Time passes equally for everyone, so you have to enjoy your work to the fullest.

Hello, my name is Sugimoto and I am a writer living in Kyoto.
When I visited the Yoyogi office for the first time in a while, I found the Shiomi Bakery and Farm Mart & Friends bustling with customers, and it felt like a new Monosus landscape was beginning to take shape.

" Freedom and Responsibility: Everyone's Systems and Work Styles Laboratory " is an interview series that asks Monosas members who work full-flexibly and fully remotely about their work styles, their thoughts about the company, and their outlook on work. This time, we have Chikako Okubo, who is in charge of all of Monosas' back office operations, and Reiko Takita, who works at Monosas' website office, as guests.

It's interesting because it's all work I've never done before.

Sugimoto: Mr. Okubo, what kind of work have you been doing since joining Monosus?

Okubo: I joined the company in June 2012, so this year marks my 10th anniversary. At the time, my child changed nursery schools and I had to go home early, so I was thinking about changing jobs, and Monosus was the first company I applied to. At first, I was in the same quality control department as Murakami-san. I would mainly do checks and call center work, but it said I would do anything. I joined because I liked doing everything. After that, when the call center work was eliminated, Sakuyama-san asked me, "Do you want to work at headquarters?" I had been working in back office jobs since I graduated, so I thought that would be a good idea and that's how I got here.

Sugimoto: I think the back office is where the company's culture is actually reflected. What is Monosus' back office like?

Okubo: The work involves general affairs, legal affairs, accounting, and human resources. For example, in the case of general affairs, there are things like responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, employee welfare, security measures for the company's internal network, organizing internal events, managing office facilities, and pruning garden trees. In legal affairs, when a new project begins, we communicate with a judicial scrivener to conclude a contract for outsourcing, and in accounting, we ask the accounting firm to handle expense settlements and invoice processing. In human resources, we also handle recruitment interviews, follow-up interviews after joining the company, joining and resignation procedures, revising work regulations, and procedures for employees' births and marriages.

Sugimoto: Your work covers a very wide range of subjects.

Okubo: That's why I never get bored. Because they really throw all kinds of balls at me (laughs). I was talking to Sakuyama-san, and when they throw ball A, I think, "I've never done that before!" and train the muscles required for it, and then I think, "Okay, next time A comes, I'll be all set!", and then they throw ball B. Even if I think, "Eh, B? Well, I've trained these muscles too, so bring on A and B!", neither A nor B ever come again, so I can't apply it. I keep training muscles all over the place.

Takita: That may be true for Monosus! I think some people have a hard time accepting new things, but you guys always seem to accept them. Why is that?

Okubo: You want to know things you don't know. It's fun to learn things you didn't know, and it becomes part of you. I don't think you'll ever get bored of it.

How has the company changed with full flex and full remote work?

Sugimoto: How has your work at headquarters changed since becoming fully flexible and fully remote?

Okubo: We do a lot of remote work. However, there are some companies that want to sign contracts on paper, and we receive mail, so the members of the headquarters come to the office at their convenience. When I go to the office, I start work at 9:00, and when I work remotely, I start work at around 8:00, and I often work late.

Sugimoto: There's definitely a lot of work to do.

Okubo: That's right. Since the start of Shashokuken's business, we have gained new employees, and we will continue to do so, so we are currently recruiting at headquarters. The work styles of the Web staff and Shashokuken staff are different, so the work system set up in the attendance system managed on the cloud becomes complicated. That can be a bit difficult.

Sugimoto: Now that you have the freedom to choose when and where you work, do you feel that this has changed the company as a whole?

Okubo: It seems like the engineers are able to concentrate better now that they can choose their working hours. When I see morning people coming in at 5am and leaving at around 2pm in the bright sunshine saying "Thank you for your hard work," I think, "Isn't it good to have a choice?"

Sugimoto: The more freedom employees have to move around, the more complicated the work becomes for the people at headquarters who look after the entire company, and the more types of balls they can throw, so don't you ever think, "Enough is enough!?"

Okubo: You can't do what you can't do. I've continued doing it, so I think the conclusion is that this job suits me.

Takita: Even though he must be getting a lot of work from all over the place, Okubo-san is always smiling, and in fact, he has the ability to make everyone else smile as well. It's truly amazing.

Okubo: You say that? Thank you, Takita-san (laughs).

The secret to Okubo-san's continued good mood

Sugimoto: I've heard rumors that you're always in a good mood. How are you able to continue working in a good mood?

Okubo: I always try to enjoy my work, and maybe it's become a habit. My mother once told me, "Time passes equally for everyone, so it's better to spend the same hour thinking it's fun than thinking it's boring." I think she's right. And of course, it's because the people I work with are fun.

