Supporting research and development activities while placing high importance on communication.
R&D Foundation
Bizennokamitamon Iwamoto
Safety and health management of Research Laboratory
Roughly 30 years after entering this company, I have been consistently involved in work that gives support to work sites.
Since entering this company in 1993, I have worked here for 28 years. Beginning with operations for equipment such as leased vending machines at the Tokyo Business Center, I have been engaged in staff functions which included sales, tobacco materials related, and corporate matters. I am currently affiliated with the operations department of the R&D Group's Research Laboratory, where I am responsible for planning and operating training, lectures, and events related to safety and health. Even describing my safety and health work briefly, it encompasses a wide range of duties from those related to research laboratory equipment, to traffic safety for commuting, and matters related to individuals such as lifestyle diseases and mental health. The appeal of the work I am responsible for is its ability to contribute to the establishment of organizational foundations to make business operations go more smoothly in a variety of departments. It is also work that people often tell me “Thank you!” for.
Aiming to achieve success in work by combining the respective strengths of experienced and young employees.
Up to this point, I have been involved with various types of staff functions while transferring to several branches and departments. I always feel that to support our members so they can perform the entirety of their work smoothly, it is essential to constantly think about others, recognize what they require, and to be one step further than them. In order to lead work in general, not just the event planning and operation work I am currently responsible for, to success, it is critical to act together as a team. Even before I entered the company, the JT Group had no barriers between experienced and young employees, with an organizational culture that allows anyone to speak freely. I remember that when I was a young employee, even though I must have appeared brash and difficult to deal with to my superiors, they listened to many of my opinions and I was able to feel a tremendous sense of achievement. Also, when I had concerns, colleagues who had more experience in the company than I did quickly offered their support, and I had a sense of unity that I was truly working as a team. Because of those experiences, whenever my opinions do not agree with those of young employees due to gaps in our ways of thinking or other reasons, I try to put myself in their place while remembering the time I entered the company, listen carefully to them one-on-one, and make efforts to receive many opinions from their younger perspective. My team members of the Research Laboratory I belong to also work with the same mindset.
Communication is a major issue during the COVID-19 crisis. We must work gradually starting from small steps.
Since 2020, the members of the laboratory have been encouraged to use telework in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection. Although telework has both good and bad points, I feel that it has led to a decrease in communication at work sites. If people physically go to work they can greet each other when they pass in the hallway or call out to others just by turning around in their own seat, but now such opportunities for casual, “small talk” communication have disappeared. When I use meeting apps to hold online conferences I make it a point to raise the tone of my voice slightly when speaking. Even though it may just be a trivial matter, by speaking in a cheerful voice, a more positive atmosphere can be created than in a standard conference. Doing so allows meeting participants to feel more comfortable when speaking, and I have seen an increase in the number of good ideas that are suggested. I believe that continuing to take small steps like this is very important when doing work. By building up small things even when doing other types of tasks, they will become valuable knowledge and experience, and I believe they will lead to personal growth. We still do not know when the COVID-19 situation will come to an end, but I want to proceed with work while looking toward the next step ahead, by thinking about the standpoints of colleagues who I work together with and gradually building up the things I can do so that our organization can operate more smoothly.