SAP operations in the company’s Japanese subsidiary have started in the newly opened head office in Otemachi, Tokyo.
In recent years, SAP has been providing numerous businesses of varying sizes and in a wide range of industries with the innovative solutions they need to weather the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as prosper and speed up their digital transformations. Even more so than usual, the German enterprise software giant is committed internally to ensuring the wellbeing and health of its employees and to making their lives easier to handle.
Multiple SAP locations in the Asia Pacific region have already adopted the hybrid workplace design dubbed “Pledge to Flex” since the introduction of the fully flexible and trust-based workplace framework in June 2021. These locations include SAP Thailand, SAP Southeast Asia (SAP SEA) in Singapore, SAP Labs India, and SAP Malaysia. In addition to the opening of its new headquarters in Otemachi, Tokyo, SAP Japan also recently announced that it will be embracing the IT giant’s modern workplace concept there as well. (InsideSAP Asia often references articles from websites in other languages to bring you as much information as possible.)
Moreover, the “Pledge to Flex” structure creates a culture of trust among employees worldwide, allowing them to be more adaptable in their work schedules in order to meet the demands of customers and business partners. SAP’s goal is to protect employees’ safety and wellbeing, boost morale, and encourage top performance by giving them the freedom to pick the work arrangement that fits best for them.
Explaining that the “Pledge to Flex” initiative based on the concept of “flex location, flex time, and flex workplace,” Hiroshi Suzuki, President and Chief Executive Officer at SAP Japan, further shared in a statement: (InsideSAP Asia often references articles from websites in other languages to bring you as much information as possible.)
“Our company has been implementing complete remote work since February 2020, but in the future, we will continue to encourage employees to freely enjoy both the benefits of remote work and the benefits of working in the office. We will make it possible to combine them.”
SAP Operations in Japan: An Embodiment of Flexible Workspace
The newly opened office will serve as a campus for the SAP Experience Center and Inspired.Lab, both of which are already located in Otemachi, to speed up innovation and engagement with customers and partner firms. SAP’s Experience Center is where visitors can learn more about SAP’s products and services, while the Lab is where established enterprises can test out new ideas and find ways to reinvent themselves. Ultimately, the new building will serve as a hub for teamwork among employees, clients, and affiliated businesses.
According to SAP Japan Office Project Manager Ryosuke Urita, the company intends to create an office that stimulates the curiosity of workers by evolving according to the needs of users, without fixing the design and layout.
“In terms of supporting well-being, we will provide free drinks and snacks, install exercise equipment so that our employees can exercise their bodies, and prepare a breastfeeding room for our diverse employees. We try to play it in various places,” he added.
To facilitate interaction among workers, a “Workplace Ambassador” has been put in charge. Community management and event preparation are two of its functions, and they both contribute to the larger goal of fostering interaction among the company’s staff, customers, and corporate partners.
Additionally, SAP Japan also unveiled its first-ever original application that allows users to look for coworkers who are currently at work. The program called “SAP FlexConnect” allows users to track down coworkers, compare methods of working, and plot everyone’s whereabouts on a map.
“By making full use of these three facilities, which are within walking distance, we aim not only to maximize the value we provide to our customers, but also to create a new ecosystem,” Urita concluded.
