Blogs and Articles from Third Way Forum Membrs

· First, we need to have much more labor force movement in Japan. People should be moving around more between companies, industries and sectors depending on the market needs. Especially many 50-60 y/o employees have been stuck in one place and as a result they make the whole labor market static without flow.

· Most 50-60 y/o employees in big Japanese companies are kind of hibernating without willingness to get out of their current comfort zone. Japan’s employment system is in reality a deferred payment system that is people finally get paid well in senior years while they suffer small salary through junior years. So they think now it’s time for them to harvest.

· In order to survive in their comfort zone those employees try to become invisible as much as possible. Therefore the employees will not show any initiative to change.

· Although they are in a comfort zone, they are slowly feeling afraid of their imminent future due to the drastically changing Japanese society. They are afraid of the lack of their own ability to survive outside their current environment and they know that their environment is not going to last forever. Their sense of discomfort is growing in their comfort zone.

· Many 50-60 y/o Japanese employees are still trying to avoid thinking about the possibility of losing jobs. It is too scary for them and they are too unprepared to face it.

· The majority of Japanese have not enough self-confidence to pursue new challenges initiated by their own. But also companies do not enough to encourage or force their employees to re-assess their capabilities and contribute to the companies’ success in different roles.

· A lot of Japanese companies have set the retirement age for their employees at 60. After reaching the age of 60 the employees get a different contract with much less salary.

· They need some proper career coaching so that they can face the reality and start preparing themselves for their next life stage.

· In fact, the job market demands more subject matter experts (SMEs) who can quickly come in as temps to solve problems in today’s gig economy. Experienced senior SMEs are highly demanded and appreciated.

· However, it requires an enormous mindset change for most senior Japanese people. Their pride and ego of having a high status in a big well-known company have to be sacrificed. They need to be content with being SMEs providing real solutions for smaller amount of money. Many people find it very hard to accept this reality as they still think that they have been waiting for decades for their turn to shine as big shots of their company and they can not easily let it go. Especially when you are already 50-60 years old, you think that you are still entitled to have 10 more years of smooth riding with sweet salary. It is understandable that they all try to tree-hug. The last thing they want is to screw up by doing something new or by getting too much attention. So they try to hide and stay invisible for the remining 10 years.

· It is difficult to admit that your past years may have ill-prepared you for today’s world and you need to start over again when you are in your 50’s and above. If you quit the company and are on your own at a younger age, you will reinvent yourself and try hard to survive. But if you are hanging around in the company longer, it seems it gets more difficult for you and may be too late for you to prepare for the next stage of life. That’s why it is now suggested by Suntory’s CEO, Mr. Niinami that companies should set 45 as the retirement age. In this way, people can still reinvent themselves for the next career, and it will also open up senior positions for younger generations who are much more suited to guide the companies in today’s digital age.

· However, only confident people with professional skills are good for the gig economy and the 45 y/o retirement age. Majority of 50-60y/o employees in Japan are generalist with little transferrable skills and unable to survive.

· It is true that these 50-60 y/o tree-huggers need to be awaken to the harsh reality and get ready for their next stage of life. However, just scaring them will not motivate and re-energize them. One important step would be to reframe, redefine and recognize the value the 50-60 y/o could actually deliver. They do have a lot of experiences and skills. Their skills are simply not transferrable but they have skills developed over long years in their respective field and company. If they could get some help and coaching to make those skills transferrable, they may feel more positive and confident about their future and get reactivated to contribute much more to the company and as a result, they would be better prepared for their next career.