Foundation Day - 90 years on

I have been really inspired by the book, ‘The Nowhere Office’, in which the author, Julia Hobsbawn, argues that?we have the opportunity to use our work spaces differently and better in the future.??I love her point - that offices still have an important role to play in the future - if we are intentional about how we use the space. By putting on well-thought-through events we can make the most of people’s time together to learn and collaborate. So I’m really proud that we did just that last week for a ‘Foundation Day’ event. Panasonic colleagues from all over gathered in the UK office to celebrate and reflect on our heritage, where the original Foundation Day - or?Meichi?- took place in Osaka on 5th May 1932.

This day is significant to our culture today because it is when Panasonic’s founder, Konosuke Matsushita, gathered his employees to share his company ethos - the True Mission of an Industrialist. And from this, evolved the Seven Core Principles of Panasonic.

So last week - 90 years later - we put on a series of events in the office:

• to reflect on just how special these ideas were (and still are)
• to celebrate that we work for a purpose-led company which?still?aims?to contribute to society?
• and to talk about how that inspires us now.

Untiring effort for improvement:?The day kicked off with breakfast in the hub, and while the company song played, colleagues were invited to gen up on their knowledge of the Basic business philosophy - taking part in a quiz and chatting about which of the 7 principles meant the most to them.

‘Adaptability’: A gong sounded at 9am then everyone started their day with an energising and physically challenging morning exercise - a desk yoga routine!

Fairness and Honesty?There was a really interesting lecture from Pernille Rudlin , taking us back to the origins of Foundation Day. Konosuke Matsushita was only in his 30s when he shared his very human-centric notions of what a company was for. It was quite radical stuff - and quite brave too, because outspoken figures from industry and politics were being assassinated throughout Japan at the time. The name, Matsushita, means ‘under the pine’; and standing in front of a pine tree that symbolises new life in Japanese, Matsushita offered hope during frightening times. 90 years later, his ideas and his hope still resonate.

Courtesy & humility:?The sushi lunch was amazing but so was the katsu curry, so some of us worked off the calories by going outside into the town to pick up litter. As Panasonic managers have done for the last 100 years, taking care of their local communities and showing that no job is beneath them is an important tradition.Finally, the day ended with?cooperation and team spirit:?we got back together for ‘Question Time’ and an employee panel faced questions from the audience about how their work and attitudes had been shaped by the Panasonic's Basic Business Philosophy. Employees of all ages and from all over the organisation shared their stories of how the BBP has never been more relevant.?

• For inspiration in uncertain times,?
• To differentiate our organisation in a tight market,
• To structure conversations and deliver best practice and?
• To ‘be a better human’.?

Gratitude: With an NPS from our audience of 88%, what's clear 90 years on, is that our business principles still mean so much to employees. There were so many positive comments from colleagues - so grateful to have a day to reflect on our purpose. The BBP is not a relic of the past - it continues to play such an important role in people’s lives - both in and out of work.

• Thank you to all colleagues who helped to make this happen: Elsa Hodge , Barnaby (Barney) Sykes , Neil Lloyd-Meek , DJ Pratt , Jason Plummer , Tahseen Anwar , Steve Arita , Zoe Bukin , ? Chris Turner , ? Andrea Clack , Kate Farrow , Annette Shortland , Simon Davies BA CMRS CMRP CAIP XMP , Daniela Gardiner , Lucy Linnett Assoc CIPD , Eno Amankwah Frimpong, ACII-UK , Jeanne Brown , Jess Kent (Assoc CIPD) , James Gotke , Gavin Parker , Jade Elabd

If you took part, it would be great to get your thoughts on the day? Thank you!