[Customer Feedback] Zero turnover! Seeing 13 foreign employees at work makes the appeal of nursing care a reality (Social Welfare Corporation Santokukai)

[Customer Profile]

Santokukai Social Welfare Corporation

Santokukai operates nursing care facilities in Shinagawa Ward, including a special nursing home for the elderly, a service center, a short stay facility, and a support center. About two years ago, they started employing foreigners with specific skills, and to date, there have been no turnovers! Santokukai currently employs 13 foreign employees.

This time, we visited Santoku-kai's Togoshidai Special Nursing Home in Shinagawa Ward and spoke with Deputy Facility Director Miyazaki, and Secretariat members Fukushige and Okubo!

──What prompted you to start hiring specific skilled workers?

There is a labor shortage problem in the entire nursing care industry. Currently, there are few Japanese students in nursing care vocational schools, and the number of people aiming to become certified care workers is decreasing. When I looked to the future and thought about how to secure personnel who want to work in the nursing care industry, I decided to broaden my horizons to include hiring foreigners.

At the time, we were trying to resolve the labor shortage by using temporary workers to secure human resources, but the issue was that it did not lead to long-term training due to the fixed contract period, etc. In order to solve this issue, we thought we would try using the Specified Skilled Worker System, which allows for the employment of full-time employees.

──Please tell us what you felt after using our association's support services.

Until we turned to the Restaurant Association for help, our company had never even considered employing a foreigner, regardless of whether they had a specific skills visa or not. At first, we didn't know anything about employing foreigners, so they helped us out by giving us advice starting from the basics, which was very helpful. Everyone at the Restaurant Association has built a relationship where it's easy to talk to them, so we feel comfortable asking for advice. They've also smoothly handled all the government procedures, such as moving in and issuing resident registration certificates, and dealing with moving, which is very reassuring!

I think that anxiety is inevitable when undertaking any new endeavor, not just when hiring foreigners. However, as the saying goes, "It's easier to give it a try than to worry about it," so I decided to go ahead and try it. In fact, there were things I didn't understand or problems I had, but each time, the Food and Beverage Association, which is an expert, helped me solve them, so I'm glad that I started without being too anxious.

──What do you think is good about utilizing specific skilled workers?

What I think is actually good is that they have "settled" and are working for us . We started hiring specific skilled workers about two years ago, and we haven't had a single person resign yet . Early turnover was an issue before we introduced the system, so I'm very happy that they have settled in and are working for us for a long time.

Foreigners have a different kind of cheerfulness than Japanese people! They are always positive and cheerful and have a strong sense of respect for the elderly, and I sometimes learn a lot from watching how they treat and approach the elderly.

When I spoke with the foreign staff, they told me, "It makes me so happy when the clients who are feeling down in the morning cheer up just by talking to me and treating them like that!" and "Seeing the smiles on the faces of the elderly people is what makes my job so rewarding." This made me realize once again the joy of working in the nursing care industry, something that I had taken for granted and tended to forget .

--Have you encountered any problems or difficulties since you started employing foreigners?

In fact, I have hardly ever felt that way. Before accepting them, there were concerns from the field about language and cultural differences. In order to eliminate those concerns as much as possible, we provided thorough training to our employees beforehand.

Some of the in-house training materials used by Santoku-kai

In the training,

- The current state of Japan's nursing care industry (critical labor shortage)

・Reasons for starting to accept foreigners (understanding the advantages and merits)

・Things to be careful of (ambiguous Japanese expressions, etc.)

- We focused on cultural and religious understanding (customs and food) and encouraged participants to alleviate their anxieties by first "learning."

To ensure that everyone can work comfortably, we especially told existing employees to welcome them with a warm attitude, knowing that "no one can do anything right from the start."

We also provide training for foreigners to help them understand and learn about Japanese work styles and culture. We strive to create a comfortable working environment for all employees, regardless of nationality.

──What are your expectations for foreign employees in the future?

Our foreign employees have a strong desire to learn, and some have even obtained nursing care worker qualifications, so we hope they will continue to advance in their careers and take on the responsibility of Santoku-kai! Due to the nature of their jobs, some may initially struggle with reading and writing Japanese for records, but we hope they will gain experience and expand their opportunities to work, becoming leaders or in managerial positions .

Everyone is treated equally, regardless of whether they are Japanese or foreign, so we will provide full support so that we can actively take on any task, without drawing any boundaries regarding the scope of work just because we are foreign.

Thank you Santoku-kai for your valuable insights!

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The Japan Food and Beverage Association for Foreign Employment

We support companies that want to start employing foreigners .

Through our own network,

Securing the talent companies are looking for - interviews - starting work and providing support afterwards

We provide comprehensive support.

"We want to resolve the labor shortage."

"We want to promote globalization"

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us !