HR must not take the easy way out — thoroughly examine and understand your company’s true needs.
Read the original article (in Japanese):
A Company Where No One Quits Isn’t Always a Good Company
The phrase "a company where no one quits is a good company" is often heard, but it's a narrow view. Just because employees don’t leave doesn’t necessarily mean they’re satisfied. Some may stay due to lack of options or fear of change.
However, a particular company in Kumamoto tells a different story. They maintain a high retention rate by hiring people who match their "family-like culture." It’s not merely about warmth; it’s a result of successful zoning-based recruitment—the deliberate selection of individuals who fit the company’s cultural and operational framework.
A good company isn't defined by employee retention alone but by how accurately it identifies and attracts people suited to its unique environment and roles.
Recruitment is About Fit, Not Just Numbers
Recruitment is like filling puzzle pieces. Having more pieces doesn’t help if none of them fit the shape. Similarly, companies must hire people who match their structure and purpose.
In soccer, it’s not enough to have 11 players—you need defenders, midfielders, attackers, and backups. Companies should adopt the same logic: clearly define roles and hire accordingly.
Recruitment isn’t about numbers. It’s a design process that shapes the future of the organization.
Striving for Lean and Skilled Teams
Companies should aim for lean, high-functioning teams. That doesn’t mean always being small—it means having the right number of people for the job. Whether you need two or ten thousand, the focus should be on efficient, purposeful staffing.
Excess headcount leads to blurred accountability and organizational inefficiency. A lean team is more agile, more productive, and more aligned.
Employee Turnover is Natural
Even with great hiring, people will leave—and that’s okay. In fact, turnover is a healthy form of organizational metabolism.
Personality mismatches
Diverging goals or direction
Life stage changes (parenting, relocation, caregiving)
The key isn’t to prevent all turnover, but to understand why people leave and improve accordingly.
The Worst Practice: Over-Hiring as a Safety Net
One of the most harmful habits in Japanese companies is hiring too many people under the assumption that some will quit.
When employees don’t quit as expected, they become “excess staff.” Companies then use transfers, demotions, or unwanted relocations as tools to nudge them out.
This is deeply dishonest and wasteful—not only of resources but also of employee trust. Over time, it leads to a toxic environment where top talent is the first to walk away.
Ideal vs. Actual Recruitment: A Comparison
| Aspect | Ideal Recruitment | Common Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Select talent aligned with needs | Hire more assuming attrition |
| Headcount | Based on business goals | Mass hiring by tradition |
| Criteria | Skills, values, role fit | Age, new grad status |
| Transparency | Clear job roles and expectations | Vague promises and generalizations |
| Turnover View | Natural and accepted | Seen as failure or a problem |
| Talent Treatment | Growth and role matching | Reassignment if surplus |
| Result | Healthy, dynamic teams | Distrust, attrition, stagnation |
Recruitment is Strategy and Architecture
Recruitment isn’t reactive—it’s strategic architecture. Zoning, or mapping talent to the right roles, is step one.
Hiring “just because we have an opening” is how rot begins.
What work needs doing?
What values and skills are required?
How do we find and retain people who match that?
These are the core questions HR must address. A truly good company isn’t just one where people stay—it’s one that attracts the right people, in the right numbers, through the right means.
And that starts with HR that doesn’t take shortcuts, committed to zoning-based, intentional hiring design.
Read in Japanese↓
ゾーニング採用の必要性｜人事は楽せず自社のニーズを見極めろ（2025.9.1）
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