Tsuchiya Corporation Launches Mindfulness Circle, Unprecedented in the Nursing Care Industry 　~Started an initiative to reduce stress among employees~.

In April 2024, Tsuchiya Corporation's Well-being Committee launched a mindfulness circle called "Refrel" to reduce stress and improve the well-being of caregivers, managers, and head office staff.

Tsuchiya Corporation (Head office: Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture; Representative Director: Toshiyuki Takahama; Enrollment: 2,646) and the Tsuchiya Group are social business companies that provide home-visit care services for people with severe disabilities nationwide, services for the elderly (day services and group homes), regular patrols, and home nursing services. The company is a social business that provides home care services for people with severe disabilities nationwide.

The nursing care industry is one of the most stressful occupations, with a high turnover rate due to mental and physical exhaustion compared to the general workforce. In light of this situation, in April 2024, the Well-being Committee introduced "MELON" (online), a mindfulness program by Melon Corporation, and launched our first circle activity for all employees.

In this issue, we will provide an overview of the mindfulness circle "Refrel" and the Well-being Committee's main initiatives.

Outline of the mindfulness circle "Refrel

System : "MELON" (Melon Co., Ltd.)

Location : Online

Time ：24 hours a day, 365 days a year

Activity : Individuals, monthly circle MTG

■Circle Activities

Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on one's breathing to put oneself in the "present moment" and acquire the "power of awareness. It is highly effective in improving concentration and reducing stress, and has become a global boom, adopted not only by individuals and athletes, but also by large corporations and schools in the United States.

Our Well-being Committee has launched a mindfulness circle called "Refrel" to help caregivers, managers, and head office staff, who are under various kinds of stress, reduce their mental burden, improve their performance and happiness, and ultimately prevent turnover.

Since our staff members are located all over Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, our activities are mainly "online individual mindfulness practice". In addition, regular monthly meetings (online) are held to interact with Circle members.

In addition, regular diagnoses using MELON's Pulse Survey will help participants understand and improve their own mental health status. In addition, by regularly conducting a happiness assessment by Hapitec, the relationship between mindfulness and happiness in caregiving will be researched and communicated to the outside world to contribute to the future development of the caregiving industry.

Major efforts of the Well-being Committee to date

(1) "Assertive Communication Training

Date: September 22, 2023

Speaker: Mr. Shioi Morita (Representative Director, NPO Assertive Japan)

Purpose of the seminar: To learn the basics of assertive communication, which is "to frankly convey one's own opinions while respecting others.

　　　　　To learn how to express one's opinion frankly while respecting the other person

　　　　　and how to communicate your opinions frankly while respecting the other person's opinion.

https://tcy.co.jp/project/well-being-event240922/

(2) "Alcoholism Awareness Event" - Discussion between Mr. Tatsuya Yamaguchi, former TOKIO member, and Mr. Toshiyuki Takahama, Representative Director

Date: September 28, 2023

Speaker: Mr. Tatsuya Yamaguchi (Representative Director, Tatsuya Yamaguchi Co., Ltd. / Former TOKIO)

　　　　　Toshiyuki Takahama (Representative Director, Tsuchiya Co., Ltd.)

Purpose of the event: Alcoholism awareness

https://tcy.co.jp/project/well-being-event-240928/

(3) "Smoke-Free Sleep" - Learn about the risks of smoking and the importance of sleep for a healthy and bright future

Date: November 16, 2023

Speaker ：Mr. Takehiko Yukishita

　　　　　(Part-time lecturer, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Department of Sports and Health Science / Advisor, Tsuchiya Co.)

Purpose: To deepen understanding of "the effects of smoking on health and the importance of adequate sleep" in order to lead a wellbeing life,

　　　　　and the importance of adequate sleep" in order to live a life of wellbeing.

https://tcy.co.jp/project/well-being-event-231116/

(4) "Why is Well-Being Important in the Nursing Care Industry?

Date: January 11, 2024

Speaker ：Mr. Takashi Maeno

　　　　　(Professor, Graduate School of System Design and Management, Keio University

　　　　　 Chairman of the Society for the Study of Well-Being)

Purpose: To enhance the wellbeing of the entire Tsuchiya Group,

　　　　　To learn "basic knowledge of wellbeing" in order to enhance the wellbeing of the Tsuchiya Group as a whole

https://tcy.co.jp/project/well-being-event-240111/

Message from Mr. Taketaka Miyamoto, Chairman of the Well-being Committee

Well-being Committee Chairman, Taketaka Miyamoto

Our main business, home-visit care for the elderly, is an industry that is uniquely stressful even within the nursing care industry because it involves a lot of one-on-one support for long hours and direct trips home. Many people who enter the company with the aspiration of "wanting to support people in need" end up quitting because they feel that they are not suited for the job after actually experiencing the support field. In the past, we have also seen people leave the company due to emotional exhaustion caused by their relationships with clients and within the company. In order to resolve these issues, we have established various committees and struggle daily to improve client QOL, staff satisfaction, and organizational level.

https://tcy.co.jp/project/

Since its establishment in February 2023, this committee has been working on various initiatives to gain "awareness" of mental and physical health with the aim of "improving the level of employee happiness.

On the other hand, we believe that the richness of life and happiness itself can be empowered by corporate efforts or left to individual approaches, and the most important theme for the Committee is to support employees in ways to reduce stress.

Therefore, we have been focusing on "mindfulness" for some time.

Mindfulness is a meditation method that allows us to focus on the "present moment" and gain various kinds of "awareness. By relaxing and taking slow, abdominal breaths, the autonomic nervous system is regulated, which not only calms the mind, but also allows people to become aware of their physical and mental state by focusing on themselves and performing self-care.

In the field of support for clients' lives, it is difficult to pay attention to "oneself" because one must always think altruistically, and the managers and back office staff who back up the field also put the employees first, thinking about the present, past, and future to ensure stable business operations. We believe that for those involved in care work, time to focus on "now, this moment" and "yourself" and to truly relax is a very precious activity.

Since mindfulness has been proven to have a highly positive effect all over the world, it is ideal for us to practice mindfulness in our company, and to obtain its high effect while significantly reducing stress and increasing individual well-being. We also hope that this will lead to better support, better relationships, and a more fulfilling life.

At present, the "Refrel" circle is small, with 15 members ranging from attendants (helpers) to directors, but it has been shown that even in a large company in the U.S., it started with only one person in upper management, then grew to 13 people, and finally spread to more than 1,000 employees as rumors spread. I myself have been working on mindfulness for a long time.

I myself am beginning to feel the benefits of mindfulness even though I have only been practicing it for a short time, so the Committee hopes that each Circle member will first practice and maintain mindfulness and experience many positive effects, including a reduction in daily stress. We would also like to share the "awareness" gained by each member within the Circle, so that each member can gain further awareness and contribute to improving their performance in all aspects of their lives.

If you think something is good, you will want to share it with others.

We hope that the number of members will grow from 15 to 50 to 100, and eventually spread to the entire company.

Related URL

<Official website

https://tcy.co.jp/

<Official X (former Twitter)

https://twitter.com/tcy_honsha

＜Official YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCboj8uAyr_W7Vw4kT9HS7ng

Company Profile

Company name: Tsuchiya Corporation

Location ：2F Hisayasu Central Building, 192-2 Ibara-cho, Ibara-shi, Okayama

Representative Director: Toshiyuki Takahama

Establishment ：August 2020

Business description : Disability welfare service business and community life support business,

　　　　　　In-home service business based on the Long-Term Care Insurance Law,

　　　　　　Planning, holding, and operation of lectures and workshops, and training business,

　　　　　　Home-visit nursing business