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A salute to the Japanese strength of character, discipline, and resilience in the face of disaster and adversity.

March 11, 2011, 2:46pm will forever live in the hearts and memories of every person living in Japan and elsewhere.

It's because it was the day and time that Japan was struck by the most powerful earthquake in her recorded history measuring 9.0 in magnitude that triggered a series of tsunamis and strong aftershocks devastating a number of towns and provinces in its wake and even crippled a nuclear power plant in Fukushima that further put Japan and her people in a state of suspended crisis as the possibility of a nuclear meltdown lingers in the horizon.

And as Japan and the world watched in utter disbelief the massive loss of life, property, and dreams this triple-whammy of a disaster has brought upon to this nation, one can't help but ask the question if Japan can survive this disaster and take again its rightful and dignified place in the concert of nations.

Will Japan survive the crisis?
My answer is an unequivocal "YES"...Japan will not only survive this crisis but moreover thrive in it and become a stronger nation from this experience primarily because of the Japanese strength of character, discipline, and resilience even in the worst national tragedy she suffered from nature.

As a foreigner myself, I have been a silent witness to these Japanese traits in action. I remember that soon after the earthquake when all hell can break loose, I saw people not panicking and running amok but people who were falling in line to catch a bus or taxi, patiently walking to their own homes, and maintaining the discipline that is distinctively Japanese. Yes, you read it right. No riots. No looting. No civil disturbance. No blaming. No finger pointing. Just helping and reaching out.

But what has impressed me most was the way the entire nation bonded together and calmly dealt with the immediate effects of the earthquake like tsunamis, floods, fires, and deaths. Even as of this writing, Japan is still not out of danger as the threat of a nuclear meltdown is still up in the air, these traits are still very much alive and part of the Japanese cultural fabric. Japan and her people have exhibited what I can only call “grace under pressure (or disaster)” and with such dignity that it captured the hearts and love of people worldwide.

The World Reached Out to Japan

For single moment in time, the world stopped and reached out to Japan in many ways it can…big and small, individuals and governments, black and white, religious and not, offering prayers, financial assistance, sending rescue missions and crisis experts, raising funds, and many more! Even Lady Gaga made a prayer band where all proceeds of the sale are supposed to be donated to the victims of the quake.

Local Acts, Real Heroes

In the home front, the Japanese spirit of brotherhood, volunteerism, and oneness continue to astound me. Various stories of people, business organizations, and local governments reaching out and going out of their ways to extend a helping hand and somehow ease the burden of their compatriots dominate the news in print, broadcast, and Internet media. But what I really find very heart-warming were the selfless and almost unbelievable kindness of ordinary Japanese citizens such as:

• Ramen or noddle shop owners opening their shops to offer FREE (yes, as in zero yen!) bowls of hot ramen noodles to quake survivors which must have been a heaven-sent to them who haven’t had any single descent hot meal for days after the quake;
• Brave acts of drivers to risk their own safety and transport much needed food, water, and gasoline supply to evacuation centers;
• Untiring, 24/7 work of medical staff such as nurses and doctors who still carried out their duty to save lives even under tents and dark rooms;
• Individual families “adopting” quake survivors and offering their houses as temporary homes so that the survivors can have a warm and more comfortable place to live in;
• Elementary, high school, and college students soliciting donations for the quake victims in front of train stations in the middle of the winter season;
• And the list can go on….

These actions were never instructed by the government neither they expect any form of compensation or reward in doing so. They are simply an act of love, of oneness, and the Japanese view of humanity itself.

JHRS Response to the Crisis

A day after the earthquake, The Japan HR Society or JHRS created a special section in its website called The JHRS Quake Center 2011 to serve as a resource for its members and the general public to help them manage through the crisis. The Center consists of the JHRS HR Help Line to help Japan HR professionals address not only the immediate but also the mid- to long-term HR impact of the disaster to the business and their employees; the  JHRS Earthquake Message Board  to provide an opportunity for other HR professionals around the world to reach out and express their thoughts of care and oneness to their fellow HR professionals in Japan; the PersonFinder which is a useful tool to look for someone in Japan or to provide information about someone in Japan; and the Quake Resource Download Center which contains downloadable resources that other JHRS members and the general public have willingly shared for other people’s use. Recent additions to the site also include the JHRS Radiation Watch  to closely track the developments of the ongoing nuclear plant incident and the ensuing radiation scare and Ganbare, Japan! Videos which contains carefully-selected inspiring videos to help uplift the spirit of Japan and her people.

Quo Vadis, Japan HR Pros?

So where do we go from here? As Japan HR professionals, we are by no means spared from our sacred obligation to help Japan in its national re-building. In fact, I firmly believe that Japan HR professionals will even play a greater role in this task. The HR strategies, plans, and programs that we will create moving forward for our companies and employees will significantly contribute to the core of Japan’s national revival.

HR professionals like you are not only tasked to come up with your organization’s Disaster or Crisis Management & Recovery Plans or Business Continuity Plans but equally important is the need to put in place HR programs that can respond to the short- to long-term care needs of your affected employees now and even for future emergencies. However, the biggest contribution that I believe Japan HR professionals can make is to help ensure that their organizations are profitable so as to promote further economic growth and spur job creation. It is in this light that our duty to become a business partner is once again being called upon to. The question now is, are you ready to respond to this challenge?

I hope you are.

Ganbare,Nippon! Ganbare, Japan HR pros!

Be safe and stay informed.

Sincerely yours in HR,

JUN KABIGTING
Managing Director, HR Central K.K. and
Chief Community Officer, The Japan HR Society

This article can also be found at The ACCJ Journal Magazine - March 2011 edition.

Download PDF version here.

If you are most foreign business leaders and HR professionals in Japan, chances are you have already experienced disappointments in getting the right people for your own organizations.

