus Shashokuken." However, Shashokuken wasn't created suddenly, but it started because Manabe-san has a background in food, so I wasn't particularly surprised.

Sugimoto: I don't know what kind of company it is, but it's clear who is doing what kind of work. I think that's what makes Monosus unique. Thank you for today!

I think compatibility with remote work depends on many factors, such as the home environment, the type of work, and the person's personality, but I think Maruyama was really into it. If remote work becomes the norm in the future, I think more and more people will start thinking about creating a work room.

Following Murakami, Maruyama was also a relaxed talker, but I imagine he must type very fast (I'd like to sneak a peek through the door). There is a strong image of a company being about "doing the work you're given," but I think it would be great if it could also be a place where you can "do what you want to do." I'm really looking forward to the day when the "something we create ourselves" that Maruyama is currently "working hard to imagine" takes shape.