I graduated from culinary school and joined Shunran no Yado Sakaeya intending to become a chef. However, I now work in the customer service department. I was encouraged to try customer service, and I found it interesting and wanted to give it my best shot.

Sakaeya is a company that values relationships and connections with people. However, when I first joined the company, I was terrible at working hard as a team with my colleagues, and I was causing trouble for everyone.

This happened during the summer of my first year at the company, when another staff member and I were put in charge of recruitment.

The heavy workload of being a recruiter in addition to my regular duties was very difficult for me. Also, the other staff member wasn't very physically fit and found it difficult to balance recruiting with her regular duties. Other senior colleagues would say things like, "I wish you'd lighten her burden a bit," or "Could you think about the workload distribution a bit more?" Conversely, if she didn't have enough work, they would say, "She'll lose confidence, so give her a bit more work." I felt like I was the bad guy, and I think I was thinking very negatively about things, wondering why I was the only one being blamed so much.

At that time, we were asked to create a video for our company information session.

I had never edited videos before and didn't even know where to begin, so my senior colleague taught me everything. Making videos was very hard work, and I stayed at the office late every night. Even after finishing their own work, my senior colleague would stay until I finished my tasks. Some senior colleagues even stayed late and drove me home.

I used to think I was achieving results through my own efforts in my regular work, but I realized that I was only seeing things from my own perspective. I thought I was good at and enjoyed creating POP displays and flyers and designing, but I realized that my seniors had found work that suited my strengths and given me tasks that allowed me to shine.

At the same time, I learned that not everyone has the same abilities, and that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, so it's very important to consider how to assign and distribute work in a way that allows each person's individuality to shine. I also regret that I wasn't able to support the staff member who was in charge of recruitment with me better, and I truly feel that I caused them a lot of trouble.

I originally wanted to become a chef, but I don't think I would have realized I had other potential if I had been on my own. Looking back now, I realize how grateful I am for all the different opportunities I was given at Sakaeya.

Currently, I strive to create a work environment that is easy for those around me to work in, and my goal is to be someone that others want to work with. A senior colleague at Sakaeya taught me that "you don't need to be outstanding yourself; you can get help from those around you."

I want to be someone who can be helped and supported by my friends.

Rather than becoming outstanding, I want to become someone who can be helped.

Touhou Runa

【profile】
Born in Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture
Joined the company in 2021
Motto: Everything is just a scratch except for death; Laughter brings good fortune.
Special skill: I can forget unpleasant things after sleeping.