Employee Roundtable: "Veterans and Young Employees Discuss! Nichinen's Changes and Unchanging Traditions"
Nichinen is a company that handles total space creation for offices and factories. From layout design to interior, architectural, and civil engineering work, maintenance, and the proposal, manufacturing, and sales of furniture and interiors, we consistently support the creation of comfortable and functional environments.
This time, we bring you a roundtable discussion featuring two veteran employees with over 30 years of service and two young employees in their 20s. They will talk in depth about "Nichinen's changes and unchanging traditions."
The creation of this article was supported by Storytellers Inc.
Roundtable Participants
Mr. K: Sales Department, joined the company mid-career in 1988
Ms. Sato: Administration Department, joined the company mid-career in 1991
Mr. N: Sales Department, joined as a new graduate in 2024
Mr. O: Sales Department, joined the company mid-career in 2026
In the past, Nichinen's main business was the sale and delivery of fixtures and equipment
—What kind of company was Nichinen when Mr. K and Ms. Sato joined, compared to now?
Mr. K: Although our company now handles construction-related projects such as interior work, about 40 years ago when I joined, we only sold fixtures and equipment.And rather than us actively going out and saying, "Please buy this!", it was more common for customers to reach out to us for sales and deliveries.
As for sales activities, the style was to accompany a senior colleague for a while, learn from their actual performance, and then strike out on your own.
Ms. Sato:When I joined, the demand for fixtures was much higher than it is now, so during busy periods, I would even help with delivery work, even though I was in a different department. For a project delivering lockers to the backyards of major supermarkets, almost all the employees spent days making deliveries.
The biggest changes are "work style" and "internal atmosphere"
—How was the work style different from now?
Mr. K:For example, in the case of an office layout change project, the office is in use during the day on weekdays, so the layout change work cannot be done. Therefore, the work days were inevitably concentrated on weekends or at night. However,even if we applied for compensatory leave for working on weekends at that time, it was rarely approved.That was the era it was.
Mr. N: Now, if you work on weekends, you can almost certainly take compensatory leave.It sounds like it was a very tough working environment back then.
Ms. Sato: Now, there is absolutely no resistance within the company to taking leave, such as compensatory leave or paid time off.When Mr. K and I joined, our superiors rarely took paid leave, so there was an atmosphere where it was difficult for us to say, "I want to take paid leave."
Also, there was an unspoken understanding that "subordinates cannot leave until their superiors leave."Now, people leave as soon as they finish their work without worrying about their superiors.Even if the president is still in the office, we just say, "Excuse me for leaving early," and go home (laughs).
—Has the atmosphere in the company changed too?
Ms. Sato:In the past, there was an atmosphere where "what the boss says is absolute," and it was a so-called vertical society where the hierarchy of president, department manager, and section manager was quite clear. Now,"regardless of position or seniority, let's communicate with everyone and work together."That is the atmosphere.
Mr. N:That's right. It's an atmosphere where it's easy to consult with seniors, and it's easy to express opinions. When I express an opinion like "I want to do this," sometimes they agree, and sometimes they give me advice like "It's better to do it this way."
The current Nichinen as seen by young employees
—From your perspectives, N-san and O-san, what kind of company do you feel Nichinen is today?
N-san:Since our company currently handles a wide range of products, from interior construction to the sale of fixtures and equipment, I feel it is a company where you can always work with a fresh mindset.
O-san:I have only been with the company for about two months, but I feel that Nichinen is a company with no limits to the scope of work.There is a lot of knowledge to acquire because of that, but since I learn new things every day, I think it is a job where you can keep growing. By the way, my previous job was as a retail salesperson at a furniture store, so I joined the company without any experience in corporate sales.
Being able to gain such a wide range of experience at my current age is a major appeal of the sales position at Nichinen.
—What do you both respect about the veteran employees?
N-san: "When I consult them about one thing I don't understand, they don't just give me one answer, they give me ten." They teach me not only the answer to my question but also the surrounding knowledge, which is very educational. There is nothing but things to respect about the veteran employees.
