Working Together Brings Happiness!? MVT Award Winner Shares What They Keep in Mind at Work | 32 Benefits

SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP has introduced the MVT Award System (*1) as one of its 32 Benefits (*2). This time, we interviewed Iguchi, who received the MVT award for the previous term!

Iguchi, who has been praised as “makes you happy just to see” and “healing,” shared her reasons for pursuing a career in the PR industry, her feelings about receiving the MVT award, and what she keeps in mind when working.

(*1)Applicable companies are SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP Inc. and SUNNY SIDE UP Inc.
(*2) What is MVT?
Abbreviation for Most Valuable Let’s Have Fun! “Like!” The member who receives the most “Likes!” is recognized.
・People who are creating fun excitement
・People who are supporting fun excitement
・Great smile!
・Super enthusiastic!
The evaluation criteria are flexible, and votes are cast for the person who was most “Like!”-worthy among members.

[Member Introduction]
SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP Inc.
President’s Office/Public Relations Group Social Good Promotion Office
Arisa Iguchi

Reflecting on the Previous Term

I often said “Let’s live healthily.” During the pandemic, with the freedom to work remotely or come to the office, there were times when I pushed myself too hard or worked too much alone. I realized that it’s best when we can all work healthily together, so we made sure to check in with each other.

As the President’s Office and Social Good Promotion Office, we’ve been advancing various initiatives to keep both the company and the planet healthy. We promoted SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP’s new book “Companies’ SDGs to Survive 2030,” shared authentic reading reports, held monthly “Poached Egg” sessions with the Gen Z creative team where you can become a “know-it-all,” and was in charge of the GO GREEN PROJECT to green the company in various ways.

Also, since I’m involved in the “W society” project, I feel that female members have become more comfortable coming to me with small questions and conversations. Topics like menstruation, which were previously taboo, can now be discussed more openly, so I hope to create an even more approachable environment where everyone feels comfortable talking and consulting.

Feelings About Receiving the MVT Award

At first, I thought it was a prank. I was like, “Oh, I’ve been fooled” (laughs). But when I read the nomination comments saying “Seeing Iguchi working happily in her own way makes me happy,” I was really pleased.

Since joining the President’s Office, I’ve been sending emails to all members and holding events in the kitchen more frequently, so I think my visibility within the company has increased. Not only am I better known by everyone in the company, but being recognized in this way motivated me to work even harder.

In this era where Gen Z opinions are often sought after, if the spotlight is on me, I hope to become someone who can gather not just my own voice but also those of my peers and younger generations and deliver them within the company.

[Nomination Comments (Excerpts)]
・As part of the company’s PR team, she communicates well with various people regardless of department or tenure, helping SUNNY DAYS grow into a great publication
・The Social Good Promotion Office and useful information she shares herself have been very educational!
・Because she herself is socially good
・After being seconded to the President’s Office for a year, I think she’s contributed to energizing the company
・Analytical ability, creativity, and management skills unthinkable for someone in their third year of work!

After the shareholders’ meeting (article available here)

What I Keep in Mind When Working

I believe communication should be enjoyable, so in emails to internal members, I sometimes deliberately use casual language and emojis. I say “share happiness” like a catchphrase, and after a senior colleague told me that “the kanji for ‘tired’ makes you feel tired just by looking at it,” I started writing “thank you for your hard work” in hiragana. The language I use is called “Iguchi-speak,” and when people say “Iguchi-speak is healing,” it makes me happy.

Of course, I write formal text when the situation calls for it, but I always try to choose words that make everyone want to read more. With the increase in text communication during the pandemic, I’ve become more conscious of pressing the send button with genuine care.

Because SUNNY SIDE UP is a company where relationships between people are important, I get the impression that members other than myself are also conscious of comfortable communication. There are many people in the company with wonderful word choices and ways of expressing themselves, so I secretly take notes of great lines (laughs).

A casual meeting with peers (helping and elevating each other across departmental boundaries)

Reasons for Choosing the PR Industry and SUNNY SIDE UP

When I was in university, I worked as a school festival executive committee member in PR and as vice chair. I enjoyed spreading fun things to various people and producing events, so I wanted to pursue a career in advertising or PR.

Looking back, I’ve loved reading information-packed handouts like “health newsletters” and “class newsletters” since elementary school. I had a strong desire to gather interesting information, and after starting on social media like Twitter and Instagram, I kept following accounts of people and companies I was interested in, even reaching the follow limit (laughs).

When I was on the school festival executive committee, I really wanted to create a newsletter for committee members, so I made and distributed one myself. There were many detailed administrative tasks and challenging duties, but I was thinking about how to have fun and energize everyone together.

Also, I’ve always been told “you’re unique” and enjoyed hearing “What’s that? I didn’t know that!” So when job hunting, I wanted to join an interesting company among PR firms. That’s when I found SUNNY SIDE UP, an exceptionally creative company, and I applied as my first choice and was fortunate to join.

After repeatedly saying “I like green” in self-introductions, the green character became established

Current Job Responsibilities

I joined SUNNY SIDE UP as a new graduate and was assigned to Division 2 as a media unit member, handling a wide range of projects including daily necessities, smoothie specialty stores, and creators who turn everything into sushi. Through experiencing various projects, I gradually became more interested in femtech and social good myself, and now I belong to the President’s Office Public Relations Group and Social Good Promotion Office at SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, where I can leverage that instinct. As a member of “W society”(*3), I’m also focused on improving health literacy both inside and outside the company by managing social media and holding internal seminars.

I’m also an editorial member of the web magazine and radio program “SDGs MAGAZINE,” where I generate ideas from information I input daily and turn knowledge gained through activities into articles. I’m grateful for the environment where I can work across departments and am blessed with a cycle of daily input and output.

When I find trending topics or good initiatives by other companies, I share them with my peers and team members. Things like “This company’s initiative is great, we should adopt it too” or “I don’t know what this English post says, but they seem to be doing something amazing overseas!” I share information with everyone like casual remarks (laughs).

(*3)What is W society?
A project born to aim for “a society where all women can build a fulfilling lifestyle with conviction,” designing each woman’s “Well-living (a state of being able to live better)” from both women’s physical and mental challenges (W = Woman) and social challenges (society)

▼Article from the ‘#Get to Know Myself Project‘ written by Iguchi
Spreading the Importance of “Knowing Yourself” from Nagoya: We Held “#Get to Know Myself Project Nagoya” powered by Toyota Tsusho!

Iguchi chatting with ‘LOVOT’ Tamako. A snapshot during work.

Future Goals

Recently, SUNNY SIDE UP has been featured in various ways as a fun company with unique benefits and social good initiatives. While I’m happy about that, I want to share more about our members going forward. To do that, I want to further refine my speaking and communication skills. As someone in the position of promoting a PR company, I want to work hard without forgetting that I carry the company’s reputation every day.

I’m quite an SNS enthusiast within the company, so I think I’ve been placed in a position where I can leverage that. When you express your love for what you like with full enthusiasm, you end up in the right position. There are various positions and careers within SUNNY SIDE UP, so I hope to become one of the role models for those joining the company and my juniors.

This time we interviewed Iguchi, who received the MVT award. What did you think?

In addition to the MVT Award System, SUNNY SIDE UP has many unique programs. If you’re even slightly interested, we look forward to your application!