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Covid-19 has changed the way people work, and it has changed the way offices should be. In response to these changes, Euglena has made two major changes to its office layout over the past three years.
The first time was when the office was restricted due to the corona crisis, the office that was operating on two floors was reduced to one floor. And for the second time, we changed the floor layout to match the post-corona era.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, people were restricted from coming to work, but as we entered the era Euglena that, we had to think about the future of the office. Coordinating the work space and meeting space that accompanies that, and securing a space for small meetings was also a big issue.”

That's what Eiichi Sakamoto of the Business Service Department, who oversaw the creation of the office, said.

Sakamoto came from a group company and joined the company in 2015 as a sales representative.

「元は印刷会社の営業マンだったのですが、その時にユーグレナ社のことを知りました。当時はまだユーグレナって何？という時代でしたが、とにかく勢いのある会社という印象でした。ビジョンや理念が面白くて、もっと直接的に関りたいと思い、転職しました」

Sakamoto, who was in charge of sales at a group company, was asked to transfer to the management department, which supports the entire group, following the merger with Euglena in January 2020.

“I was transferred to Euglena due to the group integration.

Why am I inexperienced? With that in mind, he was selected as the first person to exchange human resources in the group.

Sakamoto was in charge of changing the layout of the office in Fukuoka. It was a change to match with Our CI (corporate identity) in line with group integration.
And the first job after the transfer was also office building.

Former office (cafe area)

“In January 2021, we canceled one floor and finished changing the office layout to reduce it to one floor.In the renewal at this time, we set up a personal box space so that we can concentrate on online meetings and work. Also, we eliminated the president's office and created a full-fledged distribution room so that we could hold webinars and investor briefings.However, in April of the following year, we began considering a new layout change.Office This is because the contract must be declared six months in advance, so it is necessary to decide on a policy early.”

When it comes to changing the layout, we tend to think of it as slightly adjusting the arrangement of seats and fixtures. There is so much to do. In addition, there are cases where construction work is involved, and it is necessary to meticulously arrange construction schedules and processes that do not interfere with normal operations.
In addition, Mitsuru Izumo, the company's representative, requested that he "want to create an office where everyone's faces can be seen."

“When the number of colleagues increases rapidly, the first problem is how to increase the number of seats. I want to do that,” so I decided to manage without adding more floors. I tried to create a design that would create communication with nature.”

After the big policy was decided, I recruited project members to incorporate the requests of my colleagues. One person is selected from each department, and the team is about 10 people in total.

“The most common requests were to expand the cabinet and improve the network environment. There was also a request to display it on a shelf for people to see.PJ members listened to the requests of each department in detail, and in order to reflect all requests as much as possible, they were applied to the drawing like a puzzle. It lasted for about two months, and we were able to start construction right away in 2023.”

Even if the construction starts, the company will of course be open as usual. As a result, construction work is mainly carried out on weekends and at night. As the person in charge, Sakamoto was often present at the scene.

“Because things didn’t always go according to schedule, something changed each time. We had to adapt and make decisions on the spot. However, thanks to the cooperation of my colleagues, I was relieved that the construction was completed smoothly.”

In March 2023, the construction was finally completed, and we were able to welcome the new year at the new office.

New office visitor entrance

“In the future, I think that real communication will become more important as the frequency of coming to the office increases, so I gave a lot of consideration to the flow of people. For example, until now, personal lockers were scattered around the office. However, by putting it all together in one place, it became a place where we would meet each other every morning and evening. I think it would be great if communication like “Yo” is born.”

Sakamoto's consideration may not be noticed by his friends. But that's the only sign of success.

“Our goal is to have smooth communication without people noticing it.

In addition to promoting casual communication, Euglena uniqueness is also reflected in the materials used in the fixtures and the corporate design incorporated into the meeting rooms.

“Even when we changed the layout, we focused on sustainability and reused parts of existing equipment as much as possible. The newly added office chairs are made from sustainable materials. We added the letters "Sustainability First," which is our corporate design and Euglena Philosophy, to the front.We wanted our new corporate color and philosophy to permeate our company, and we wanted not only our colleagues but also our customers to feel it.The office is It is the most familiar presence for the people who work there, so I believe that it is our role as corporate staff to embody Euglena company's uniqueness there as well."

Building an office is like building a company. Sakamoto said that he would like to continue to support work styles suitable for Euglena.

Posted in April 2023