That Awkward Moment Your Boss Asks You To Praise The Company

So apparently the #1 reason talented people quit their jobs in Japan isn't low pay, it's something way more... Japanese.

The Exit Interview

A recent article on Diamond Online tried to solve a mystery baffling Japanese managers: why do all our good young employees keep leaving? 📉

It's not always about the salary. Turns out, a lot of people quit because they just don't feel any "pride" or "attachment" to the company. They look around the office, at the beige computers and the ringing phones, and think, "Yeah, I could do this anywhere." The article says the opposite is also true: people who stay for a long time are often the ones who can say, "Our company's [thing] is actually amazing."

The Hidden Superpower

Here's the problem, though. Apparently, nobody is telling the employees about the amazing thing. The article's big advice for leaders is to find the company's "hidden strengths" and, you know, actually mention them out loud.

They gave an example of a small factory where the staff thought they were just… a normal factory. The president finally told them that their 3-day processing time, which they considered standard, was actually "top-class in the industry." The writer says their "expressions changed instantly." You can just picture it. Everyone just staring at each other like, "Wait, we're... good?"

"So, what do YOU like about us?"

The final piece of advice is for managers to not just announce the company's strengths, but to also ask their staff what *they* think is great about the place.

So if your manager suddenly corners you by the vending machine next week, looking a bit nervous, and asks, "Hey Smith-san, from your perspective... what do you think is our company's number one strength?" — now you know why. They probably just read this article. Just try to think of something better than "the afternoon coffee run is nice." ✨