Joytam Co., Ltd. (Vol.2)

Overcoming the "Language Barrier" Anxiety: How a Regional Company Prepared to Welcome Three Filipino Engineers

Many regional business owners are interested in hiring foreign engineers but harbor significant concerns: Will instructions be understood on-site? Will it increase the burden on managers? Will they leave after only a few years? Joytam Co., Ltd., located in Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture, shared these same anxieties. Now, three months after welcoming their new team members, we spoke with Mr. Takayuki Tamura, Manager of the Administrative Department at Joytam Co., Ltd., about the deciding factors for hiring, the initial hurdles, and the operational strategies that have ensured successful retention.

Key Points of This Article

• Hiring Criteria: The focus was not on "nationality," but on the "openness" to absorb established work patterns.
• Operational Design: By separating "task management" from "Japanese language learning," they minimized the burden on the onsite team.
• The Real Hurdle: The challenge wasn't the work itself, but the lack of conversation and life outside of work. Designing "life beyond the office" was essential for retention.

Seeking "Openness to Learn" Over "Experienced Professionals"

Joytam Co., Ltd. initially needed talent capable of interpreting client blueprints and converting them into specific onsite work instructions. With these instructions in hand, even inexperienced staff could be hired for manufacturing roles. While hiring was urgent for business expansion, they had to carefully evaluate whether a foreign workforce could truly keep the site running.

In his hiring decisions, Mr. Tamura prioritized "sincerity" and "potential" over nationality. Reflecting on past hiring experiences, he noted, "It’s very difficult if someone comes in with too much prior experience or preconceived notions. It’s better if they are willing to learn our specific way of doing things from scratch." Regarding the three engineers they hired, he feels confident: "I feel they are very quick learners."

Looking Beyond the Hire: Mapping Out Roles for Six Months Ahead

What pushed the final decision was having a clear vision—not just of what to assign them now, but what they wanted them to handle in six months to a year. While they started with blueprint comprehension and creating instruction sheets, the plan included moving into cost estimation, design assistance, and clarifying ambiguities with clients. This was backed by a strategic business outlook: Joytam’s clients are also facing a shortage of design talent. If Joytam can handle those tasks, it opens up more business opportunities.

In fact, the expectations for each of the three engineers differ slightly based on their strengths: one is the steady, diligent type; another excels in communication; and the third has a holistic view suited for design assistance. If foreign talent is limited to "simple support tasks," it’s hard to see a return on investment. However, if their future roles are mapped out, training costs shift from an "expense" to a "growth investment." Joytam Co., Ltd. wasn't just deciding whether to hire three people; they were looking at how much of a competitive force they could become.

Minimizing Onsite Burden: Separating Language from Labor

Despite the anxiety over the language barrier, the company did not demand "perfect Japanese" from the start. Onsite, they used "Easy Japanese," paraphrasing, repetition, and tools like paper or translation apps to supplement instructions. Meanwhile, Japanese language learning was treated as a separate track with specific goals. In collaboration with their retention support partner, Zuitt, they set a benchmark: within the first three months, they should understand about 70% of work instructions in simple Japanese and be able to provide basic responses. The long-term goal is to reach N3 proficiency within a year and a half.

From a management perspective, if the company is footing the bill, learning cannot be left entirely to the individual. Mr. Tamura speaks candidly: "If the company is paying, there has to be a target for a certain period, or it’s hard for them to stay motivated to study." As for technical terms, he mentions, "We've created a glossary for technical terminology," showing that systems can bridge the gap. That is why it was necessary to separate "how to teach the job" from "how to improve their Japanese."

The Surprise Hurdle: Not the Work, but a Lack of Conversation

After the engineers started, the team realized that securing enough conversation was more difficult than the work itself. "When the work is flowing smoothly, that’s actually when the conversation disappears," says Mr. Tamura. In reality, actual interaction might only total an hour on a busy day; once instructions are given in the morning, everyone focuses on their individual tasks. While some members are better at communicating and act as a bridge for others, the company realized they couldn't rely solely on that.

While they initially expected technical terms to be the bottleneck, the real issue was daily conversation. "I’d rather they understand more of the common, everyday Japanese," Mr. Tamura notes. To address this, they make a point of taking lunch breaks together, intentionally creating time to use Japanese outside of work tasks. Moving forward, they are looking into participation in local Japanese language classes and community events. It is difficult to fully develop Japanese skills within the confines of work alone. By providing a "place for conversation" outside the job, the burden on the onsite team is ultimately reduced.

"When the work is flowing smoothly, that’s actually when the conversation disappears." — Mr. Takayuki Tamura, Manager, Administrative Dept., Joytam Co., Ltd.

Retention Hinges on "Life Outside of Work"

One symbolic challenge in their daily life was snow removal and shopping—common issues in a "Snow Country" like Akita. At the company apartment, it’s not enough to clear a path for a person; you must clear a space wide enough for a car, or delivery vehicles can’t get in. Coming from the Philippines, the three engineers didn't have this local common sense. Furthermore, without a car, options for major shopping trips or weekend outings are limited. While these seem unrelated to business, they are directly tied to retention.

This was exactly what Mr. Tamura was concerned about. "I believe the work will work itself out somehow. I just want them to live comfortably without any major inconveniences." These words capture the essence of successful integration. Hiring foreign talent doesn't end with onsite instructions and training. Only when their daily life is stable and they begin to form local connections can they truly settle into their work. For companies interested in hiring foreign engineers but hesitant to take the leap, it’s worth organizing the "integration design" before the hiring decision. Consulting on operational and language education design from the start may seem like a detour, but it is often the shortest path to success.