The significance of April 1st is vastly different in Japan and Canada. You may all know that here in Canada, it is April Fool’s Day. Though for the most part, it is just a regular school or work day. Nothing major happens, except perhaps you fell for a corporate joke that there would be new skincare products promising to leave your skin velvety smooth called V by Velveeta – (you know – the cheese brand?) or an exfoliating mask you’d want to lather both your face and toast with. I’m looking at you, IPSY x JIF peanut butter “Extra Crunchy Exfoliating Scrub”.
Now, if you were given a week’s notice and were told that starting on April 1st, you would need to leave behind your department to start a new role in something completely new that you never asked for, you’d say “is this a joke?”
Turns out, in Japan this is a fairly standard practice among jobs in the public sector. When I first learned about this, I thought my colleagues were pranking me. But alas, let me introduce to you the “phenomenon” of workplace shifts which take place annually on April 1st.
Traditionally, Springtime is believed to be the ideal time for new beginnings. April 1st marks the beginning of a new fiscal year and is also the time of year when the new school year begins. In public service jobs, it is a day filled with anticipation as all new hires start their jobs, and new placements for existing employees commence.
In Japanese public sector jobs including local government, education, and lifelong learning departments, an employee has no real say in where they’ll go or what they’ll do. There are shifts in work placements every year, and people who get switched have a week’s notice to pack up and prepare for a new job. In some cases, they will need to relocate within the district. People are required to be flexible and adapt to new roles with the support of their team. For example, someone could spend a number of years in the tax department, and then find themselves in the town newspaper department as a reporter, starting April 1st!
Having people know that they may be moved around serves to prevent stagnancy and the development or persistence of bad work habits and attitudes. It also encourages people to collaborate, for a department’s success depends on the cooperation of each person involved.
It seems to be a matter of different values and principles. The local government here believes that their town workers should be well-rounded individuals who have an open mind and broad skillset to take on any responsibility that comes their way. Therefore, hiring is more of a casting call situation, instead of choosing the right person for a specific role like in Canada.
Being a public service worker is difficult, but it is a desirable job that provides income stability, employment security, and numerous other appealing benefits. To get employed, passing a difficult written test of all high school academic classes is required, followed by an interview by those who pass. People who primarily look for stability and security may be better off trying to get a position here instead of studying something more specific in post-secondary education.
This has been absolutely fascinating to observe and learn about in the past month. The opportunities are endless, and fostering a cooperative work environment is endlessly rewarding to those who choose this dynamic career path.
Parts of this post were written for an article in the Pipestone Flyer, published on April 15, 2021.
The cover image is of a flowering White Japanese Azalea bush right in front of the Board of Education building! Took it on my phone this morning.
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