Women’s Roundtable at HighChem: Is HighChem a Comfortable Place for Women to Work?
Please read the roundtable discussion!
Ms. Chen, Trade Department, Chemical Products Division, Chemical Products Department, Chemical Products Section 2, Section Chief, Joined in January 2008
She completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at a Japanese university. Attracted by the business content of HighChem as a bridge between Japan and China, and her experience of part-time work at a Japanese chemical manufacturer while in school, she joined the company as a new graduate. Currently, as the line section chief of the Chemical Products Section 2, she is involved in group coordination and development of new products. She is so popular in the company that people say, “When you’re tired, you feel full of energy when you talk to Ms. Chen.” She is a mother of two children, aged six and two, and has returned to her current position after taking maternity leave and childcare leave twice.
Ms. Han, Trade Department, Electronics & Environmental Materials Division, Electronic Materials Department, Specialist Section Chief, Joined in August 2012
She majored in Japanese at Beijing Institute of Technology and Foreign Affairs College in China and completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She wanted to work in Japan after experiencing an internship at a major Japanese company while in school. Also, after graduation, she had a dream of watching her favorite anime “Detective Conan” in a Japanese movie theater, and she realized both by joining HighChem. Currently, she is engaged in sales of electronic materials such as semiconductors. She says, “Semiconductors are used in familiar products such as smartphones, so it’s a rewarding job. Although I’m a liberal arts graduate, I can learn a lot from customers and colleagues.” She is good at new development and has received many company awards.
Ms. Dai, Trade Department, Chemical Products Division, Functional Chemicals Department, Joined in August 2014
She majored in analytical chemistry at Hunan University in China and completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She liked the atmosphere when she experienced an internship at HighChem when she was a first-year master’s student and joined HighChem after graduation. Currently, she is a salesperson in charge of OEM in China in the Functional Chemicals Department. She is a mother of a one-year-old child, and returned to sales after taking maternity leave and childcare leave for one year and two months in March this year.
Ms. Aoyama, Corporate Department, Operations Department, Logistics Development Section, Joined in January 2021
After graduating from university, she oversaw trade operations at a major Japanese company. When she was job hunting, she was interested in HighChem, which deals with chemical products that she also dealt with in her previous job and is a company with many Chinese people. Although she has just joined the company, she is engaged in logistics operations, making use of her experience from her previous job. She investigates regulations in Japan for products that are difficult to import, applies for them, and plays a part in expanding HighChem’s business. She is a mother of two children, aged ten and five.
HighChem’s Culture: A Place Where Individuality and Freedom Can Be Expressed
——What is the culture of HighChem that you all feel?
Han: There are many Chinese people (laughs).
ALL: Indeed (laughs).
Han: I think it’s not as stiff as a typical Japanese company. It’s a relatively flat organization.
Aoyama: That’s true.
Han: Also, the distance to the boss is not far. It’s easy to make proposals to the boss, ask for advice, and assert your own opinions.
I’ve heard that in typical Japanese companies, even if you consult with your boss, it’s hard for proposals to get through. At HighChem, I think that our proposals are often accepted if they can generate sales and profits for the company. Of course, within the bounds of compliance (laughs).
Dai: That’s certainly true. If there’s something you want to try hard for, I think you’ll get mostly positive feedback. And if you’re lacking in ability, your boss will properly support you. The boss generously offers his or her connections, and there’s no weird hiding or anything, and they share information properly.
Han: It feels like they trust their subordinates.
Dai: I really think all the bosses at HighChem are like that. They don’t interfere too much with the details and basically leave it up to us. But when there’s a complaint or something we can’t handle alone, they help us properly.
Chen: The power of the “individual” in HighChem is very strong. HighChem’s salespeople first handle the products they oversee from the start, and when a deal is made, they handle everything to actually delivering to the customer. They need to respond with 100% knowledge of payment methods and logistics, so they are trained. That’s why the power of the “individual” of each salesperson is very strong.
In that context, being able to choose your own theme is something that can be done because the company allows a certain degree of freedom to its employees. Instead of just doing the work given to them, they find what they want to do, consult with their boss, put it into action, and link it to results. Such a flow is naturally circulating, and a culture is being cultivated. That’s why I think the company is growing.
Aoyama: Indeed, I feel that everyone is doing their job properly with “individual responsibility”. “Freedom” is something that comes with a lot of responsibility. I think that’s why the company and the bosses let us do it “freely” because each and every employee at HighChem understands that.
Chen: Not only is the “individual” strong, but the advantages of being an organization are also properly in place. I think teamwork is also functioning well.
Aoyama: Yes, I think the balance is very well taken. While maintaining individual freedom, there is also the goodness of having a team.
Verification: Is HighChem a company where women can work comfortably?
Answer: It’s a company where moms can also work comfortably
——In a nutshell, is HighChem a company where women can work comfortably?
ALL: It doesn’t matter whether you’re a woman or a man.
Dai: Women might even be stronger (laughs).
Chen: There isn’t much of a supportive role for women. In sales, it’s not about being supportive because you’re a woman or because you’re from the liberal arts. It’s all about meritocracy.
Dai: Chinese culture might also be involved. In China, it doesn’t matter much whether you’re a man or a woman in the workplace.
Chen:I think it’s a workplace that is kind to moms too.
——What do you mean?
Chen: I have taken maternity leave and childcare leave twice, but after returning, I was able to regain my job and position. Also, when my child was small and I had to take a day off due to a fever, I never got a nasty look from those around me.
Dai: I returned from childcare leave in March this year, but I have Japanese mom friends who have returned to work on reduced hours or have been transferred. The good thing about HighChem is that you can decide everything on your own. This includes whether to work shorter hours and whether to stay in sales. “You can’t do sales work because you have a child” is something that will never happen. I think it’s a good company for moms in terms of career as well.
