Representative Kida here.
There hasn’t been any uproar internally over this—not that I’m aware of, anyway.
Instead, I’ve been receiving thoughtful messages from employees who have left.
They’ve said things like:
They’re worried about the future of the company.
They’re stepping away because staying on would only cause trouble.
They loved both the work and their colleagues, so if the company ever gets back to a point where rehiring is possible, they’d like me to reach out.
They’re concerned about my health.
Those sorts of messages.
I wrote back thinking, “I’m not sure which one of us is supposed to be the president.”
For the past eight years, our company has achieved record-high sales every quarter. I’ve looked at those proudly ever-rising accounting reports every single day.
On April 1, we completed and launched the CRM system we had spent a year developing, and held the welcoming ceremony for an outstanding group of new graduates. At that point, I couldn’t have predicted our current situation at all.
Two weeks later, I explained the company’s situation to all our employees. I wanted everyone to understand what needed to be done to keep the company going and be able to put that understanding into action.
After that, we announced a temporary shutdown, a downsizing of the business, and then layoffs one after another. I imagine the employees’ reaction was basically, “What?”
Since the 16th, the employees who are still coming to work have held online meetings every morning and evening. We share the situation, which changes every day, and adjust our direction accordingly.
So far, no one besides me has complained or voiced any weakness.
There isn’t even time for anyone to grumble—we’re handling a vastly increased workload with a very small team.
I don’t think anyone can remain calm while their colleagues and subordinates are leaving one after another. But our frighteningly capable core staff continue to produce solid results.
I remembered how our members always used to tell us that the biggest difference between Universe Club and other clubs was the quality of our employees.
Inside Universe Club, I’m the only one making a huge fuss.
I’m Seattle, a male member.
Being at the top must be lonely and challenging, as always.
I hope the restrictions are lifted sooner than expected.
Representative Kida’s blog: https://universe-club.jp/staffblog/46236/
Maezawa from the Corporate Planning Office here as well.
It hasn’t turned into a huge uproar.
I think that’s probably because President Kida kept carefully updating everyone in the company on our situation.
Since this seems like a good opportunity, let me explain the situation a little.
Our sales in March this year were more than 10% higher than in the same month last year.
March was when people were being told to avoid nonessential outings because of COVID-19, and rumors were flying around that there might even be a lockdown.
But once March was over, we found ourselves thinking:
“Our sales are actually higher than last year?
That’s incredible…”
That was the situation.
Even so, people were saying that offers had fallen by 10%, then 20%.
But that was compared with around January. Universe had been a steadily growing company, so even though sales were down, they were still higher than the previous year.
It was a strange situation.
You might even say, “Just how fast-growing a company were we?”
Of course, I imagine sales had already started declining toward the latter half of March compared with the beginning of the month.
And if you say we lacked awareness, you’d be right. But with sales still higher than the previous year despite the impact of COVID-19, I don’t think there were many people who could see that far ahead.
That’s my excuse, anyway.
Incidentally, if we really had been more forward-thinking, I’d like someone to tell me what we should have done in March to avoid making people redundant.
(Even looking back now, it seems impossible that anything we did in March could have prevented it. To avoid it, we probably would have needed to start preparing for COVID-19 about a year earlier.)
Also, if the subsidies for leave allowances had been paid in the same month we applied, we wouldn’t have needed to make people redundant.
I think it would have made a huge difference whether the money arrived immediately or not.
What’s more, when we tried to apply, we learned that because our most recent month—March—was up compared with the previous year, we might not even qualify?
What is this?
That was another unpleasant surprise.
Once the state of emergency is lifted, it’s possible that sales could again be higher than the previous year, just as they were in March.
So for now, it’s a matter of figuring out how to get through this.
Anyway, whatever happens,
supported by our members, Universe keeps moving forward today as well.
That’s how it feels.
P.S.
But when I see the farewell blogs by Kawasaki and Kamiya…
It feels as though my heart is being torn apart.
I’m filled with frustration at my own powerlessness and the fact that I couldn’t do anything.
I imagine many people have also lost their subordinates or colleagues.
Originally, the plan was to endure through a temporary closure,
and be back to normal again around the month after next…
That was what we expected.
If this is so painful for me,
I imagine President Kida must be suffering even more.
Don’t worry.
Follow my orders, and you will survive.
Those who wish to return alive, please remain calm and follow my orders.
Our unit is currently losing,
but all that matters is winning at the very last moment.
We will not lose.
I’m Meg, a female member.
Maybe it isn’t a huge uproar, but…
There are staff members who are hurting as they watch younger colleagues pack up their belongings while saying they don’t want to leave.
Leaving the company with those feelings must mean they have that much attachment to Universe, don’t you think?
I feel the same must be true of the staff members who are frustrated and upset.
I simply wanted to say that Universe is fortunate to have such talented people.
I’m rooting for you.
