It is difficult to specifically define the functions of the General Affairs Division, but my current duties are wide-ranging, including: making preparations for company functions besides the welcoming ceremony for new employees, editing the quarterly company newsletter, managing attendance, making preparations regarding dormitories and company-owned houses, receiving visitors, managing documents and office equipment, training new employees, and other credit-related and administrative tasks. Most of the work I do is not public-facing, but I am broadly involved in things that concern the internal operations of the company.
When I was job hunting, my alma mater's employment services department recommended I apply here. In the past, I had heard that a lot of my upperclassmen from university were joining the company, and a staff member told me that many of their seniors had been working here for a long time, which gave me a sense of security.
My first year after joining went by in the blink of an eye. In addition to my lack of experience as a working adult, my previous job had been in sales, so my duties in the General Affairs Division were all new to me, and I was running around confused. There are company functions throughout the year, and in my first year here, I started by getting a feel for the scheduling around that. I joined in September, so I got right into preparing the company newsletter, and it was also just before the October settlement of accounts. I still cannot forget how hectic those days were, as I was being taught my day-to-day tasks while working on the editing of the company newsletter. I remember being completely frantic up until I got a grip on the sense of scheduling.
Another thing that made a deep impression on me was being involved in the preparations for the "Length of Service Award Ceremony" with less than half a year under my belt here. Our company has a system for recognizing employees who have been here for long periods of 10, 20, 25 years. Even though I had just joined and it was preposterous for me to help recognize my seniors here, being able to do so is something that was really touching to me.
In my first year I was completely lost, so I had to take care to make preparations ahead of time for whatever was coming next. As it was, I was not yet acclimatized, so I had to take even more time than was normal to get ready in advance. But, even when things turned out well that way, I was still really pushing myself to prepare, and I was struggling to keep up with situations that were changing day by day. To this day, I still have to explore every year for a way to time things without being too early or too late.
In the General Affairs Division, there are many tasks that have to be repeated yearly or monthly, but I bear in mind to be watchful over everything and to try to make things go even more smoothly than they had the last time. I am not quite there yet, but I am watching my seniors and learning how to think about things while anticipating whenever possible what could be coming, and how to deal appropriately with situations that change on a daily basis.
To me, the appeal of our company is the friendly culture. Recently, there have also been more young workers joining, and I am having more interactions not just within my own division, but also with other ones. They happen on an irregular basis, but we have events like company trips, and the atmosphere is such that communication is easy here. That is why even when problems occur during the course of business, we can have discussions right away, before the problems become serious, and reporting, contacting, and consulting all go smoothly.
