ライトイヤージャパン Company Profile

To build a trusting relationship with the Mexican staff, I have established an equal relationship between myself as the manager and the Mexican staff as the foundation, and I have consistently engaged in discussions with the Mexican staff to establish rules that ensure fairness for everyone, from the beginning until now. Each time we try to establish a rule, we hold discussions with all the Mexican staff, allowing everyone to share their thoughts and opinions. The goal is to ensure that everyone is satisfied and that the rules are fair, so I do not make decisions unilaterally. Reflecting on Mexico's history, we do not allow for a single dictator here. Since it takes time to establish rules, the process is very slow and may seem inefficient. The rules we have created include stipulations such as tardiness or rule violations affecting tips and bonus assessments, and providing incentives when sales exceed a certain amount and the checklist is followed, as well as clarifying skills and other aspects. As a result, I believe it has been effective since the number of people leaving the company due to dissatisfaction has decreased. At the start of our business, there were 15 Mexican staff members, but over two years, that number has doubled to 30. Now that we have a larger team, we aim to set a day for rule-making every three months or every six months.

From my perspective, Mexico is a country where those who work hard find it difficult to be rewarded, and I believe the minimum wage is far too low compared to the cost of living. Historically, due to colonial rule, dictatorship, and the rise of the mafia, I think one aspect of Mexican identity is that Mexicans must absolutely submit to those in power. From the staff's perspective, those in power are the owners and bosses. Since they are the owners, there is a sense that one must absolutely submit to them, but respect is not necessarily given. On the surface, Mexico appears to be a country with strong labor rights. However, in reality, the owners often do as they please. Therefore, to create an environment where Mexican staff can work comfortably and feel attached to the company, we emphasized building trust.

First and foremost, the ideal for our business in Mexico is to become the number one in the Japanese restaurant industry in Baja California. We are looking for individuals who can understand and respond to this ideal, regardless of whether they are Japanese or Mexican. However, simply recruiting in both Japan and Mexico does not guarantee that we will gather the ideal candidates, so I have decided to enhance the brand power of Mexipon to attract the right talent. For the Japanese, we conduct training in Mexico every year, creating opportunities to directly experience authentic Mexican cuisine and atmosphere, thus establishing an environment for learning. After opening in Mexico, we have famous Mexican chefs visiting our restaurant, and by building connections with them, we hope to create opportunities for them to visit Japan and our Japanese restaurants in the future, fostering mutual exchange and raising overall motivation. This is the direction I wish to pursue. As for the Mexicans, I believe it is a country where hard work does not always lead to reward, so I want to create a place and system where they can thrive more. Our policy includes raising wages, creating an enjoyable environment for staff, and implementing a training system that allows them to experience authentic Japan.