Graduate Student, Visiting Beautician, and Smile Keeper!? An Interview with an MVT Winner on the Workplace Environment of SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP as a Research Subject

SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP takes pride in its “32 Benefits,” which were updated this July with new additions such as “Dear PARENTS” and “Dear FAMILY.” While these benefits are constantly updated in response to changing times and member feedback, many have remained favorites since their introduction years ago.

In this article, we bring you an interview with Nara, the winner of the individual category for the previous term in one such program: the “MVT Award” system(※).

Nara serves as a “Smile Keeper,” managing the “Central Kitchen” in the office to support the fun and comfortable daily lives of our members. She is also a current graduate student with a unique background as a visiting beautician!

We asked this MVT winner and “budding researcher” why she joined SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP and what her impressions have been since starting.

※MVT Award System: MVT stands for “Most Valuable Tanoshii Sawagi.” Members vote for those they believe best embody the SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP slogan, “Let’s Have Fun!” The winner is the person with the most votes. Evaluation criteria can be anything from specific work achievements to daily conduct like smiles and greetings, or even hobbies and special talents.

Member Introduction

▲ Ayano Nara, Group Human Resources General Affairs Department / General Affairs Team
A natural Smile Keeper who maintains her own constant smile while keeping others smiling. Having played sports for many years, she loves staying active. Her disciplined routine involves waking up at 4:00 AM for immediate planks and stretching, followed by running or a trip to the gym—or indoor bike training if it’s raining. Enjoying breakfast with friends is also a daily highlight!

Joining SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP as a Research Site

I first learned about SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP when it was featured on an information program. I still remember being impressed by the unique “32 Benefits,” such as the “Heartbreak Leave” policy.

In graduate school, I specialize in “Implementation Research,” specifically studying how the workplace environment affects people’s happiness and health.

No matter how wonderful a theory or objective statistic may be, it remains a mere academic exercise if it isn’t implemented in actual workplaces or society at large. To conduct implementation research that bridges theory and reality, I felt there were many things I wouldn’t understand unless I worked as part of a company myself, so I decided to work full-time.

I chose the Smile Keeper role at SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP because of the company’s image as a place with “abundant and unique welfare benefits” and my desire to work in a role that allows me to interact with everyone in the company. I felt this job would be the perfect field to put theory into practice and gain real-world insights.

What Inspired the Path of Implementation Research

I also work as a visiting beautician. This is primarily volunteer work; on my days off from SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, I visit nursing facilities or the homes of those requiring care to provide hair and beauty services.

My interest in beauty and health stems from the fact that my mother was a beautician and that I lost her to cancer. Even when her complexion paled and her hair fell out due to treatment, seeing her use her experience to wear wigs and never miss a day of makeup or dressing up made me realize, even as a child, the power of beauty to empower people and the importance of health.

Later, through my experience in sports, my interest expanded from physical health to overall wellness. I believe these childhood experiences are a major driving force for me today.

By the way, the turnover rate for beauticians within three years is nearly 60%, and the rate of dormant licenses is also very high. Feeling this was a waste, I began reading papers related to the beauty industry, but the theories presented were so far removed from reality from the perspective of someone who knows the field… Wanting to be a bridge between the field and the research world is what inspired me to pursue implementation research.

Currently, I am working on a comparative study of “occupational stress” and “work engagement” between visiting beauticians and those working in salons. While I am currently focused on collecting and analyzing quantitative data for the beauty industry, I hope to eventually expand this to various other industries based on the foundation of beauty.

Thoughts on Becoming an MVT Winner with Many “Likes!”

I was truly surprised when I heard I had received the most votes! At the same time, I felt that my long-held attitude of “doing the basics thoroughly if I’m going to do them at all” had reached everyone.

Much of a Smile Keeper’s work, such as daily inventory management and polishing the kitchen to keep it spotless, can seem plain at first glance. However, I was more than happy to realize that my commitment to never compromising and finding meaning in even the smallest tasks was recognized by those around me.

I actually enjoy taking the lead on things people tend to avoid (laughs). I feel like I can grow by overcoming them. Tasks like cleaning and trash collection are things many people dislike, but I believe that is exactly where the value lies. Therefore, it wasn’t a struggle; rather, I was able to continue with enjoyment.

