About this Program
Mercari’s mission is Circulate all forms of value to unleash the potential in all people. In order to achieve our mission, Mercari has been actively hiring overseas to create skilled and diverse teams capable of competing on a global scale. As of 2022, around 50% of the engineers in Mercari’s Tokyo Office are from countries outside of Japan.
As the number of international members grows, so does the number of challenges involving language barriers, cultural differences, housing arrangements, and various other aspects of daily life. The Mercari Pro Pack is a company program designed to provide support for members facing these issues, and ensures that everyone can work at their best to fulfill our company values “Go Bold,” “All for One,” and “Be a Pro.”
The Mercari Pro Pack is a support program focusing on the following 3 points during the company’s globalization phase: onboarding for new employees, communication, and D&I (Diversity & Inclusion).
Onboarding
Relocation Package
This package provides comprehensive relocation support for employees coming to the Tokyo Office from overseas to jump-start their new life in Japan. Members who move to Japan from abroad are eligible for the Mercari Relocation Package, which includes the following.
・Visa provision
・moving support
・flight reservation
・short-term apartment provision
・residency procedures
・mobile phone contract support
・orientation about life in Japan
Communication
Language Training Programs
Mercari does not have an official language used internally. However, the company provides English and Japanese training as a tool to help members conduct their work. Our goal is to overcome cultural differences and “meet halfway.” All of the language programs are based on a curriculum developed by the Language Education Team (LET), which specializes in employee language training and aims to connect the content of the training to the workplace.
“Yasashii Nihongo” and “Yasashii English” Support
When communicating with colleagues, Mercari encourages the use of “Yasashii Nihongo,” meaning simple and kind Japanese, which involves speaking in a manner that is easy for learners of the language to understand.* Likewise, the company encourages simple and kind English as well. In addition to foreign language skills, members learn ways to make themselves more easily understood in their native languages, and are encouraged to meet in the middle when communicating with members of different linguistic backgrounds.
*Yasashii Nihongo refers to Japanese that is easier for non-native speakers to understand. This was devised as a term for a style of communication to be used during disasters and other emergencies.For more details, check outthis article.
Global Operations Team
Mercari’s Global Operations Team (GOT) is a dedicated team that specializes in translation and interpretation, with about 20 members. The team provides simultaneous interpretation services at large-scale internal events, as well as language support at team meetings and 1on1 meetings between members. GOT also provides translations of written documents, and works to ensure smooth communication to help members conduct their work duties.
Unconscious Bias Training
The Unconscious Bias Training is a workshop that allows us to better understand our own biases. The purpose of this course is to make us more aware of hidden biases that we ourselves and others have in our everyday work, so that we can consciously eliminate them. It is oriented mainly to employees in leadership positions.
Communication Team-building (CTB)
Communication Team Building is a team building session to better understand the reasons behind some of the communication issues commonly found in teams with members from different cultures and nationalities. Through this session, we show people how they can adjust their communication style depending on the situation or who they communicate with.
Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity & Inclusion Team
Mercari has a team specializing in Diversity & Inclusion, which works to create an environment allowing members of diverse backgrounds to work to their full potential. The D&I Team runs intercultural communication seminars and unconscious bias training sessions.
Community Activities
Mercari’s D&I Team began as an initiative started independently by company members and later became an official team with the support of the company management. Many Mercari members of Mercari participate and work in the D&I communities with related parties and supporters.
*Mercari currently features 3 communities: Multicultural (promoting cultural diversity), Pride (empowering LGBT+ members and allies), and Women (empowering women).
