CARE AND MOTIVATE
Japanese enterprises in China draw talent with localized corporate culture
Every September, He Faping, an employee at Canon (Suzhou) Inc., looks forward to the company’s Mid-autumn Festival evening party, which took place on September 14 this year. The event has reached a professional level comparable to TV galas or star concerts in many aspects including programing, stage design and live sound and attracted thousands of people.
People-oriented development
The Canon Mid-autumn Festival event in Suzhou in east China’s Jiangsu Province, originated from a traditional summer festival event organized by Canon Inc. in Japan. Workers and their families are treated to fireworks, temple fairs and acts including singing, dancing and short sketches. He has attended every company gala since they were launched in 2002. During the activity, everyone can enjoy performances by colleagues and share development achievements from the past year. More importantly, colleagues from the whole company take the opportunity to celebrate the Mid-autumn Festival like a family.
Canon (Suzhou), established in 2001 in Suzhou New District (SND), is one of the most important and largest bases producing office equipment for its parent company in Japan. Along with the Mid-autumn event, other cultural and recreational activities are organized annually, including a dumpling party, a singing contest and a family day.
“I hope that through such activities, we can build a corporate culture, energize the company atmosphere and enhance employees’ enthusiasm,” said Hideya Hatamochi, Chairman of the Board of Canon (Suzhou) Inc.
Although Mid-autumn evenings are a case of a company following local customs, elements of Japanese culture abound in the program. In 2017, famous Japanese anime theme songs were played by a Chinese employee saxophone and trumpet duo. One highlight of the event was when the management, including Hatamochi, performed the hottest Chinese song of the year. “Our chairman is versatile and talented and he does very well no matter it is a dance song or a ballad,” He said.
Talent cultivation
In addition to adjusting the corporate culture to local tradition, Japanese-funded enterprises also attach high importance to personnel training, providing new impetus for SND development and a platform for Chinese employees to show their capabilities.
In October 2002, He got a position at Canon (Suzhou), which helped him realize his dream to work in one of the top 500 companies in the world. “As a fresh recruit, I thought the newly established Canon (Suzhou) would be a platform for me,” he said.
This translated into many opportunities for He, but it also meant challenges. From a fledgling college graduate to a multinational company’s employee, the first challenge He confronted was how to improve his work habits so as to adapt to the rules and regulations of a multinational organization.
“I asked myself what kind of employee I wanted to be,” he said. Keeping in mind his goals for work and life, He has been diligently working for Canon (Suzhou) for 16 years and is now a manager.
“I am very grateful to the company for providing me with this platform. Through the company training, I grew from an ordinary staff member to a manager and was awarded the title of Suzhou Model Worker. I feel extremely satisfied with this career path.” Huang Zheng, head of manufacturing team one at Panasonic Semiconductor (Suzhou), had a similar experience.
“There is a lot of room for promotion at Panasonic Semiconductor,” he said. “The