In other parts of the world, getting the right people for the right job is supposed to be routine for any seasoned business executive or HR professional but by now you quickly realized that many of the HR or recruitment practices you’ve known do not seem to apply to the Japanese. Why is it difficult to hire the right talent in Japan?

 

To answer this question, it is important to keep in mind certain aspects about Japan, its people, and its business environment:

 

1. Demographic Pressures. Japan's population is shrinking (updated: estimated to be -0.278% for 2011 by the CIA World Fact Book) due to its rapidly aging society, very low birth rate , and to a certain extent its high suicide rates (topped the 30,000 mark for 12 consecutive years according to Japan’s National Police Agency). Compounding this are Japan's restrictive immigration policies that shut the door to foreign workforce. It is not an overstatement to say that pretty soon these demographic pressures will eventually catch up with the war for talent, if it has not already.

 

2. Insufficient English Skills. Japanhas one of the lowest English communication skills among the developed nations (some even contend that Japan's English literacy rate at a mere 10% is the lowest in Asia). As a result, foreign affiliated companies who are naturally seeking bilingual talent compete in a very limited pool. Historians have traditionally attributed this to centuries of isolation. However, the country’s present education system has a lot to do with this concern. In Japan, for instance, mandatory English courses start only at the secondary level. Hopefully, government's efforts toward educational reforms may help fix the problem.

 

3. Acute Supply-and-Demand Imbalance. Japan may no longer be the world's second largest economy, but it still continues to attract a multitude of foreign-affiliated companies that hope to benefit from the country's economic might. However, unlike its Western counterparts, Japan's economic center is heavily concentrated in Tokyo and its 23 wards. As a result, companies inevitably compete for the same hard-to-find, highly qualified bilingual Japanese talent. Indeed, the so-called "war for talent" is nowhere more intense than in Japan (or Tokyo for that matter).

 

4. Very Passive Candidates. Admit it. The people you want for positions in your company may not be in the market. Neither will you find them in job boards or employment databases. They are either very satisfied with their current organizations (i.e., no push-and-pull factors to leave their companies), or have grown so loyal to their companies that the mere thought of chatting with a recruiter is deemed betrayal. If ever they do decide to explore external opportunities, they would normally use their personal or business connections, if not leave everything to their trusted headhunters or recruiters. Hence, in Japan, good recruiting is not just a transaction but a process that starts with building a strong personal relationship between a recruiter and a candidate.

 

5. Loyalty and Risk Averseness. You have read about it. Japan’s once famous lifetime employment systemgreatly contributed to decades of industrial peace and development. The pain of rising from war’s ashes produced a highly specialized and "loyal" workforce who would literally "live and die" for their companies, notwithstanding more superior opportunities waiting for them somewhere else. This same paternalistic relationship between employees and employers, however, bred an atmosphere where it is safe to remain within someone's "comfort zones" and further fed the Japanese's natural tendency to become risk-averse. As a result, it takes a lot of time and effort to make a prospective candidate open up to explore other opportunities, and more difficult to actually recruit them for the job.

 

6. Perception Problem for MNCs. In Japan, image is everything. And among Japanese talent there is lingering fear of the "hire-and-fire" mentality widespread in companies in the West. There is also a general perception that foreign companies are "unstable" and will pull out of Japan in the first sign of storm.In a country oflifetime employment where people are risk averse, these perceptions paint an image not so flattering about foreign companies.

 

The above list is not exhaustive. Other factors such as legal (e.g., privacy laws), high unemployment rates, and the current economic crisis also contribute a fair share to this recruiting challenge. If any, however, they only show that the ostensible war for talent is nowhere truerundefinedand fiercerundefinedthan in Japan. The bottom line: when you find the right talent for your organization, act fast. If you don’t, chances are you will lose that talent. It is really just a matter of time.

 

WE CAN HELP.

HR Central K.K. is in the business of helping organizations increase their profitability and competitive advantage through talent acquisition, development, and continuous learning.   

Talent Acquisition Practice: We partner with organizations find the right people for their HR and/or ‘mission-critical’ positions in less than 90 days--- GUARANTEED and at the same time, coach our clients in using the HireRight Recruiting^TM methodology to find, attract, and retain top talent.

Training & HR Consulting Practice: We assist businesses increase their organizational capabilities through a combination of training and HR consulting interventions designed to increase employee competencies, motivation, and engagement.

HR Learning & Publishing Practice: We provide continuing education and learning opportunities to HR professionals through our HR publications, events, knowledgebase, network, and resources geared to help advance the practice of the HR profession in Japan.

HR Central K.K.….your partner in solving the people puzzle.

 

Contact Us

Looking for a new job or career? HR Central KK's FREE Candidate resources may be of help!

We have webcasts, podcast, video, downloadable resources, and links to other online resources on job-hunting, resume writing, interviewing, and many more!

Check it out here.

TO OUR VALUED CLIENTS, CANDIDATES, BUSINESS PARTNERS, FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS:

It is with great honor and pride that we re-launch our website to reflect the new and improved HR Central K.K.

Thanks to your continued support and trust, HR Central K.K. has not only "survived" the so-called "Great Recession" brought about by the global financial crisis of 2008 but more importantly, we have thrived in these very challenging times.

As a result, we have significantly expanded our range of services and solutions to cover the entire HR value chain from recruitment, development, and learning to better respond to our clients' and candidates' diverse and ever changing needs.

We invite you to learn more about our services and solutions by browsing through our website or getting in touch with us and experience the difference that HR Central K.K. can bring into the table as your HR partner-of-choice.

HR Central K.K.: Re-born to serve you better.

Sincerely yours,


JUN KABIGTING, mba/msie
Managing Director
HR Central K.K.