To clean is part of most peoples domestic everyday life. In Japan however, employees also clean their office. As a daily routine - and in addition to maintaining a clean environment - cleaning at work is thought of as a way to train intellectual and mental traits.
We had the chance to participate in the monthly street cleaning conducted by company Ueda Honsha and to interview Mitsuyasu Okamura.
What are the reasons for your employees and yourself to clean together every morning?
Cleaning is a method to train the way one approaches obstacles in life. One can close the eyes and turn around or directly deal with it.
The practice of cleaning is a way to convey an attitude towards an active approach. To clean requires seeing, comprehending and taking action.
To clean is also a way to teach altruism. Tidying a space or place for someone else can teach to behave unselfish. It takes the wellbeing and happiness of others into account and rises the overall life quality.
Cleaning together also improves teamwork abilities.
In my company, we clean together a seven-story building without any professional help nor with fixed task distributions. It is comparable to a team play in which everyone, everywhere, adapts spontaneous to the given situation.
For example, a meeting in one of our conference rooms the day before may requires some people to tidy there, while others simultaneous check spaces which will be needed today, or may focus on regular recurring activity. It requires to adapt to a given situation as in individual, while being part of a bigger team. Cleaning therefore trains attention, consideration and autonomy.
We clean every morning together from 8.30h for 15min. That's our way to get ready for the day, physically and mentally. Mostly everyone cleans in silence, which is a not a requirement, it just happens naturally.
Why do you clean once a month together outside on the streets?
We started about 8 years ago, when due to renovations we had to change buildings. The building site was causing inconvenience for our neighbours. To express my gratitude I started cleaning every Monday morning in front of the company and down the street. From this developed our current format in which we clean all together once a month.
We are also part of Kyoto CRS (Corporate Social Responsibility) Network, I experience our activity as a contribution towards others and the environment.
Do all companies start their morning with a communal cleaning session?
Probably not all, but many do. It is generally seen in Japan as good way to prepare yourself for the working day ahead, which also finds it’s expression in the 5S approach:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_(methodology)
Does cleaning together has an impact on the relationship between co-workers and/ or the office space?
This is difficult for me to say. However, what I can see is that some colleges reveal talents which may not find their full expression in some of their daily tasks. Through cleaning one can get to know another side of a person.
