Masterlist of Questions
Have a question to ask? Send it to askHR@jhrs.org. (Note: Your name, company , or email will be kept confidential unless of course you tell us otherwise!)| Code | Category |
QUESTION |
Sender |
View Answer* |
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Managing Culture Changes Due to COVID-19 |
How is COVID-19 affecting organizational culture and what can companies do about it? |
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Click here |
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Q20-002 |
As Teams Transition to New Work Styles,What Must HR Consider? |
Major news outlets here and abroad have been reporting how organisations in Japan are struggling with the shift to remote work and other new ways of working. What is the situation on the ground and what can HR do to help their teams navigate these changes? |
Head of Human Resource Department | Click here |
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Toughest Aspects of Recruiting in Japan |
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Recruitment Consultant |
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Q19-003 |
3 Biggest Challenges to Build Better Workplaces in Japan |
What are the 3 Biggest HR Challenges That Japanese Companies Wanting to Build Better Workplaces Today Need to Address? |
HR Assistant |
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Equipping Frontline Managers with the Leadership Tools and Skills |
How can organizations equip frontline managers with the leadership tools and skills they need to be more effective in their roles? | HR Manager |
Click here |
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Q19-001 |
What are the Top Challenges of Recruiting in Japan? |
What are the challenges companies recruiting in Japan today need to prepare for? |
Senior Recruiter |
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| Q18-003 | What Are the Pitfalls HR Needs to Avoid When Marketing the HR Function? |
As HR, we want to help top management better understand the strategic value our department brings to the table. To fine-tune our approach, we'd like to ask: What are the pitfalls we should avoid when marketing the HR function? | HR Manager |
Click here |
| Q18-002 | Creating a Positive Workplace Culture | How Can HR Play a Leading Role in Creating a Positive Workplace Culture? | Undisclosed Sender |
Click here |
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Q18-001
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Making Workplaces More LGBTQ-friendly |
How can employers and HR make workplaces more LGBTQ-friendly (and why should they)? |
Tokyo-based HR Consultant | Click here |
Q17-003 |
Developing High CQ Among Employees |
What are the steps HR can take to help employees develop high CQ? How can HR play an active role in building a culturally intelligent organization? | JHRS |
Click here |
Q17-002 |
What are the HR Best Practices in Managing Change that Work in Japan? |
What are the best practices in implementing and managing change that HR specifically in Japanese organizations must strive to uphold? |
Head of HR
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Click here |
Q17-001 |
How Can HR Help Employees Manage Technological Change? |
In its 2016 report, Deloitte is forecasting "a new world for HR technology and design teams is on the horizon." However, change is always difficult and getting employees to be motivated and be on board for the shifts can be tough. What are the strategies HR can adopt to help employees embrace and be engaged with new technologies? | Small Business Owner |
Click here |
Q16-002 |
How Can HR Use Analytics in a Way that Makes a Difference? |
"Unlike Accounting, Finance, or Marketing functions of an organization, HR has always suffered from the perception that it makes decisions based on guts and intuitions (i.e., not based on facts or figures). How can HR professionals use analytics to help the organization make sound HR and business decisions? What key metrics should HR be using in the first place?" | HR Manager |
Click here |
Q16-001 |
What's Key to Improving Employee Engagement in Japan? |
Numerous studies through the years have shown how Japan consistently scores low or last in employee engagement. Whether or not those studies' findings are accurate, it would still be helpful to know: What are the top three things I should understand about Japanese workplace culture that affect employee engagement? |
HR Officer/Employee Engagement Champion |
Click here |
Q15-002 |
What are the Best Practices for Japanese Companies Wanting to Build a More Diverse Workforce? |
Our new CEO recently announced that he would like to see our Japan-based office become more diverse (i.e. have more foreigners, older workers, women). What are some best practices for doing this? Where do we even begin? |
HR Director from an electronics engineering company in Tokyo / Vancouver |
Click here |
Q15-001 |
What are the Essentials of a Successful In-House Mentoring Program? | What are some best practices in establishing an in-house coaching or mentoring program to improve employee satisfaction and achieve desired business results? |
Director of a Japanese consulting company | Click here |
Q14-002 |
"Top 5" Do's and Dont's during "exchange period" |
What should we include in our "pre-flight" information packages as the "Top 5" most important things to do (or not do) during their "exchange period" in order to maximize business and cultural understanding and learning? |
Head of Partnership Development, UK-Japan NPO |
Click here |
Q14-001 |
Will a Western-based Performance Management System Work In Japan? |
Does the Western-style performance management system really work in the Japanese work culture? If not, what suggestion or alternative form of performance management would be effective in the Japanese environment? Or, is there a best practice approach to performance management that has been proven to fit across all types of workplace environments? | C&B Manager, Foreign IT Firm |
Click here |
Q13-003 |
"Ideal" Leadership Skills |
What are the ideal leadership skills do you think a leader should have to be successful in today’s business? |
JAIMS Alumnus |
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Q13-002 |
Working in HR Field in Japan | What can I do to work in the HR field in Japan? Is there any way of doing this, or is it like Accounting, and running on a separate set of standards from the U.S.?" | Student from USA |
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Q13-001 |
Recession and HR in Japan |
What are the implications of the current recessionary trends for Japanese HR Leaders? |
Sr. Manager, Global Business Process Management Company |
