What is the Featured Behavioral Interview (STAR Interview)?

Recruitment methods that are now attracting attention

A method called "behavioral interviewing" (STAR interviewing) is gaining attention as a hiring method by Google and Amazon. It is said to prevent mismatches in hiring by exploring applicants' past behavioral characteristics, values, and thought patterns.

Web-based interviews have become mainstream due to the Corona disaster, and many companies may be interested in them because they can cover the disadvantages of not being able to understand personalities as well as face-to-face interviews.

What is the behavioral interview (STAR interview)?

The method of asking questions and analyzing past behaviors, such as Situation: what kind of situation, Task: what kind of task, Action: how did you act, and Result: what kind of result, is called a behavioral interview, and the acronym for each is "STAR" interview.

Points to keep in mind when introducing the system

For the interviewer, digging deeper into the questions will reveal the applicant's characteristics and personality, and for the applicant, it will make it easier to answer honestly.

When considering the introduction of such a system, it is necessary to properly establish the company's evaluation criteria, prepare for the questions so that the intentions of the questions are clear, and ensure that the interviewers share the same awareness so that they can rationally identify the personnel they want.

Do you approve of side hustle?

 

Although there seems to be a trend toward allowing side hustle...

According to the "Questionnaire Survey on Side Jobs and Double Jobs" conducted by Adecco, Inc., the results are as follows.
More than 40% of the companies allow " side hustles/double jobs". On the other hand, more than half of the companies still do not allow "side hustles/double jobs".
Less than 20% of companies that currently prohibit "second and multiple jobs" are considering allowing it in the future.
Less than 30% of companies "accept" the employment of people with second or multiple jobs, and more than half "do not plan to accept" them.

In this survey, side hustles are defined as "sub-jobs done in between main jobs" and multiple jobs are defined as "doing multiple jobs as one's main job (dual jobs), but in this article, they are collectively referred to as side hustles, etc.

This survey was conducted on managers and section chiefs working for listed companies, so the trend is not the same for other demographics, but it seems that they are gradually moving toward allowing side hustles.

Do you still allow side hustles?

There are many aspects of side hustles that need to be taken care of, such as understanding working hours (self-reporting of working hours, total rules, management based on the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's management model, etc.), the obligation to pay extra wages, and health management. In addition, if an employee of your company suffers a work-related injury that requires time off from work at a second job, it will naturally affect your company's operations. For these reasons, as shown in the survey above, some companies, even listed ones, are reluctant to accept side hustles.

If you understand the issues related to side hustles, etc., and still want to consider allowing them, it is essential to have a written pledge with employees that they are obligated to devote themselves to their main business, including the obligation to report their working hours, and to have related employment regulations in place.

If we have a system where people are allowed to do side hustles under the service contract, this problem will be somewhat reduced. However, this may weaken the effectiveness of the system in increasing the attractiveness of the company, so it may be difficult to introduce such a system in the current situation. Even if you decide to adopt a system that allows for side hustles, etc., careful consideration will be necessary.

Do you pay attention to the humidity in your office?

 

There is a rule about humidity in the office

The Office Hygiene Standards Regulations of Japan, which were recently reviewed with regard to restrooms in the workplace, also stipulate that the humidity in the room must be kept between 40% and 70%.

Especially in winter

A survey conducted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported that many companies do not meet the standard of 40% or higher, especially in the winter (December to March) when people start using heaters. According to a survey conducted by the institute to measure the humidity in actual offices, 30-40% of the measurement locations had humidity levels below 40%, which did not meet the standard.

Creating a comfortable office environment

When an office becomes severely dry, it can affect the health of employees. In addition to dry and itchy eyes, symptoms such as dry and itchy skin, sneezing, coughing, and runny or stuffy nose can be caused by dryness.

In many cases, people wear masks in the office as a measure against corona, but in a society that is sensitive to coughs and sneezes, it is not a good feeling when you want to concentrate on your work and the person next to you is coughing or sneezing. Relationships are likely to lose their richness and become strained.

Many offices are ventilated, but we should also pay attention to humidity to achieve a comfortable office environment.

It is now time to review the system introduced by the Corona disaster

Staggered work hours remain unchanged at about 15%

According to the results of the 7th Survey on Workers' Attitudes conducted by the Japan Productivity Center, 15.1% of workers have staggered their workday (as of October). 16% of workers in the first survey in May 2020 also staggered their workday, so there has been no significant change.

The main reason for staggered work hours in Corona disasters is probably to avoid crowds. With Corona on the wane in Japan, this may be a good time to test the effects in your company.

While telework is becoming more and more popular

In the same survey, the telework implementation rate was 22.7%. In various surveys, there is a response that "telework was effective", but it seems that the most important reason is that there is no stress and fatigue of commuting, rather than an increase in the efficiency of work.

On the other hand, disadvantages of telework have also begun to be pointed out, such as the difficulty and inconvenience of internal communication and consultation, long working hours, and overwork due to the blurring of the boundaries between work and life. If you ask your employees, you will probably find that there are many things that need to be improved, such as the inability to give instructions and consultations all at once, the lack of control due to varying levels of proficiency and usage of chat and other tools, and the fact that some people are burdened with tasks that used to be done by everyone.

The time to review is now

I believe that now is the time to calmly analyze and judge the effects and challenges of the various measures that we have begun to implement in Corona, to see how they actually affect our own operational efficiency. 

