Working for one company for over 20 years? I couldn't believe it if I hadn't met this man who has been working in just one company for quite a long time, if you think 5 years or 10 years is long then this man has been working for over 25 years.
Oh my god, it's real and I said to him you are strong and also good to the company because if you aren't, then probably you are not here in front of me. After our conversation, I discovered that he is already 50 years old, still single and has been working there since the shop opened. Back then, he was a regular employee. Normally, he worked for 16 hours a day but most of the time because of the customer's demand, he worked for 18 hours so he slept at the shop then continue to work again. He was paid 500,000 JPY but he has no time to spend his hard-earned money. Now, he still works there but as a part time employee since he couldn't afford the stress anymore.
Since this is unusual for me, I asked a lot of questions," I'm sorry but is that the reason why you are still single?", "Why do you save a lot of money if you don't have enough time to spend it anyway?", "You're body is good for your age, how did you manage to take the work volume?".
He answered me with a smile, he told me "I tried but the shop, the company needs me, I'm part of the shop and the shop has also been a part of me. I considered it like my baby. We have been together for more than 20 years and I know the ins and outs of the shop. I know what the customer needs especially the long time customers. I always remember every person like who doesn't like milk in his coffee, who orders mango cake only, who comes at the shop at what time. Even if I retire, I will still be here until I'm too old to work."
Suddenly, my mind changed. That's loyalty right there, right in front of me. The most important thing for a worker is how to make the shop better just like how they treat their baby, with compassion and patience. Their loyalty for the company is what makes the company itself. Now,I understand why many traditional shops exist in Japan.
