Asking senior employees about things new graduate employees are curious about!
Hello everyone! Eri here from the MCO and Marketing Division.
This week, we are focusing on the new grads who joined our company in April.
For part 1 (out of 2), we asked senior employees about things the new graduate beBiters were curious about.
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The 【Q】 are the questions from new grads, and the 【A】 are the answers from the senior employees. Let's go ahead and take a look!
■Manners (Behavior・Attire)
Since the beBit is located on the top floor of the building, there’s a little bit of time until the elevator reaches our office. Occasionally, you may run into other coworkers during this time. Let’s start off with questions about what you can say in situations like these!
Q1. What do you do when you happen to be on the same elevator as a fellow beBiters?
A. Simply greet them.
It depends on your positioning in the elevator and the timing you board, but many people greet their coworkers when they recognize them and have the chance to say hello. If you can, you should try to greet them as well!
Q2. How do you greet people when you pass by them in the office? Is there a specific way you’d like to be greeted?
A. Greet them with a simple “Otsukare-sama desu (お疲れ様です)”
In addition to the above, you can add “Thank you for your help the other day” if they helped you out, or, depending on how well you know them, a simple “how are you?” is a nice touch as well!
Q3.How do you decide the clothes you wear to the office? When do you wear a suit?
A. Points that are often considered are if the clothes are business casual, or if the clothes have a clean impression or not. Suits are worn when you have an in person meeting with clients, or when you are welcoming guests.
Most people dress in whatever clothes match their feelings, and when they don’t have guests, many people often wear jeans and jackets. But, there are times when you may suddenly be introduced to guests, so it would be best if you keep that in mind as well. If you go to the office often, leaving a blazer at the office will allow you to be prepared for any unexpected situations.
Q4. Tell us about any stories of mishappenings related to hair color or hairstyle that you have witnessed or experienced
A. An answer we received was about when a respondent went to a financial institution with a two-block hairstyle when it was prohibited, and gently being reminded about the policy.
There weren’t many answers besides the above, but there were a few stories about being careful of actions when having bright hair colors or dressing in a way that may stand out.
Q5. Do you wear earrings or have nail polish on during work?
A.
The answers were roughly half and half.
Some responses were “I wear earrings all the time because the more I wear them, the more motivated I get!” and “When I can’t decide on the color of my nails, I choose the corporate colors of my clients.” Here are a few images for reference.
■Work and culture
Next, there were many questions about lifestyle and the items used by senior colleagues. Let’s share some of their insights and experiences!
Q6. How do you invite someone to lunch? How do you want to be invited?
A. When inviting someone, simple phrases like “Let’s get food together” or “Let's go eat 〇〇” are used commonly. Most people are happy to receive an invitation, regardless of how they are invited.
Some individuals aren’t comfortable extending invitations but would love to go if they are invited, so if you want to invite someone, you can try reaching out!
Q7. What do you eat for lunch when working remotely?
A. Cook, or go out to buy food.
Many responses mentioned using leftovers from the previous night’s dinner or frozen foods, while the next common answer was going out to buy food or ordering through services like UberEats. Since lunch break is limited to 1 hour, it’s important to find ways to relax and rejuvenate within that time.
Q8. How do you save money on lunch when working at the office?
A. Make lunch, go to the food trucks, or eat tachigui soba.
The top answer we received is to make lunch. The second answer, food trucks, are referring to the food trucks that are located in front of the Sankei Building. They serve food cooked in the trucks for about 600 yen. We also received answers about the meals in the Otemachi building and Shin-Otemachi building, along with restaurants towards Kanda being affordable as well, so try checking it out next time you’re at the office!
Q9. How do you manage your personal tasks? If you use any tools, please name them as well.
A. Google (Spreadsheet, Calendar, Docs, ToDo List), Slack, Evernote
Everyone who responded provided answers that involved visualizing their tasks. Some mentioned using a combination of apps and physical notes as well. You can use the answers above as references in order to find your own methods.
(If you plan to use Evernote, please be sure to check our internal regulations prior to doing so.)
Q10. What are some useful items to have when at the office?