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Q12-002 |
Background Check in Japan |
Is it legal to have background checks in Japan, including criminal records search (by external 3rd party)? |
Vice President of Human Resources Department |
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Q12-001 |
Annual Leave in Japan |
If we provide above the labour guide : 20 days of annual leave annually from day one, what would be the carry forward rule at the end of the year? Do we have to allow for full maximum of 20 days carry forward each year? Or can we not allow for carry forward of unused leave at the end of each year to following year? |
Vice President of Human Resources Department
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Q11-008 |
Leadership |
Enduring and Emerging Leadership Qualities: Which one will Work in Japan? |
HR Manager, Leading Japanese Retailer |
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| Q11-007 | General HR Management |
How can Japanese companies and Japan-based branches be supported by their HR to become more kokusaiteki (国際的), internationally intelligent, globally resilient? |
HR Manager, Japanese (Traditional) Company |
Click Here |
| Q11-006 | Employment Law |
I would like to know what an employer can do in Japan if an employee is consecutively on sick leave. Can the Company terminate his employment? |
Global HR, Lifescience Company |
Click Here |
| Q11-005 | Crisis Management |
How can Japan HR professionals help their companies, employees & fellow HR pros to address the challenges of the effects of the recent the Great Tohoku-Kanto Earthquake? |
JHRS |
Click Here |
| Q11-004 | Training & Development |
Do you believe that Japan needs an HR credentialing or certification system for HR pros in Japan? Why or why not? I personally don't believe in it but I'm interested in hearing from your thoughts. |
Head of HR, Global Financial Company |
Click Here |
| Q11-003 | Diversity & Inclusion | How can we develop a diversity program without being tied as a "gender" or women's issue? | Diversity & Ethics Officer, Large IT Company |
Click Here |
| Q11-002 | General HR Management |
I’m new in the recruitment world, and I would like to know what is the difference between HR management in Japan and in Occident (or West)? Which skill is required in Japan that is not in Occident ? And another maybe weird question, do the facial analysis and the micro-expressions, research of Pr. Paul Ekman, Wallace V. Friesen and David Matsumoto, could be useful for a recruiter? |
Aspiring Recruiting Professional in Tokyo |
Click Here |
| Q11-001 | Performance Management |
How do you manage poor and high performers WITHOUT spending too much or using money as a tool in doing so? |
Sr. HR Manager, Global Consumer Company |
Click Here |
| Q10-007 | HR Special Interest |
How do you best address workplace discrimination (particularly gender, age, and even nationality) in Japan? We know that companies are not supposed to do them but in reality, everybody knows as well that such discriminatory practices exist here. Is it cultural, ignorance, or simply, stubbornness? |
Tokyo-based HR Consultant |
Click Here |
| Q10-006 | Employee Health, Safety, & Welfare |
According to MHLW, this year marks the 12th consecutive year that suicides in Japan topped 30,000+ with most of them attributed to depressions brought by stress in the workplace. Unfortunately, me (or my company) was one of those unfortunate beings who had to endure this experience when one of our employees committed suicide last year (we had a downsizing last year as well). To be perfectly honest, I still have not "recovered" from this experience and feels guilty about it myself. Hence, my first question is a bit selfish but I would want to know what advice can you give to ME to help me overcome this feeling of guilt (justified or not)? The second is, what advice can you give to HR professionals to help prevent this from happening again during their watch and if it does happen, what or how should we manage or go through with it? |
HR Manager from a Tokyo-based Technology Company. | Click Here |
| Q10-005 | Recruiting/ Staffing/ Talent Acquisition |
As a headhunter, clients always complain about their external recruiters' inability to present them the right or best candidates for their search positions. However, it takes two to tango, right? Clients are also most of the time unrealistic with their expectations. They say it's an "urgent" position at the start of the search but they give delayed feed backs and drag the process too long! As someone who has been in the "client" side at one time of your careers, what advice can you give to clients (and headhunters as well!) so that they can better manage their relationships with recruiters? |
Frustrated Headhunter based in Tokyo | Click Here |
| Q10-004 | Talent Management |
How can foreign-affiliated orgs in Japan mitigate the talent drain, find ways to keep and/or novel ways to develop new leaders for this market? |
Executive Coach in Tokyo |
Click Here |
| Q10-003 | HR Expat Management |
As an expat (or someone who have worked with expats), what advise can you give as to the Top 3 things that HR expats like me should know or do in order to be successful in HR management in Japan? | HR Director, Foreign-affiliated Medical Device Company based in Tokyo |
Click Here |
| Q10-002 | Change Management |
Our CEO is looking for some disruptive ideas to help grow the business, improve operational efficiency or other types of ideas for each department/function. I need your help to consider some creative ideas that could bring positive “disruption” to our business in HR function. |
HR/GA Manager, Foreign-affiliated company in Aichi | Click Here |
| Q10-001 | Strategic HR Management |
Nowadays, many companies are talking about making HR a 'strategic business partner.' But, can HR be really 'strategic' especially in Japan? If so, what would be the critical success factors based from your experience? |
HR Manager, Foreign-affiliated firm in Tokyo |
Click Here |
*Requires Professional, Honorary, or Corporate Membership level to view the answers. -DISCLAIMER-
The answers, opinions, or viewpoints expressed by Andrew and Yoshi are their own based and do not necessarily represent the general views and sentiments of The Japan HR Society and its members, Secretariat, friends, and supporters. In addition, the answers, advices, or opinions expressed by Andrew and Yoshi are for informational purposes only and are not meant to substitute for more competent legal and/or financial advices from qualified legal and financial professionals.
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