Tsuchiya Corporation, a Nursing Care Provider, Introduces 1-on-1 Tools to the Entire Company ~Promoting Communication to Create a Comfortable Work Environment and Prevent Turnover~.

Tsuchiya Corporation (Head office: Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture; Representative Director: Toshiyuki Takahama; Number of employees: 2,646), a social business enterprise that provides home-visit nursing care services for people with severe disabilities throughout Japan, as well as daycare services for the elderly, regular patrols, and home nursing care, has implemented the 1on1 tool throughout the company from November 2024. Tsuchiya Corporation introduced Wistant.

Tsuchiya Corporation introduced Wistant

In the nursing care industry, the shortage of human resources is the biggest concern, and the turnover rate tends to be higher than in other industries. Human relations in the workplace account for a large percentage of turnover, and the increase in turnover can lead to exhaustion in the workplace. We have introduced the 1-on-1 tool "Wistant" to help resolve the shortage of human resources by deepening communication between supervisors and subordinates through regular 1-on-1 sessions and focusing on creating a comfortable working environment.

■Outline of 1on1 tool

Tool used: People management tool Wistant

Objective: To create a comfortable work environment by revitalizing communication

　　　　　　and human resource development, and analysis of data

Target: Executives and above (optional)

＜Report from Mr. Takeru Miyamoto, Director, Tsuchiya Co.

Director, Tsuchiya Corporation

Purpose of 1on1 Implementation

There are two main purposes for introducing the 1-on-1 tool. One is the benefit to management and the other is the benefit to employees.

(1) Advantages on the management side

For the management side, the main purpose is to spread the top management's policy and company philosophy throughout the company. Management's intentions usually change as they go down, sometimes causing confusion. In many cases, management's intentions are miscommunicated, largely due to a lack of understanding caused by managers' limited knowledge and experience, but also due to a lack of motivation that prevents them from communicating their intentions in the first place. To prevent such misplaced buttons and disconnection of information circuits, we feel the need to have managers communicate with management at eye level, while interpreting down to a level of understanding similar to that of the management level. Our policy is to use 1on1 as an effective tool for this purpose, to reduce risks in management by visualizing them, and to "align the line of sight" between management and managers.

In addition, we expect to effectively develop leadership personnel by having supervisors and subordinates work together toward medium- to long-term goals by taking advantage of the benefits of 1-on-1s.

(2) Benefits for Employees

The first and foremost benefit for employees is that they can have a "place to talk" and a "place to connect," which will help them work more comfortably and ensure psychological safety. The first step is for supervisors and subordinates to start engaging with each other, and create a place where they can stop, face each other, and talk. By having a place where people can face each other as human beings, including not only questions, concerns, and complaints about work, but also trivial discussions, we not only prevent missed timing, misunderstandings, and lack of explanation, but also allow supervisors and subordinates to get to know each other's humanity and thoughts, which leads to smooth execution of work.

In addition, our core business is home-visit care for the elderly, and our on-site staff's work style is characterized by going directly to the office and returning home directly. Therefore, compared to other companies, there is an overwhelming lack of opportunities for communication, and the feeling of isolation and loneliness has been an issue for many years.

Lack of communication leads to a lack of mutual trust, which in turn leads to a tendency to focus on the supervisor's negative behavior and "shaky" attitude, which in turn leads to a loss of trust and contributes to a decline in engagement and deterioration of the relationship. Building relationships is not something that can be done overnight; it is only possible when both parties have built up mutual trust. At our company, which is characterized by direct attendance and direct return, it is clear that even if there are questions or complaints, if there is no place to talk about them, they will accumulate and human relations will deteriorate. And it is also clear that the accumulated dissatisfaction leads to job turnover and exhaustion in the workplace.

Of course, in the past, each director and manager has held 1-on-1s and discussions in accordance with his or her own policy, but it has been left up to the autonomy of the field, and in some cases, discussions have been held as needed, while in others, communication has been at a minimum. It is believed that some relationships have already reached the point of irreversibility.

Currently, the tools are only available to those at managerial level and above, but we hope that by establishing a place where managerial staff can have 1-on-1s on a regular basis, they will experience firsthand the importance of 1-on-1 communication and naturally become aware of the importance of communication with front-line staff. I hope that by establishing 1-on-1s on a regular basis, the managers will realize the importance of communication with front-line staff. After all, what you don't think is good will not be communicated. I feel that when people feel "I am glad I did it," it will spread down the line. I also believe that this will lead to a lower turnover rate.

Efforts to promote 1-on-1 training to date

(1) 1-on-1 workshop

Date: September 12, 2024

Theme: 1on1 communication skills training

Objective: To lay the groundwork for conducting 1on1 on a regular basis,

　　　　To recognize the importance of 1on1 for the entire company and understand the key points of effective 1on1.

Lecturer: Shinichi Seko (President, 1on1 Communication Association)

(2) Introduction of tools

Date of introduction: November 1, 2024

(3) Future plans

Since the tool has a visualization function and is capable of data analysis, we intend to measure the relationship between engagement, performance, and turnover prevention rate, as well as the effectiveness of 1on1, after a certain period of time.

Departments conducting the pilot ahead of others have reported that the 1on1 tool has deepened the building of trust and increased motivation, indicating a high degree of psychological safety. In addition, data from November 2024 shows that more than 90% of members who have implemented the program have found it fulfilling.

Although the program is currently conducted on a voluntary basis and only about one-third of the company is in operation, we intend to conduct periodic training, briefing sessions, and post-implementation reporting in order to further disseminate the program within the company. We also hope that supervisors will recognize the need for 1-on-1s, and we expect that awareness will spread firmly to the lower levels of the company.

Related URL

<Official website

https://tcy.co.jp/

<Official X (former Twitter)

https://x.com/tcy_honsha

＜Official YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCboj8uAyr_W7Vw4kT9HS7ng

Company Profile

Company name: Tsuchiya Corporation

Location ：2F Hisayasu Central Building, 192-2 Ibara-cho, Ibara-shi, Okayama

Representative Director: Toshiyuki Takahama

Establishment ：August 2020

Business description : Disability welfare service business and community life support business,

　　　　　　In-home service business based on the Long-Term Care Insurance Law,

　　　　　　Planning, holding, and operation of lectures and workshops, and training business,

　　　　　　Home-visit nursing business