O-san:What I especially respect is that they are quick to make decisions on-site.I joined the company with almost no knowledge, so I feel that being able to respond immediately to customer questions and requests on the spot is truly a difference in the amount of knowledge.
The spirit of "for the customer" that has never changed
—K-san and Sato-san, having worked here for many years, are there any points that you feel are "Nichinen-like" and have never changed?
K-san: "Anticipating the customer's troubles and requests and taking action." Responding to what the customer says is a given, but we also provide knowledge and advice beyond that. That is Nichinen's tradition, and it is an attitude we must maintain now and in the future.
Sato-san:Ever since I joined the company, I have been told to "think about what to do for the customer." The president often says it at the morning assembly, and I also pass it on to new employees.
K-san: However, I don't want you to misunderstand; it doesn't mean "you should do whatever the customer says."
First and foremost, it is wrong to only think about the customer and neglect Nichinen when taking on work. Balancing that is difficult. Also, even if a customer says, "I want to buy this product," if it is not a product that suits the customer, selling it is not for the customer's benefit. In such cases, our company clearly states, "I cannot recommend that product. This one is better."
In that way, we value clearly telling the customer, "What cannot be done, cannot be done."
Sato-san:
The reason we can say that is because we have many long-term customers. We have spent many years building relationships where we can be clear with each other. Furthermore, because we have a long relationship and know the internal circumstances of the customer's company, I believe we can make proposals that are truly in the customer's best interest.
Nichinen's future blueprint
—What kind of company do you think Nichinen will become in the future?
K-san:Currently, our main businesses are the sale and delivery of fixtures and equipment and interior construction, but I think the ratio of construction-related work will increase even further in the future. In addition to that, I would like to engage in businesses that utilize the network and technology we have cultivated so far, such as acting as an intermediary to connect suppliers and partner companies with customers, and creating blueprints. If we do that, I think our relationships with customers will become even more unbreakable.
Sato-san:There are some professions that are said to "no longer require humans due to the rise of AI," but regarding our company's sales positions, I think the possibility of being replaced by AI is extremely low. We need to meet customers face-to-face to build relationships and go to construction and renovation sites.
N-san:In terms of AI, the president also said, "There is a possibility that we will be working with robots in 30 years." I am looking forward to seeing how we will work with AI in the future.
What I want to tell those who will be joining the company
—Finally, please give a message to those who will be joining Nichinen as colleagues.
O-san:When you first join, I think there may be times when you are confused because you don't know who to talk to. But in my case, the senior employees reached out to me, so it was very easy to join the circle.
Because it is a company where it is easy to communicate like this,I think that even those joining mid-career can work with peace of mind.
Mr./Ms. N: Our company has an atmosphere where it is easy to consult others, and there are many seniors who will answer your questions patiently even if you ask them many times.Everyone is truly kind. To those who will become our colleagues, let's do our best together!
Mr./Ms. Sato: In our company's business, the work you do leaves a tangible result, and you get to hear customers say "thank you." There is a wide variety of work, from small-scale to large-scale projects, and it is truly rewarding work.
Mr./Ms. K: There is a vast amount of knowledge to learn, so it might be difficult at first. However, as you gain experience, your knowledge will naturally increase. In the first place, even veteran employees like me do not have perfect knowledge; we proceed with our work while learning as we go or asking members who are experts in that field.
Instead of overthinking it and wondering, "Can I do this?", let's work together to deliver value to our customers while asking our seniors and supervisors for guidance!
Things that have changed throughout Nichinen's long history, and things that have been passed down unchanged. It was a roundtable discussion that showed the figure of Nichinen, which flexibly changes in line with the times.
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[Writing/Proofreading] Storytellers Inc. Ayumi Hirasawa
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Nichinen Co., Ltd. is currently looking for new team members. If you are even slightly interested, please take a look at the recruitment page below. We are sincerely looking forward to receiving your applications!
[Nichinen Co., Ltd. Recruitment Site]