Unlocking 'Individual Potential' Beyond the Scope of Disability Employment: The Challenge Taken on by the i-plug OSS Team

The 'Joy of Working' Learned in Nursing Care: The Challenge at i-plug of Building from 0 to 1

After working in sales for one year as a new graduate, I worked as a care worker at a rehabilitation hospital. There, I witnessed patients who, despite having physical disabilities, looked forward to the future, saying, 'I am going to work again.' Seeing them was the starting point of my career and sparked my strong interest in the field of disability employment.
After learning the operational know-how of disability employment in my previous job, I encountered i-plug in 2022. At that time, the OSS team had just started with three initial staff members with disabilities. Although I had no experience in the HR industry, I was very attracted to the phase where the organization was about to expand in earnest. There was an environment where I could utilize what I had cultivated to build an organization from 0 to 1, and then from 1 to 10. I decided to join the company, convinced that I could realize my mission to the fullest here.
What surprised me after joining was that i-plug's mission, 'Creating a society where people's potential overflows through connections,' resonated very strongly with members with disabilities as well. The company's stance of genuinely facing the potential of each individual, rather than just using beautiful words, far exceeded my expectations before joining.

1.7 Times More Tasks, 100 Hours Saved. A Virtuous Cycle of 'Active Participation' Created Through AI Utilization

For me, achieving the statutory employment rate is not the goal. What I place more importance on is how we can expand the places where members with disabilities can 'actively participate.'
Currently, i-plug's disability employment rate has reached 2.9%. This is a high level compared to the average of approximately 2%* in the information and communications industry, but we are not aiming to be a team that just handles routine tasks. Now, we are trying to dramatically change the quality of our work through the active use of AI.
Specifically, with the introduction of AI, the number of tasks handled by the OSS team has increased by more than 1.7 times, from 53 types in the previous year to 91 types. Despite this, the total working hours of the OSS team have decreased by about 100 hours, from 947 hours to 859 hours. Members themselves have mastered AI, implementing manual integration and automatic transmission to Slack, thereby streamlining operations.
Using the leeway created by this efficiency to produce higher value-added output and attract new work requests—I feel a great sense of accomplishment that such a 'virtuous cycle of active participation' is being created.
*From the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2025 Summary of Disability Employment Status

Relying on Each Other as Capable Assets. How an Organization Where a Culture of 'Co-creation' Takes Root Should Be

At i-plug, there is a naturally established system where employees who joined through disability recruitment are not 'treated specially,' but are respected as professionals and cooperate with each other. When there is new work, the requesting department within the company does not hesitate to create manuals or provide lectures tailored to the characteristics of the team, and it is a common sight to see them relying on the OSS team as a reliable 'force'.
Since we work in an environment where remote work is common, we place particular emphasis on 'self-understanding' and 'communication skills' regarding one's own disability during the recruitment process to ensure mutual understanding without discrepancies. We value the foundation of understanding one's own characteristics and being able to communicate when one does not understand something. While cherishing this base, we listen to what the individual 'wants to do' through weekly 1-on-1 meetings and reflect it in task assignments.
Regarding health management, we have created an environment where we check the daily condition and talk if there is even the slightest change. Because there are team meetings where members are not left to worry alone, even remotely, and a robust support system, members can challenge their own potential with peace of mind. I feel that this stance of 'co-creation' is the very culture of i-plug.
A symbolic example of this is the journey of one member. From the time he joined as a member of the OSS team, he has been in charge of general affairs tasks that require extreme precision. As a result of accumulating uncompromising output, he was officially assigned to the same department upon being promoted to a regular employee. The fact that he later won the MVP at the company-wide MVV awards held once a year is proof that his ability was highly evaluated as a business person, transcending the framework of 'disability employment,' and it is our pride.
He is currently taking on an unprecedented, high-difficulty mission called the 'AI Promotion Team.' What exists there is not just 'consideration,' but 'expectation' as a professional. Regardless of attributes, we rely on each other as indispensable 'assets' and support one another. I believe this strong relationship of trust is the 'co-creation' that we value.

Sharing Success Stories with Society. I Want to Rewrite the Standard for Disability Employment

My challenge from here on is to widely share the i-plug OSS team with society as a 'success story of disability employment'.
Looking at the information and communications industry as a whole, there are still many companies with low employment rates. Challenges such as a shortage of managers and the difficulty of delegating tasks are piling up. However, if you prepare an appropriate environment and make the latest technology your ally, you can do work with such high added value. Through our efforts, I would like to spread a positive influence that 'if i-plug can do it, we can do it too'.
Removing the framework of 'because it is disability employment,' anyone can realize themselves while being excited. I want to embody and continue to prove such a 'society overflowing with potential' starting from this team.

For those who have a burning desire to use their expertise as a weapon to implement new values in the organization and in society, i-plug should be the best environment worth challenging.
Why don't you join us in opening up a new future through 'connections'?