It is important to make adjustments to the company's system, not only to deal with the corona disaster. We want to avoid a situation where we introduce a system once and then do nothing with it.

It is becoming increasingly important for people to manage the way employees work. Let's reflect the opinions of employees and create a sense of conviction as we proceed with the review.

Let's start preparing for the enforcement of the revised Child Care and Family Care Leave Law!

 

◆Major Changes in the Childcare Leave System

The revised Child Care and Family Care Leave Law will come into effect on April 1 next year, and in addition to the establishment of a new "Papa Ikukyuu" leave, it will be necessary to provide workers with information on the company's childcare leave system and confirm their intentions on whether or not to take childcare leave, and it will be possible to take childcare leave in installments.

Naturally, it is necessary to review the childcare and nursing care leave regulations and maintain internal forms regarding the use of the system, but that is not all.

◆A labor-management agreement must also be concluded

Under the amendment, the requirements for taking childcare leave will be relaxed for part-timers, etc., who are currently not eligible to take childcare leave depending on the period of employment. Therefore, it is necessary to conclude a labor-management agreement and decide whether those who have been continuously employed for less than one year are eligible to take childcare leave or not.

◆Preparation of materials to inform workers about the company's system is also necessary

As mentioned above, after the enforcement of the revised law, when a worker or her spouse requests for pregnancy or childbirth, the employer is obliged to provide information about the system and confirm the intention to take childcare leave. It is not enough to just provide the regulations, but you also need to provide information on where to apply for childcare leave, childcare leave benefits, and how to handle social insurance premiums during the leave period.

If the documents are already prepared, it is only necessary to check whether they meet the prescribed requirements, but if they are newly prepared, it is also necessary to check what kind of system the company has in place and whether there are any oversights that are not explicitly stated.

Support for Balancing Diabetes and Work

 

◆Increasing number of diabetics

According to the 2019 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the percentage of people with "strongly suspected diabetes" (those who said their HbA1c was 6.5% or higher or that they were being treated for diabetes; 19.7% of men and 10.8% of women) was the highest since 2009. This is the highest percentage since 2009. Currently, it is estimated that there are about 10 million people with both diabetes and pre-diabetes, and the number is increasing.

◆Work and diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a disease that allows people to continue to work as usual if attention is paid to its treatment, but if left untreated, it can lead to severe illness and serious complications. Continued treatment is of utmost importance.

However, of the working-age population (20-59 years old) with "strongly suspected diabetes," approximately 40% are not receiving treatment (National Health and Nutrition Survey, 2017). The top reason cited for this is "busy at work," and companies are expected to provide support so that treatment can continue appropriately.

◆To ensure that workers can continue their treatment

Diabetes treatment requires regular visits to the doctor, generally every two weeks to three months. A hygienic environment and privacy at the workplace are required, for example, when self-injection is required for medication therapy. In addition, although diabetes does not develop or worsen solely due to lifestyle, prejudice and misunderstanding around them may hinder treatment by making it difficult to offer necessary support. It is advisable to consider individual measures while listening to the opinions of their doctor, industrial physician, etc., and to provide appropriate information to supervisors and colleagues.

Color Universal Design for correctly conveying information to all people

◆What is "Color Universal Design"?

"Color Universal Design" refers to "the design of products from the user's point of view so that information can be conveyed as accurately as possible to all people, taking into consideration their diverse color vision" (Tokyo Metropolitan Government Color Universal Design Guidelines). For example, people with abnormal color vision, people with retinal diseases such as glaucoma, and people with cataracts may have difficulty distinguishing colors, and therefore may not be able to obtain appropriate information using colors depending on the color scheme. Are you able to convey the information you are sending out in your color flyers, guides, and websites in an easy-to-understand and correct manner?

◆"The Importance of Correctly Conveying "Information Using Color

According to the Japanese Ophthalmological Society, one in 20 men and one in 500 women in Japan have abnormal color vision. As the development of painting, printing, and computer technology has led to the rapid shift from black-and-white displays to color, it can be said that the need for correctly conveying information using color is increasing, and it is necessary to be mindful of design that allows all users to obtain information equally.

◆Let's start by checking the existing media.

As a first step in our efforts toward color universal design, let's first check existing information media. As a simple method, it is sufficient to copy and print the information in black and white and check whether it can be read properly. There are tools for checking how each color vision type looks in both printed and web-based media, so it is recommended to make use of these tools as well. If a problem is found, we will work to correct it.

With just a little effort, the power of information dissemination can change dramatically. Let's consider the ingenuity and care to provide information that are easy to understand for all people.

◆MHLW partially amended the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations

It has become clear that the majority of people who are identified as having abnormalities in the color vision test are able to perform their work without any problems.    

However, there have been cases where employers have restricted the employment of people who are identified as having abnormalities in the color vision test, even when there are no special problems with their work.

In July 2001, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) partially amended the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations, etc., and abolished the color vision test as an item of medical checkup at the time of employment, which came into effect on October 1, 2001.

When hiring workers, rather than attaching job conditions such as "color blindness is not acceptable," please make sure to describe in detail the nature of the work that involves the use of color, and carefully consider the necessity of medical examinations, including color vision tests, in relation to the nature of the job at the time of employment selection, so as not to lead to discrimination in employment.