——Ms. Chen and Ms. Dai, you have taken maternity and childcare leave while working at HighChem. How was the work allocation during your leave and the work after your return?
Dai: I took maternity and childcare leave for a year and two months and returned to work in March this year. The work I was in charge of was shared among the members of my department. What made me happy was that even though the amount of work increased due to my absence, they didn’t dislike it, but rather, they were pleased. This is because they could learn about new customers and products and increase communication with customers.
——How was the response after you returned?
Dai: After discussions with my superiors and colleagues, we rationally divided the tasks that I would take back and those that they would continue to handle. We were able to decide this by mutual agreement.
——In the case of Ms. Chen, I believe you were in a managerial position when you took maternity and childcare leave. How was it?
Chen: In my case, as a manager, it might have been easier because I didn’t have to juggle work. When I returned, they considered my connections with customers and allowed me to return while maintaining my original theme and position. I was truly grateful for that.
——Are you all utilizing the shortened working hours system?
Dai: I work full-time without using the shortened working hours system.
Chen: I also returned to work full-time. I think it’s possible because Japanese nurseries are well-established.
Aoyama: I also work full-time. There’s hardly any overtime at HighChem. I can almost always go home on time.
Chen: That’s right. I basically don’t do overtime. However, I sometimes take work home that has been left over. I don’t consider it overtime because I take responsibility for my own work. It’s something I can do even outside of the company.
Dai: I also don’t do overtime and usually go home on time. I also sometimes deal with leftover work after my child has gone to bed. Really, as Chen said, I don’t think of it as overtime.
Aoyama:The fact that there’s hardly any overtime is a good culture of HighChem. Japanese companies have a culture where overtime is assumed. In job advertisements, it’s written as if it’s a good thing, like “about 25 hours of overtime per month”. When I interviewed at HighChem, they asked me, “Can you work until about 6 o’clock?” Since overtime wasn’t assumed at all, I thought it was a safe environment to work in even if you have children.
——As a mom, you’re entrusted with a person’s life, so there are absolute limits to working hours. The time you can leave your child at the nursery is also fixed.
Dai: That’s right. HighChem, which is not based on overtime, is a really easy company for women to work at.
Han: I’m the type who does overtime before holidays or before business trips. But apart from the earlier discussion about responsibility, I make sure to take breaks at my own pace. In that sense, being able to adjust at your own rhythm is a good point. I balance work and rest on my own responsibility.
I heard that it’s hard to take paid leave at a regular Japanese company, but that’s not the case at HighChem at all. If your own work is properly finished, there’s no problem taking a break anytime. If emergency response is needed during a break, it’s possible to respond via the company’s dedicated SNS or phone.
Aoyama: It’s really easy to take paid leave. At my previous company, before the law making it mandatory was enacted, there were terrible times when I could only take paid leave once a year. That also involved reporting the reason to my boss about a week in advance, designating a handover person during the break, and it was quite a big deal. I couldn’t take paid leave as casually as at HighChem. As a mom, there are many times when your child has a fever and you have to take a day off, so it’s really appreciated.
——In the case of sales, do moms also have business trips to China?
Chen: Yes, there are. Before Corona, I used to go to Shanghai with my child, leave my child with my parents, and then travel around China. I couldn’t do it during Corona, but now that my parents can be in Japan due to the visa situation, I’ve been able to leave my child and go on business trips.
Dai: I also have my parents come to Japan.
——In China, grandparents are actively involved in child-rearing, aren’t they?
Dai: That’s right. That’s Chinese culture. It’s very helpful when working full-time.
Is there a difference in the way women are viewed in the workplace in China and Japan?
Answer: Yes
——Do you think there is a difference in the way women are viewed in the workplace in China and Japan?
Aoyama: In Japan, as is commonly said, I think it is indeed difficult for women to work. The number of people who quit after getting married has been decreasing, but I think there are still many cases where women who graduate from university are viewed with the risk of quitting due to marriage or pregnancy, and therefore employers do not want to hire them.
In reality, once you get married and work, you’re told, “Are you taking good care of your husband?” Once you become a mother, that pressure intensifies, and if you participate in a drinking party, you’re told, “Even though you’re a mother,” and if you don’t participate, you’re told, “That’s why you’re a mother.” I think a significant proportion of women working in Japanese companies probably feel it’s hard to work.
I think
there is a strong preconception in society as a whole that “women should be this way.”
——What about China?
Chen: Originally, both my parents and my grandparents were working, so I grew up in that environment.
Dai: Yes, so generally grandparents take care of the children, so there isn’t much of a cultural mindset to quit work because you got married or are pregnant.
Chen: If you want to work, you can work, and I think there is a way that society will accept that.
Future goals as a company person, as a mom, and as a woman
——Finally, please tell us your future goals.
Chen: Something I’m always thinking about is that I want to work in a way that makes people around me say, “I’m glad Chen was here.”
Han: I am currently in charge of new business development, and a new employee joined us this month. My immediate goal for the next two or three years is to nurture the new employee and get the new business on track. And once it’s on track, like Chen and Dai, I want to get married and take maternity leave (laughs).
Dai: Yes. Since having a child, I’ve felt a strong desire to grow as a person. I’m thinking a lot about why I’m working and what I can show my child as a mother.
Aoyama: I am a Japanese person in a company with many Chinese people, and I have some knowledge of Japanese customs and trade laws, so I want to use that to contribute to HighChem’s business. I want to use my power to promote new businesses and expand the business that HighChem is promoting, and to make HighChem bigger. There are still many areas where I lack strength, but I hope to grow together with the company.