My typical schedule involves waking up and exercising before work, then heading to graduate school for research after work before going home. Every day is fun—work, studies, and exercise. Because it’s fun, I make a conscious effort to work with focus and discipline to enjoy everything to the fullest.

My family is very positive to begin with, and perhaps because of that influence, I almost never feel negative and always find myself smiling naturally. Seeing everyone’s smiles is a major source of fulfillment for a Smile Keeper, so I am even more honored if my smile leads to someone else’s!

Through the Experience as a Smile Keeper

While working at SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, I learned that “seemingly trivial actions create far greater value than one might think.”

Because Smile Keepers are dedicated staff for kitchen-related duties and are not involved in sales activities, we can have conversations with members that are completely unrelated to work. I believe each of these casual communications provides a break from work and helps improve everyone’s performance.

There is a limit to improving and maintaining work engagement through extrinsic factors like salary and bonuses alone. More than that, the accumulation of a sense of security—the feeling that “the company values us”—is more effective. In fact, research shows that a well-prepared workplace environment where employees feel “valued” leads to sustainable improvements in engagement.

I believe that the steady, small efforts as a Smile Keeper play a very important role in producing the significant result of increasing members’ sense of belonging.

SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP from the Perspective of a “Budding Researcher”

I have gained other insights from my experience at SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP. One is that “SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP’s unique corporate culture is a powerful ‘job resource’ that fosters the creativity and teamwork essential for a PR agency.” I feel the core elements of this are the generous support and the open, fluid office environment.

Generous support includes, for example, the daily onigiri, inventory management of consumables, and welfare benefits like the “32 Benefits.”

Handmade onigiri provided by Smile Keepers every evening.
Some members can’t wait and come to get them while they’re still being made!? (laughs)

These not only reduce the physical burden on members but also provide psychological security by making them feel cared for by the company. I believe this creates the mental space for members to be freed from daily chores and focus on more creative activities.

The open and fluid office environment specifically refers to the hot-desking system and the monthly floor changes.

With completely fixed seating, interactions between members tend to become fixed as well, but this system creates accidental encounters and communication with members from other departments who wouldn’t normally interact. I feel this environment serves as a mechanism to encourage information sharing across departmental walls and trigger a chemical reaction of novel ideas.

These elements function as “job resources”(※) in terms of previous research. I believe SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP’s greatest strength lies in building an environment where each member can work vibrantly and maximize their performance, even while being required to produce high-level output as professionals!

I believe I gained these insights precisely because I became a Smile Keeper who interacts with members from various departments in the Central Kitchen overlooking the office.

※Job Resources: One of the factors said to increase work engagement. (e.g., feedback and fair evaluation of work performance, support from supervisors, job autonomy, opportunities for career development, etc.)

Future Career Vision

In the future, I hope to be involved in the planning and development of products related to people’s wellness.

I actually studied abroad once during my undergraduate years, and what I studied then was gerontology. This is a field that comprehensively researches changes due to human aging and the creation of a society adapted to an aging population across a wide range of fields, including medicine, psychology, and sociology.

As the era of the 100-year life finally becomes a reality, I believe it is very important to focus on the “workplace,” where everyone spends the majority of their lives as they eventually become part of the senior generation, in order to realize a society where everyone can live healthily and vibrantly. To extend healthy life expectancy, the accumulation of efforts from one’s active years is key. I want to propose equipment and services that can approach that generation.

The reason I am particularly focused on product development is that I believe it is easier to deliver messages to the active generation. When it comes to health, especially in old age, it’s hard to get interested when you’re young. Therefore, by turning theories with scientific evidence into forms with added value, such as products, I want to reach targets who think “this doesn’t concern me.”

For example, there is data showing that when a service was implemented for people without exercise habits that added fun or pleasant elements in addition to just exercising, many of the subjects continued to exercise afterward. I also hope to work on initiatives that allow both the active and senior generations to lead rich and healthy lives from the aspects of beauty and wellness, which are my roots.

I believe that my daily life as a Smile Keeper, thinking about what I can do to improve the QOL of our members, will lead to the ability to find the latent needs and truly valuable experiences of product and service users in my future career!

How was it?

Nara, who wears many hats and is active with multi-faceted talent, has now become an MVT Award winner. We look forward to her future endeavors!

Our group brings together unique members with various backgrounds and visions, and we have a system in place to support each of their career developments.

We look forward to applications from those who want to create a future that is more uniquely them and more “fun”!