Happy July and happy Semester 3 to my fellow Postgrads! For my final blog post, I want to reflect and look towards the future…
Currently, I’m writing my dissertation on workplace wellbeing in Japan and reviewing Japanese literature on whether this is a focus right now in academia or whether more insight is needed. My supervisor, Arjan Keizer, has been amazing in helping me refine and decide on what specifics I need to focus on as dissertations can sometimes get very broad! To supplement my knowledge of Japanese contexts, I’ve also been part of the MIRAI programme with Sofia University in Tokyo. With this, I’ve been talking and working with Japanese academics and students and hopefully will be visiting Tokyo on a short trip to further deepen relations and understanding of Business and Economic between the UK, Japan, Europe and West Asia!
Other projects I’ve been focusing on has been some volunteer work with Cityzen Club Manchester on how wellbeing is arranged and implemented in Manchester-based businesses and how Cityzen can improve or enhance it for employees. This has been amazing to apply my own academic knowledge to an actual business context, as that’s something we students can struggle with. Aside from that, I have started to take some interest and do some basic shadowing of the Decent Work and the City project ran by Dr Mathew Johnson and Eva Herman as part of the Work and Equalities Institute at AMBS.
With both these projects and the MIRAI programme, I hope to continue my professional and academic career with AMBS by taking part in a PhD researching UK and Japanese workplace wellbeing policies, how they’re different and why they are different (if at all!) To prepare for this, I’m taking a year out of my studies to apply to PhD Scholarships and programmes as undertaking an MSc during COVID-19 has been emotionally and mentally taxing for my health and emotional wellbeing. I think it’s important to know when to take a step back and the support of the staff and students at AMBS has allowed me to experience a memorable year under very difficult circumstances.
I hope to see you all here once again, hopefully as a PhD student. Please remember to take things one step at a time and be proud of the accomplishments and decisions you’ve achieved based on the context and situation you’re in. With business school culture, sometimes people become understandably competitive and push each other very hard, but once in a while… it’s okay to take things easy.
I hope my own research and understanding of workplace wellbeing in Japan can further enhance my understandings of why mental health I so important both in Japan and hopefully the world.
Thank you and goodbye <3
