Report: FMWP (FamilyMart Women Project)
IMAGE & IMPACT Training
The company held a training for female managers on the topic of why professional women today need to carry out image-building strategies. Participants learned how to constantly refine and present themselves as women worthy of their positions, such as creating a well-balanced image as a working woman, the importance of self-branding, and the relationship between one’s image and one’s career.
Target : Female managers(FY2018),Female SV/SV trainees(FY2019)
Female employee career training(November 2018,January 2019)
The company held a training for women in their third-fourth year at the company to have them look back on the three years since joining FamilyMart and reaffirm the future of their careers. It was an opportunity for participants to listen to other women of the same generation as well as senior female employees, think about what they can do now and look forward to the future.
Some participants seemed to find it a little difficult, but it was an opportunity for them to realize that in order to shine, they have to devote time to think about even if they thoughts unclear.
Before I took part in the training, I really only had a vague idea of what life events are really important to women, things like career, marriage, childbirth, parenting, and similar. The training helped me visualize my life plan, and was a good opportunity to think about it together with the other participants.
“What are the things I want to cherish in life? What kind of life do I want to live?”
It was a chance to inventory my thoughts and ideas.
During the training I heard things like “Your life is your number one priority. If you do not have a fulfilling life, you cannot advance in your job.” Hearing this, I felt like the Company was taking its employees’ happiness seriously. Also, being able to share and discuss my hopes and fears for the future with fellow female employees of the same age served as a jumping point for my own career development. I would like to work hard in the future to become a role model that plays an active role in the Company as a female employee.
Kumiko Kato
Supervisor (SV)
Hokkaido &Tohoku Region
North
Japan Area
Division
Women’s Training Plan
As there are still very few role models for women in the company, we are sending female employees who are manager candidates to external joint training sessions for participants coming from different businesses. It is an opportunity not only to learn, but also to meet women from other companies with similar aspirations, which can be a source of valuable encouragement to keep improving.
FMWP College (October 2017 – January 2018)
This is a three-month project for female employees to challenge themselves to a new workstyle on their own through the Forum, Demonstration Experiment, and Award programs.
FMWP College Forum (October 27, 2017)
Frank exchange of opinions with the top executive
260 female employees participated in the Forum program. To begin, President Sawada spoke about company reforms and his hopes for the female workforce. This was followed by a Q&A session where participants used smartphones to submit questions in real-time. This style of questioning allowed participants to ask and extend frank questions and opinions, totaling 331 submissions in all. As a result, our president was able to gain an even greater awareness of women’s empowerment.
Discussions on the best form of one’s own department
Participants were split into groups by department to discuss the best forms of their departments in the near future, as well as issues that need to be overcome and changes that need to occur to make the visions reality. Lively discussions ensued, and with everyone motivated to lead the changes themselves, the session closed with each group sharing their enthusiasm.
Demonstration Experiment (four weeks of trials between October and December)
After the Forum program, all 64 teams conducted four weeks of demonstration experiments to resolve issues in each department and verify the results. The theme was: we are the ones to bring change to workstyles.
In addition to resolving issues, the objectives of the experiment also included improving work productivity and providing customers with new value.
The teams conducted various demonstration experiments
The teams conducted a wide range of demonstration experiments, such as: improving conference efficiency by adjusting conference times and participating members; improving communication within the department with free address seating and group lunches; and reconsidering workstyles by testing telework.
Making the office more comfortable
We reduced cabinets to promote a review of stored documents – either digitalizing them or disposing of them. The freed space is now used to hold short meetings and we also set up a refresh room to create an environment where employees can work in comfort.
Break time to relax
We set up break times (11 a.m. and 3 p.m.) for the whole department where we played music and had everyone stand up and stretch to refresh their minds. Doing so improved time awareness and got people to relax – both of which led to optimized work.
Focus time
We set up times during the day when talking was discouraged and employees did not have to answer phone calls so that everyone could focus on their work. This improved work efficiency.
General managers got caught up in the demonstration experiments too!
One of the experiment’s requirements is to ask a member of management in the department to become a mentor. The system is thus set up to get managers involved so that they take ownership of the initiative and also make it easier to get other people involved too.
Mentor Award
As an incentive for the managers who get involved, all mentors were assessed by the team members in five areas such as cooperative spirit and giving advice. The best mentor was decided from those results and presented the Mentor Award.
Executives participate too!
We also created an opportunity for participants to exchange opinions with executives on demonstration experiment plans. The women found it motivational to hear advice from the perspective of the executives and to receive empathetic and encouraging responses. At the same time, this became an opportunity for executives to see how female employees are working and their passionate dedication to making improvements, thereby raising further awareness of women’s empowerment.
FMWP College Award (January 29, 2018)
Six teams that passed the primary document screening gave presentations in front of roughly 500 employees to share their good practices. Following the presentations, final judgement by the members of management who make up the Diversity Promotion Committee and votes from the audience determined the best performing teams for both the Sales Department and office.
Initiatives of the Best Performance Teams
Best Performance Award in the Sales Department: Tokai III District
Theme:
To continue creating an open and comfortable work environment where employees are not limited by gender or their origins.
Overview of experiments
1) Schedules were visualized using IT, which reduced overtime work and increased the use of paid leave.
2) Teams were made based on a work’s content and progress activities were shared via a chat system, which improved work efficiency.
3) Seats were rearranged and lunch groups were made with lottery drawings to encourage communication between people who usually do not get the chance to talk to each other.
4) An experiment for flexible work environments, such as teleworking, and verification of work productivity.
We learned that small changes undertaken by everyone can create big changes. In order to make that happen, we realized that we have to change ourselves first. Through our work, we discovered things that can change and initiatives we can take, which led to gaining confidence. While continuing the work that we did during the Demonstration Experiment program, we hope to improve it even further!
Tokai III District Team
Best Performance Award in the Head Office: Franchising Training Department
Theme:
1) Improving the quality of franchised store trainings.
2) Simplifying store operations.
Overview of experiments
1) Information on the training participants were bulk managed using IT, and information sharing among trainers were improved. This led to shorter preparation times, training programs that better fit the participants, and smooth communication among the participants from the first day of training.
2) IT was used to reduce the time needed for conferences and writing reports, which allowed the people in charge to focus on their original tasks of improving store operations. This led to successfully releasing a new cleaning method.
When we consulted our mentor and the executives with various experiment ideas, the questions we got were: “Is that what you really want to do?” “Is that going to lead to customer value?” So we started discussing our ideal visions, and that went on until we finally agreed on one that we all wanted to see. After that, we were able to smoothly identify issues and come up with experiment ideas. Where we were inclined to think about ‘what’ to do, we managed to hold onto the perspective of thinking about ‘why’ we want to do it, which we believe is what helped us win this award.
Franchising Training Department Team