Sugimoto: When do you find your job difficult?

Okubo: I think it's about finding a compromise between ideals and reality. For example, when there is something you want to do for your employees, but you have to give up a little bit in the balance with the budget and various conditions, where do you settle on that? Or, I want everyone to participate in company events, but I also want to respect the feelings of those who don't want to participate. Forcing everyone to participate is not like Monosus, and I try my best to lower the hurdle for participation, but I compromise by saying, "If I try this much and it doesn't work, then it's okay." I love events, so I want to do everything with everyone (laughs).

Okubo-san showing off his lively side at the sports day

Sugimoto: In November 2021, you were awarded the MVP for "Working the hardest at the sports day!" Mr. Okubo, you are in a unique position where you interact with all employees. For new members, you are the first "company person" they meet, and although you are a "senior" with a long history at the company, you are not their direct supervisor. How do you view your position and role within the company?

Okubo: Hmm, I haven't really thought about it, but I guess you could call it a "diagonal relationship." In terms of our relationship with new employees, up until now we've left it up to each department to decide who we hire, but since last year, we've had a trend of following up with the headquarters. We now have regular follow-up interviews at the headquarters, one month, three months, six months, and one year.

During the interview, we talk for a full hour while checking the feedback sheet that was filled out in advance, and it's fun because we can talk about both important and pointless things. If this system is established, I may be in a position where people think, "If I talk to Mr. Okubo, something might change." I hope I can become a "refuge" where people can talk honestly about things that they can't say directly to their superiors.

Sugimoto: What do the Monosus members mean to you, Okubo-san?

Okubo: I feel like a child. As a mother, I can't help but wonder, "Are you all okay?" and "Is everyone alive?"

Now I'm thinking about "What kind of hiring is typical of Monosus?"

Sugimoto: What are you focusing on most in your work right now?

Okubo: It's the personnel and recruitment part. Previously, each business division would publish recruitment information in the media and make decisions on their own, from interviews to hiring. However, two years ago we changed to a unit system of 3-7 people, and we had a problem with not being able to handle recruitment with such a small number of people. So we decided to take charge of recruitment at headquarters, and after a year of doing that, I'm starting to think again, "What is Monosus-like recruitment?"

Now we are talking about how it would be better to hire people that each business wants, based on a common understanding of "What should we look at to recruit in a Monosus-like way?" and "What does it mean to be Monosus-like in the first place?". The discussion has just begun, with volunteer unit leaders and business owners gathering together.

Sugimoto: When I talk to various people on the Monosas site, I feel that there is something shared among everyone that is not put into words, that is, "This is what Monosas is like." Also, the people at Monosas feel very "human" and not like a "company." I'm happy that people meet me as "Sugimoto-san" and not as a "writer."

Okubo: Do you mean it has a human touch? I understand that.

Takita: I understand (laughs). It might be like a live thing. When I was at my previous company, I was like, "I'm an apparel clerk!", but I spend a lot of time with Monosus people, and it's getting harder and harder to be armed. Even when I'm in no health, there are a lot of people who come in and ask, "What's wrong? Are you okay?", rather than, "That guy has 0 health, so let's not talk to him," so I feel like I'm showing everything.

Okubo: Because there are so many people like that, there's no need to act pretentious. I see, that's why we're gradually becoming more comfortable here. There's no one acting pretentious.

Sugimoto: Mr. Okubo, what does your job mean to you working at Monosus?

Okubo: I work more than half of the day, so it's not exactly life, but I think it's the same as living. Since I spend more than half of my day working, I don't want to do things I don't like, and I think I enjoy it.

Sugimoto: Is there anything that you would like to do in the future, either as Monosus or as an individual?

Okubo: I want to make really delicious beer! This year, I applied for an exploratory project with Izumi Kojima and got the OK ( see last year's Sasu Beer report ). This time, I'm trying to make a beer with a strong, unique taste that you won't forget once you've tried it, in time for our anniversary in November. Once I've perfected the recipe, I'd like to take it to a brewery that will make it, and someday have it sold at FarmMart&Friends.

Sugimoto: I'm looking forward to some delicious beer!

Monosus beer brewing team, Mr. Okubo and Mr. Kojima. What will this year's beer taste like?

I once heard someone say, "Whenever we meet, Okubo-san always compliments me on something." When I asked him about his job and said, "Everyone throws balls at you as they please, so it's no wonder you get annoyed!" he replied, "I've never thought that!" and I was surprised too. It's surprisingly difficult to "enjoy" work. And I thought people who enjoy their work are really cool. Thank you, Okubo-san!