A. Blankets, Stainless steel tumblers.
Blankets are useful to adjust to the air conditioning in both summer and winter. Stainless steel tumblers are great because you can put cups from the coffee shop directly inside, preventing condensation from getting your desk wet. Choosing one with a nice design can boost your mood as well!
In addition, having a mobile charger, smartphone pouch, and sandals can be handy as well. Also, for some reason, it can be useful to have a venti sized frappuccino, according to a respondent.
Q11. What route do you recommend when going to the office?
A.We had individuals from the JR line, Tozai line, Marunouchi line, Hanzomon line, Chiyoda line, and the Toei Mita line tell us about their recommended routes!
JR Line Tokyo station: Head out from the Marunouchi North exit and exit through Marunouchi Oazo (There is a coffee shop underground as well)
Tozai Line Otemachi station: If you go through the underground exit, you will be right in front of our building
Marunouchi line, Hanzomon Line, Chiyoda Line Otemachi station: It is much faster to go above ground than underground
Toei Mita Line Otemachi station: Head straight from the central exit and go through the Mizuho Tower
Since Otemachi has multiple railway lines and a mix of above-ground and underground routes, it might be worth trying a different route when you have the time!
Q12. What are your recommended essential items? (Bags, watches, business card holders)
A. 【Bags】A bag big enough to accommodate A4-sized documents and a laptop (e.g. agnès b., kate spade, offtoco)
【Watches】Analog and smart watches (e.g. BURBERRY, Pixel Watch, Apple Watch)
【Business card holders】Leather (e.g. Smythson)
Most people use items they like and enjoy having. Business card holders can become a topic for ice breakers as well, so picking an interesting design might be something you can consider.
Q13. What was a stressful occurrence you experienced during your first year working?
A. Here are a few stressful occurrences that we picked up!
・The office was further from the station than expected, and I was almost late
・I expensed a taxi ride without getting permission and got scolded
・There was a city-wide marathon, and the traffic was 40x worse than expected. I was about 3 hours late
・I forgot my business card to my first client meeting
・I forgot the materials I prepared for a meeting
・A while ago at a previous job, I was looking at an MA tool and accidentally sent an automated reply to every single person who had signed up on our form. (The Sales Manager complimented me, as this allowed us to contact past individuals which led to 2 appointments)
・Being out of sync with my coworkers about the perception of working hours
■Bonus questions
As a bonus, we will answer some questions primarily related to private lives! There were some pretty edgy questions, but our open-minded senior colleagues were kind enough to provide answers!
Q14.Have you been involved in an office romance?
A. We received a few responses about this!
・I used to look down on office romances, but I started dating a fellow new grad in September of the year I joined the company. We started living together at the beginning of the following year, and we got married last year.
・We met at our first company, and started dating at our second company and got married (Our second companies were the same as well)
・I am currently dating a colleague who is 3 years younger than me from my previous company.
・I was a part of an office romance, and got married as well.
Q15. What are things to keep in mind when going out to drink?
Most answered to enjoy the scene! Some answered that they make sure to listen 4 times more than they talk to make sure they don’t get carried away.
Q16. How much do you save every month?
A.
About 70% of the respondents are saving monthly. Out of those who save, most people are saving more than 50,000 yen a month. I would recommend saving without stressing over it too much.
Q17. How many beBiters do you go out with in your private time?
A.
Because of Covid, there were less opportunities to go out, but recently the #enjoy channels are becoming pretty active! If you are interested in any of the events, I’d recommend checking them out!
Q18. When do you update your #times? Do you have any specific considerations?
A. Most individuals update their #times when they feel like it. The topics are typically things that are helpful, random topics, and mostly happy things.
Some respondents mentioned being conscious of “not being conscious” about the timing of updating. Through #times, there may be new connections formed so I encourage you to utilize it (without letting it interfere with your work, of course!)
First, try checking out the #times of those who answered our survey!
#times_katsuura, #times_marie, #times_kunibe, #times_hote, #times_kaede
The senior employees answered a wide range of questions, from serious inquiries to practical tips, from the new grads! As new employees, it may be difficult to adjust and navigate through unfamiliar territories, but with the guidance of the experienced employees, let's work together to contribute to the success of beBit!
Please stay tuned for the second edition!