Announcing the results of the "#MyOwnWayOfWorking" submission contest held by PERSOL and note!

For about a month starting July 5, 2021, we held the #MyOwnWayOfWorking submission contest where people shared their own personal "ways of working." During the period (7/5-8/13), we received 8,617 entries! Thank you for submitting such wonderful works that serve as an opportunity to rethink our "ways of working."

Please see here for a list of entries on note.

At the judging session, the winners were decided as follows based on the selection by the three judges, Takatsugu Yamashita, Kobakana, and Akiko Oki, along with the PERSOL note team.

Grand Prix

■ The reason why I, a mom, work a part-time job at a "late-night convenience store."

Moyomoyo-san said, "I never imagined that the day would come when I would work a part-time job at a late-night convenience store." The work that describes the background, the benefits of starting this job, and the balance of working in life was chosen as the Grand Prix winner. The judges highly praised it, saying, "The sense of balance regarding 'ways of working' now and in the future is exquisite" (Takatsugu Yamashita), "The point of interpreting the job of a convenience store part-timer positively from one's own perspective fits the contest theme" (Kobakana), "It deeply explores a single theme and builds the structure well, so it has a strong impact on the reader" (Akiko Oki), and "It expresses well the story of a life with many ups and downs, and that it is very fun right now" (PERSOL note team). Openly talking about her situation while maintaining a positive and easy-to-understand writing style was also a key point.

Judge's Special Award (Takatsugu Yamashita Award)

■ Mother's Back

Akane-san, who was raised by a single mother and grandparents and thought that work looked fun after watching her mother's powerful and positive way of working, rethinks her way of working by overlapping it with her current job as a nurse. What is the thought behind the words, "Still, it's not bad"? It is a work packed with the feelings of a working parent.

This is a work that makes you visualize the figure of a mother working energetically and positively. It is clear that her mother's back is the origin of the author's view on working. Although she cannot work the way she wants due to childcare, her positive attitude of taking that as "not bad" overlaps with her mother's figure. This perspective is full of suggestions and may provide hints for many people on "my own way of working." (Takatsugu Yamashita)

Judge's Special Award (Kobakana Award)

■ To you who were in the 5th grade

YUKIKO IKEDA, who was an elementary school support staff member, looks back on a year with a boy she still cannot forget and posted it as a "letter with no destination" to him. The way her heart wavered in how to interact with him and how the distance between their hearts gradually closed is carefully depicted, and a quiet emotion spreads when you finish reading it.

It was a work that made me cry when I read it the first time, and made me cry again when I read it a second time. It is a story where IKEDA-san, the support staff, also grows along with the boy Sho-san, who has a difficult home environment. I felt IKEDA-san's love from the writing that shows their hearts beginning to connect little by little. I hope IKEDA-san and Sho-san can meet again. (Kobakana)

Judge's Special Award (Akiko Oki Award)

Kaori Aki depicts with rich reality the scenes symbolizing the conflict between balancing childcare and work that many working parents face, and how that perspective changes through the words of the nursery school principal. It is a gentle work that seems to gently push the backs of people who have the same worries.

No matter how carefully you want to live, or how kind you want to be to others, there are moments for everyone when you hit a wall.
This novel brilliantly expresses the situation where the female protagonist wants to "be kind to others" and "have room to spare," but it is difficult in reality.
All of that conflict is beautiful. I don't have a family yet, but I empathize with it. I am also saved by the principal's words. (Akiko Oki)

PERSOL Award

■ To my 20-year-old self. The time will surely come when you can think of that "detour" as your own "color."

A detour is not a bad thing. The message from Bashau-matei Zannu-san, who looks back on the five years since moving to Tokyo at age 27 after experiencing several jobs since graduating from university, and sends it to his worried self at the time, has also become a powerful cheer for many 20-somethings who are similarly worried about the path they should take.

Impatience, conflict, comparison with others... Amidst a swell of various emotions, this piece features words spoken by an acquaintance that help the author realize something important.
"Because I have experienced hesitation and struggle, I can understand the positions and weaknesses of many different people. ..." (Excerpt)
By expressing these words and various experiences through the term "detour," I empathized with the content of the piece, which shows the author realizing their own "way of working" while getting one step closer to their goal. (PERSOL note representative)

■ The story of how a word from an old man at a seafood restaurant in Hong Kong led to a career change

At a seafood restaurant in Hong Kong, Riria-san's perspective on "working" changes after answering a question from an older waiter: "Why are you smiling when it's so busy?" The words from the Hello Work representative and the staff at the restaurant she visited to celebrate her job change are also sparkling and memorable in this piece.

"Because work is so much fun!"
The author's various worries and hardships are depicted leading up to these words that conclude the piece, and I believe it is content that many people can empathize with. This is a piece I would like not only those who are currently working to read, but also those who are about to enter society.
In addition, I was impressed by the words, "It is never too late to take on new challenges, and the youngest you will ever be in the future is always now." It is a piece that gives you a push while making you realize the importance of turning the "desire" to change into "action" to make that change happen. (PERSOL note representative)

Prize Winners

General comments from each judge

■ Mr. Takatsugu Yamashita

It was impressive to see how many people, through the experience of working, found the outlines of their "way of working" emerge and fade, eventually becoming clear ridges, and arriving at their own unique "my way of working." In this modern age where environmental changes are rapid and there are diverse ways of working, I was able to recognize once again that there is value in the process of worrying and thinking, even if you cannot find a single "correct answer." I think this contest gave people the courage to believe that they will definitely find their own "way of working" beyond that. Being able to re-experience that process through many of the works will surely provide many hints to those who are looking for their own "way of working." Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

■ Kobakana-san

What I felt while reading was that many people are harboring conflicts while they work. And yet, they are desperately searching for their own way of working—in other words, their way of living. For example, not being a full-time employee, or not being able to get a job they find rewarding. But I felt that the inner voices shouting strongly that it is okay, and that no matter what everyone else is like, I am me, is very characteristic of this era. My way is not everyone's way. It was a time when I was able to realize such things.

■ Akiko Oki

Through this contest, I was able to realize how many people are lost and suffering while trying to derive their own correct answer regarding "working in my own way."
When thinking about "working," one is also made to re-recognize the relationships with family, friends, and lovers that accompany it.
I felt encouraged and at the same time found beauty in the way many people arrived at the conclusion, "This is my own best way."
Even if you think, "I have deviated from the 'norm'," it will surely be okay.

...

The submission period has ended, but I hope this will serve as an opportunity for you to think again about what "way of working" means to you.

Please also take a look at the other submitted works via the URL below.

Looking back on the contest

Below is a comment from the PERSOL note representative.

Ways of working are different for everyone. Thank you for submitting so many works regarding "#MyWayOfWorking" this time.
I think there were also those who gathered the courage to post about painful experiences or failures. There is no right or wrong way to work, and it makes me realize that it is important to choose your own way of working for yourself. Reading the thoughts put into each and every one of your works, I saw elements that lead to the PERSOL Group vision, "Work, and Smile," in the way you take a step forward or sometimes stop to re-evaluate your values. Through this contest, I hope that you were able to empathize even a little with the fact that everyone has different ways of thinking, approaches, and choices regarding work, and that this contest serves as an opportunity for everyone to think about their own way of living and working.