President's Dialogue（FY2024） ＞Japan Post Bank DE&I Forum Talk Event with Ms. Yuka Shimada & President Kasama
Japan Post Bank is committed to creating an environment where each and every employee is motivated, energetic, and excited to work in order to promote the growth of the company and its employees. As part of this initiative, on January 10, 2025, the Japan Post Bank DE&I Forum "Ms. Yuka Shimada x President Kasama Talk Event" was held with Ms. Yuka Shimada ("Ms. Shimada") as a guest speaker to promote diversity, equity and inclusion ("DE&I"). The talk event consisted of two parts. The first part was a seminar by Ms. Shimada, and the second part was a talk session by Ms. Shimada and President Takayuki Kasama ("Kasama").
Part 1: Seminar
Key words for future management and life - Well-being and DE&I -
In Part 1, Ms. Shimada gave a lecture on themes such as "What are the effects of DE&I, engagement, and Well-being?" and "How to enhance Well-being?". The session proceeded in a friendly atmosphere throughout, with work and interaction with the participating employees.
Speakers
Ms. Yuka Shimada
Co-founder and Representative Director, YeeY Inc.
After graduating from Keio University, she worked for Pasona Inc. and received her M.A. in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, U.S.A. After working for GE Japan, she joined Unilever Japan in 2008, and as Director and General Manager of Human Resources and General Affairs Division since 2014, she has been implementing unique HR policies such as "WAA" while co-founding YeeY Inc. in 2017.
She has been invited as an expert member of the Cabinet Secretariat's Administrative Reform Promotion Council, as well as the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Forestry Agency, Japan Tourism Agency, and other local governments.
She won the first prize in the individual category of the HR Award 2016 in the corporate HR category.
Winner of the International Women's Day HAPPY WOMAN AWARD 2019 for SDGs.
Main topics of the seminar
The importance of DE&I, engagement, and Well-being
DE&I and engagement are very important for organizational growth, but at the root of it all is Well-being. The definition of Well-being is "a state of physical and mental health and social Well-being," but in my (Ms. Shimada's) own words, it is "feeling good, feeling that you are in good shape". I want people to be able to speak in their own words, even if they are familiar with the term. By deeply understanding Well-being and practicing it, not only your company, organization, and team, but also your family, work, and your life itself will change for the better.
The Effects of Well-being
The effects of Well-being are significant. Research shows that people with high Well-being are healthier, live longer, have better relationships, perform better at work, and are more resilient. Companies with more people with high Well-being are "naturally" more productive and creative, and overall organizational performance "naturally" improves. Well-being is a skill, and it can be enhanced by understanding one's own state of Well-being and choosing to take actions to improve it. We encourage you to take responsibility for your own Well-being.
Five elements to enhance Well-being - "PERMA" or "Yoshi! Takai ☺" -
Five elements to enhance Well-being. The acronym for these elements, which is "PERMA"!
P (Positive Emotions) - Feeling positive emotions.
E (Engagement) - To be immersed and positively involved in something.
R (Positive Relationships) - Having good relationships.
M (Meaning) - Finding meaning and significance in one's actions and life.
A (Accomplishment) - To feel a sense of accomplishment and progress.
Ms. Shimada's original Japanese version is "Yoshi! Takai☺". The positive image of the word itself makes the brain more positive.
Yo - good feeling (positive emotion)
Shi - proactive involvement
Ta - Feeling of accomplishment, proficiency, and growth
Ka - relationship (good human relations)
I - significance/meaning
The key to communication is "Mu-Ki-Tsu (facing, listening, and communicating)".
Reforming organizational culture and climate begins with communication. To achieve true communication, the three elements of "Mu-Ki-Tsu," or "facing," "listening," and "communicating," are important. People who have this process in place will transform their organizations.
Mu - being aware of the other person and having the mind and body together.
Ki - To understand and connect with the other person's words and facial expressions using the ears, eyes, and mind.
Tsu - Delivering words to the other person and making sure they are conveyed as intended.
(about 700 employees participated!)
Part 2: Talk Session
Ms. Yuka Shimada & President Kasama talk about Well-being and Japan Post Bank
In the second part, Ms. Shimada and Kasama discussed various topics such as "Well-being for the President and Japan Post Bank," "Conditions that encourage employees to improve their performance," and "Experiences of ‘lightning bolt’ in their lives".
Speaker
Ms. Yuka Shimada
Director, President and Representative Executive Officer
Takayuki Kasama
(Facilitator)Director of Diversity and Inclusion Department
Mikako Saito
The hint of Well-being is in each person's heart.
Kasama :
I just read the book on Well-being again in preparation for this talk session with Ms. Shimada. After listening to Ms. Shimada's talk today, I have a deeper understanding of what Well-being is all about. I would like to put it to use as soon as tomorrow!
Ms. Shimada :
Well-being is said to be difficult to understand, but the hint to ‘something good’ is actually in your mind. If you lose your sense of self and try to become something you are not, it cannot be called Well-being. I am sure that what you are wearing today is something that you thought was ‘nice’. Yes, you are all already doing things for Well-being.
