This paper discusses the shift toward “human capital management” in the modern workplace and the importance of integrated employee support for life and career based on Well-Being.

Traditional occupational health programs have focused on treatment, early detection, and prevention of employee issues within the framework of labor safety and health laws. However, there is now a need for diverse support models that respect employees’ varied values and career paths while promoting their growth and development.

Well-being requires good interpersonal relationships based on trust. The paper examines cases of middle-aged regular employees experiencing psychological stress due to reassignment, mandatory retirement from managerial roles, or downsizing during organizational change. Rather than imposing reskilling unilaterally, support providers are encouraged to engage in empathetic dialogue and foster collaboration among stakeholders.

A research study of 50s confirmed that career interviewing is effective in improving employee autonomy and Well-Being.

The environment surrounding the working people in Japan is undergoing a major transformation. According to the Cabinet Office, Japan is aiming for a creative society called SOCIETY 5.0, which requires workers to have competency to deal with diverse workforce and take initiative to create and implement their own career vision.

Resilience is the ability to recover from setbacks and hardships. In the workplace, it refers to the ability to cope calmly with unexpected events that may occur at any time, and the ability to flexibly respond to new environments, change, and diverse situations. Resilient people are able to stay mentally and physically healthy, and they are able to successfully overcome challenges at work, even when they are asked to do things they have never done before. Resilience has six components, among which the “inner strength” has an impact on motivation for career, and the “healthy lifestyle” is needed when career and life roles become overloaded.

This paper will discuss the interplay of career choices, work-life balance, and resilience skills as workers in Japan are challenged to thrive through the so-called Society 5.0.

This paper summarizes the speech I delivered on December 8, 2023, at the Annual Meeting of The Japan Association of Job Stress Research. I defined Positive Deviance （“PD”） in the first part of my address as a way of thinking or an approach to resolving organizational, communal, and societal problems. Next, I introduced the concept of building mindfulness in organizations and posited the concept of “mindful organizing.” I also highlighted the benefits of PD as a practical tool for mindful organizing.

Overall, this paper aims to inform occupational professionals working with mental health issues about PD and illuminate its potential use in practice.

“Oya-gacha” is a recent buzzword typically refers to children lamenting the randomness of their parents’ socio-economic status, behavioral characteristics, and other aspects of their family environment―factors that they cannot choose for themselves. However, from a behavioral genetic perspective, not only the family environment but also the non-shared environments outside the family, along with the combination of genes inherited from our parents, are all the result of chance or “gacha.” Moreover, the influence of genetics on individual differences in mental traits, such as abilities, is both universal and significant, affecting every subtle aspect of mental and behavioral life. Here, I demonstrated this argument syllogistically using the twin method and molecular biological evidence and provided implications for career selection.

In this article, practitioners from various professions discussed the career support for job turnover required in each situation. The practitioners discussed (1) the psycho-social factors of job turnover in scientific evidence, (2) national policies and support systems for career development, (3) psychological support for job turnover within organization, and (4) psychological support for individuals of job turnover.