Dentsu Inc.'s New Work: Designing the Workplace (Part 1)

"Japan is a 'stress-advanced nation,' yet it's a 'backward nation' when it comes to how we use break time." This is the sentiment expressed by Masahiro Okumura, who is currently spearheading the "Office-spo" initiative at Dentsu Inc. Office-spo encourages enjoying exercise in the office during breaks like lunch time. We spoke with Keisuke Saito of BUTAI PROJECT, who shares this vision and is working alongside Okumura to promote it, about the origins of Office-spo and the future they aim to realize.

Can sports transform the office?

――First, could you tell us how "Office Sports" came to be?

Okumura: The term "work-life balance" is often used these days. But I think many people spend over half their lives on "work."

Saito: That's especially true in Japan, isn't it?

Okumura: Essentially, life = work. So, if work isn't enjoyable, life isn't enjoyable either. Yet, Japanese society is stressful and rarely provides an environment where work can be truly enjoyed. "Office Sports" was born from the desire to improve this situation – it's about enjoying simple exercise during work breaks.

Saito: These days, there's an increase in underlying depression that isn't immediately apparent. Since people often don't recognize the symptoms, it frequently escalates to severe levels before they notice, leading to resignation.

Okumura: That's truly heartbreaking.

Saito: Yes, it is.

Okumura: It's possible that someone's irritability at work could create a negative aura that stresses out those around them.

Saito: That's definitely true. I've also had experiences where someone else's irritation rubbed off on me and dampened my mood.

Okumura: I think sometimes people become self-centered, thinking, "Since I've had similar experiences, it's okay for me to give off negative vibes to others too."

Saito: Ideally, we'd all get along and work happily together, but it's never that simple, right? There are definitely moments when you just feel like putting yourself first.

Okumura: Exactly. So then the challenge becomes how to maintain mental balance within that. That's when I thought, since I played team sports originally, "Maybe sports could be a starting point for solving this problem."

Saito: Moving your body relieves stress, and doing something together as a group creates a sense of unity. Having common topics outside of work is important, I think.

Okumura: Exactly. I don't think Officepo can solve everything. I just hope it becomes a "trigger" for people to think about how they spend their break time.

The key is "lowering the barriers"

――The mandatory stress checks also seem to be a tailwind for OfficePo's adoption.

Saito: In the sense that the government has started taking action with a greater awareness of the stress modern people face, it feels like a switch has been flipped.

Okumura: There's a term these days called "health management." It's the idea that treating employee health management as a management issue improves company productivity. My personal impression is that it hasn't really caught on yet. If health management spreads, I expect Officepo will naturally spread more too.

Saito: That's right. Also, as I often discuss with you, Okumura-san, I wonder if companies aren't sometimes moving toward health management as an end in itself. Fundamentally, a company's core purpose should be to continuously improve performance and drive innovation. Superficial health initiatives risk misaligning the goal and, conversely, exhausting employees.

Okumura: Exactly. Even if companies know the term "health management," what gets implemented internally can sometimes be just awareness events.

Saito: Or stiff seminars. That kind of thing just doesn't interest young salespeople, for example. I think Office's appeal is that it offers something very simple, pure, and accessible.

Okumura: They offer things like yoga or Pilates – basically activities anyone can join regardless of age or gender. They deliberately set the barrier to entry low.

Saito: I personally feel that's absolutely the best way to get people to participate casually. It's important for them to think, "This looks kind of fun," rather than, "Doing Officepo has these scientifically proven benefits, backed by actual data..."

Okumura: Exactly. We want that impact, like, "Huh? We're kicking a punching bag in the conference room?"

Saito: That impact also serves as a hook to get people to try it at least once.

Okumura: Exactly. Society hasn't changed much despite the need for stronger awareness about stress issues. To change that, we first need to take action and transform the mindset around us. It's common for even HR or administration staff at companies to be unaware of mandatory stress checks or health management initiatives. Consequently, companies offering solutions for these are even less known.

Saito: That's right. I think a sandwich approach works well—lightweight solutions that encourage easy action, paired with solid, evidence-based tools for companies. You need both. But first and foremost, it's about creating that trigger to flip the switch.

Okumura: If it doesn't spark interest among employees, it's meaningless and won't be used. So the ideal is something that seems like play at first glance but is actually incredibly beneficial. It might take time for people to understand. But as we continued, we found allies who resonated like Saito-san, and companies willing to trial OfficePo. That's truly heartening.

――Why did you decide to get involved in promoting Office-po, Saito-san?

Saito: One reason is that I personally felt the necessity of Office-po. During my corporate days, I went through an extremely busy period where I worked from 9 AM until late at night for over half a year.

Okumura: When that happens, it's not just your body that gets worn down, your mental health suffers too, right?

Saito: Yes. In my case, I first became unable to leave the house on weekends. I couldn't get up in the morning—or rather, I didn't want to. I had this feeling of, "Oh, this might be bad." So I forced myself to create personal time, like going to the gym late at night or taking yoga classes nearby. It helped shift my mood and gave me a chance to reflect on myself.

Okumura: Exercise really does have an impact on your brain and mental state.

Saito: It feels like it clears the fog in my mind. My personal experience is that the busier I am, the more I need to force myself to move my body. It's like creating a little space to step back and look at my thoughts from above. We can provide that time to employees as part of our company's initiatives. That's what OfficeP is.

Okumura: That's right.

Saito: Another thing is, I really believe Office Po could be a breakthrough. Our current BUTAI PROJECT also focused on "education" and "health," but it ended up leaning toward the serious, formal side. That naturally limits the types of people involved. With Office Po, using those themes, we could potentially bring together all kinds of people.

Okumura: Office Pro is as casual as those "I tried ◯◯" web videos. When people with and without titles experience things together, they share the same feelings, which naturally leads to more conversation.

Saito: Overall satisfaction among participants is consistently high, right?

Okumura: That's right. After doing Kikusaize, someone even said, "Now I want to see a kickboxing match live!" Everyone's impressions are different, but seeing people finish their Officepo experience with a smile makes me really happy too.

[ Continued in Part 2 ]