What Well-being Means to the President and to Japan Post Bank Employees
Kasama :
I enjoy both my personal and professional life. I have always been conscious of this, but today I was reminded that enjoying our daily life leads to Well-being.
Ms. Shimada :
I think there are a lot of things that happen. There may be unexpected accidents or ......, but I think there are many things that can be found while working on something that "if we are going to do it anyway, let's do it in a fun way". And if you still feel that you can't do it in a fun way, it is important to let them know.
Kasama :
Although it is difficult to say in general, I think that Well-being for Japan Post Bank employees is, in any case, to make the company a place where employees like the company, feel satisfaction and pride, and want to work hard for the company, which will result in improved Well-being.
Since assuming the position of president in April, I have been visiting Japan Post Bank offices nationwide, thinking, "First of all, I need to see what is going on in the field". Japan Post Bank employees are honest and earnest. Everyone is really working hard. When I go there, I am energized and reminded of many things. I do my best every day thinking, "I'm going to make this company better!".
Like x Good at = Source of Flow
Ms. Shimada :
It's wonderful to hear you say, ‘I want employees to like Japan Post Bank’. When people are doing something they love or are good at, it is easier for them to enter a flow state = a state of immersion. Once in the flow state, a person's abilities and potential are maximized. If you can enter the flow state when you are at work, you will achieve the best results. And when those results are evaluated, one can feel the significance of one's existence and contribution, which leads to a sense of fulfillment. Feeling fulfilled will further motivate you to work harder and make it easier to enter the flow state again. Focusing on what each employee likes and is good at creates fulfillment for employees, which in turn leads to better performance for the company as a whole.
Experiences like ‘lightning bolt’ accelerate life!
Saito :
I feel so much passion and energy from Ms. Shimada's story. What triggered it?
Ms. Shimada :
Maybe I was born with it! But there was an event that accelerated it. ...... Have you ever thought about what your purpose is? It means the greater purpose, why I was born and what I am here for. I call it ‘lightning bolt,’ and when a shocking, downright lightning bolt event happens in your life, you ask yourself, "Why did this happen to me? What does it mean?" and I think my passion and energy may have been accelerated from the time I started questioning my own purposes because of that event.
Saito :
Did President Kasama also have any episodes of ‘lightning bolt’ strikes?
Kasama :
The most shocking thing that happened to me in my working life was that the first company I joined went out of business. In a sense, it was a start from a setback. Conversely, Japan Post Bank has a very stable deposit base and customer base, and I was reminded of how wonderful it is to have this stability. This may have been the ‘lightning bolt’ experience for me.
Past setbacks and childhood experiences have led to your current purpose.
Ms. Shimada :
We talked previously about perspicacity, and there are four elements to ask about one's own perspicacity: experiences of setbacks, childhood, successes, and what one hopes to accomplish in this life. I think that the things and people that one was passionate about or admired until the age of 10 are in fact very close to one's own personality. And those elements are always connected to the current work. The more you can increase the connection between your own purpose and aspirations and your current job, the more proud, excited, and fulfilled you will feel.
To all Japan Post Bank employees. Messages from the speakers.
Saito :
I hope that the findings and learnings from today's talk event will lead to tomorrow's Well-being for everyone who attends. In closing, would you both like to send us a message?
Ms. Shimada :
The great thing about today's event is that so many people, both in face-to-face and online, heard the same keywords. We may feel differently, but the fact that we are sharing the same keywords is very meaningful and important.
In any case, please take care of your own Well-being. Choose to be responsible for your own Well-being and be in a good state. Respect that someone else chooses to do so as well. If you continue to do that, I think Japan Post Bank will become even more wonderful.
Kasama :
Listening to how my childhood experiences have led me to my current work and purposes, I was reminded of my elementary school days. At that time, I could not speak in public, but my teacher helped me to change that. I still appreciate my teacher greatly. When I heard that that experience has led me to the present, I felt, "I see". What I want to say is that I believe each employee has such a trigger or originating experience, and that is why DE&I is necessary to draw out such power. I hope that all of you who participated today will share what you learned today in your workplaces. I would like to make Japan Post Bank a company where your thoughts and feelings will spread to the entire company. Let us do our best honestly and earnestly.
Participants' findings and learnings
- I have been working at Japan Post Bank for almost 30 years, and this event made me think that Japan Post Bank has changed. The idea that productivity can be increased by being yourself and not overworking yourself is very good.
- I was impressed by the phrase, "If each individual's awareness changes, the comfort of the organization will also improve". I have not thought about the comfort of my workplace because I am so busy with my own work, but I now realize that this is also very important. I will spend my time being conscious of not only my work but also the atmosphere of the workplace and myself.
- I was pleased to learn that the president is also aware of Well-being. I was impressed not only by Ms. Shimada's seminar, but also by the listening attitude of the president, who listened intently to the voices of the employees. I could feel that he is really thinking about improving this company, and it was a very meaningful time.
- It was the most interesting event in my life at Japan Post Bank. I think it must have been a 'lightning bolt' for the many participants. I feel that I have to continue to speak up in my own words about what Japan Post Bank is, what Japan Post Bank's identity is, what purpose is ......, and so on, because I am a Japan Post Bank employee.