What Diversity Means to Us

I work in the digital marketing department of LINK THEORY JAPAN (LTJ). I had the opportunity to join the company through a placement referral from a local support center for people with disabilities. The human resources staff at LTJ who I met left me with a calm and highly positive impression. Throughout the interview, they listened attentively to my story, answering my questions with great care and patience.

Having previously encountered challenges that affected my ability to work due to my mental health, I was somewhat apprehensive about adjusting to new relationships and a new workplace environment. However, during the interview, I strongly felt the hiring staff's compassion and deep respect for all their colleagues in the company. With such supportive individuals working here, I figured this company would be the ideal place for me to resume my career. That was precisely why I decided to join.

My anxieties quickly evaporated soon after I became a part of the team. I discovered that the workplace has a fantastic atmosphere of openness and support. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that even my small suggestions were warmly embraced and acted upon proactively. Beneficial suggestions were met with responses like, “Let’s give it a try!” and promptly put into action. Such a positive approach strongly resonated with me.

My job involves managing sales data. In addition to consolidating the ever-changing data, I design and implement effective systems that automatically generate optimal data for our operations. The breadth of my responsibilities in managing the data exceeded my expectations, and I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment in contributing to sales strategies and various decision-making processes. Soon after joining the company, I was already feeling a rather high level of fulfillment thanks to the broad support from my superiors and colleagues. They genuinely listen to me, and I feel very comfortable expressing my opinions freely.

I design and implement data utilization platforms, but my work doesn't end when a new version is developed. It is a continuous process. Let me explain how we create the platform—suppose we start the current “version 1.” Our goal is to upgrade it to “version 2” and subsequently enhance that to an even more user-friendly “version 3.” I enjoy this kind of work where I can build on and improve what I have done before.

Making sure these systems are super user-friendly is crucial. To that end I have weekly feedback sessions with staff at the headquarters and with store salespeople. This process made me realize how each and every individual differences positively impact the whole.

Initially, I felt uncertain about the effectiveness of the feedback sessions. That was because my superiors and colleagues always managed to put the customer first and placed great importance on cultivating a customer-centric mindset and building a better relationship with them. This perspective was new to me, and at first, I was a little bit confused. The users of the data utilization platform were the people working in our company. That’s why I initially found it puzzling. I consider myself a logical thinker, so I was not sure why we were focusing so much on “customers,” who were not the actual users of the data platform. This often left me feeling uncertain about how to integrate the diverse opinions and requests from the internal users of our company.

However, as I participated in more of these feedback sessions, I came to realize that the primary purpose of the data utilization platform was ultimately to serve the actual customers who enjoy our products and services. Extracting optimal data in a timely manner enabled us to create products and services that better satisfy our customers' expectations. As I started to recognize the importance of ensuring the reliability of this process, my perspective underwent a significant shift. I started applying my logical thinking to keep on improving the data platform, and my initial uncertainty with the feedback sessions soon disappeared.

The most gratifying aspect of my job has been receiving words of appreciation from users, like “thanks to the improvement of the data utilization platform, we managed to significantly reduce procedure times.” Observing these tangible results and receiving this feedback fills me with a great sense of accomplishment. From these experiences, I've realized that “differences” don't necessarily lead to disagreements or conflicts. Embracing such differences enables us to achieve our actual goal at a much higher level.

I feel comfortable working here due to the recruitment policy that values diversity and welcomes individuals with various talents, perspectives and backgrounds.

I feel like I have changed working at LTJ, and not just in the professional sense. Wearing Theory, I've personally gained a new perspective about clothes, and I am genuinely impressed by the comfort the brand offers. It's truly remarkable. Now, Theory is my choice for both work and casual attire.

The mission of the Fast Retailing Group is “to create truly great clothing with new and unique value, and to enable people all over the world to experience the joy, happiness and satisfaction of wearing such great clothes.” When trying on Theory's clothing, I feel a pleasant assurance that they truly embody that mission.

Managing sales data and wearing the company's clothes every day has heightened my personal awareness of our customers. Many customers of Theory are attracted not only to the clothing but also to the personalized service offered by our sales staff. The robust relationship between Theory and its customers mirrors the company's commitment to “always strive more to exceed customer expectations and continue improving both our products and customer service.” It also reflects the admirable dedication of the people working here.

While I may not engage directly with customers in stores, I aspire to contribute more to helping create stronger relationships between our customers, products and my colleagues by managing and utilizing data efficiently.