Attractive Workplace Factors From University Students' Perspective in Japan

Abstract

Internal marketing is being strengthened as competition for human resources intensifies. To attract talented students, companies design and promote attractive work environments. Existing literature argues that young people prefer a lower average age of employees, casual fashion, and environments where they can grow. They dislike communicating over the phone, working in factories, and attending drinks parties. However, these findings are fragmentary. Therefore, this study clarified the influence of seven factors (employee age, fashion, working scene, business trips, working environment, working style, and communication) on the attractiveness of a workplace for Japanese university students. To evaluate these factors equally, we created nine types of company introduction sheets using orthogonal arrays and conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The results revealed that in terms of working style, remote work is significantly more attractive than commuting to an office. Contrary to expectations, other conditions had no effect on the attractiveness. Since the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, corporations including Google, IBM, Tesla, and Walt Disney have strengthened their employee return-to-office policies. Though, except for very attractive companies, there is a concern that excessive return-to-office demands may make attracting talented personnel difficult. Practitioners should also be aware that there is a substantial risk in placing too much faith in fragmentary claims.

Keywords: internal marketing, HR-tech, remote work, COVID-19, orthogonal array