What Shachomi is eating is okonomiyaki.
He isn’t an okonomiyaki chef or anything. He’s Imamura-san, the representative of the home-visit care service office “株式会社つなぐて” (Tsunagute Co., Ltd.), age 33. He’s been dedicated to caregiving since he was 21.
Still, why is everyone eating okonomiyaki together?
This is their staff meal! Maybe this person really is a chef after all lol
Wait, I thought staff meals were only for people working at restaurants.
At our company, we serve a staff meal once a month after the meeting.
| ★ What is “Staff Meal Day”? Once a month during lunch break, everyone gathers around a hot plate or pot for okonomiyaki, yakisoba, takoyaki… the menu depends on who’s in charge! The company covers the ingredient costs, and even registered helpers out on visits can drop by with a casual “If you’ve got time, come eat before you head home♪” vibe. |
A Comfortable Space for Both Smokers and Non-Smokers
“There really aren’t many places to smoke these days, are there?” The Tsunagute way is to respond to voices like that too. They’ve set up a fully separated smoking room outdoors.
Shachomi doesn’t smoke now, but she used to, so she totally gets it.
We Asked About All Kinds of Work at Tsunagute
We talked with staff members working at Tsunagute about their jobs.
In home-visit care, the usual style is that staff mainly go directly to users’ homes and head straight home afterward. So because you’re working alone, in the extreme, it can get lonely since you may not see anyone from the workplace…
Apparently, these “staff meals” have also become a chance to talk through everyday work concerns and shared challenges, and to find solutions together. Maybe one reason caregiving work feels so hard is that people end up carrying their worries alone.
Another benefit is that even if you aren’t confident cooking for daily-life support care, you can pick up recipes through the staff meals. It’s nice to be able to share dishes that make people happy.
So, to be honest, how much can you earn?
You’re asking that right away? lol. Imamura-san and the staff were so fun I thought they might be theater people, and it turns out Representative Imamura used to be in a theater troupe.
Showing All the Pay and Allowances!
Well, it’s what everyone wants to know, so I just had to ask!
And Imamura-san told us all about the pay and allowances.
| Category | Amount | What’s Impressive! |
|---|---|---|
| Management | Track record of up to 400,000 yen/month | With six-month evaluations and raises, it’s not just a dream |
| Full-time employee | 210,000-305,000 yen + bonus | Certified care workers start from 230,000 yen / service managers from 260,000 yen |
| Registered helper | Hourly wage: Physical care 1,700 yen Daily-life support 1,400 yen | About +70-250 yen above the Nishinomiya average. Including allowances, the effective rate is in the 1,750-1,900 yen range. Top 10-15% level |
| Allowances | Early morning/late shift +100 yen Sundays and holidays +50 yen Year-end/New Year +100 yen | Even for 30 minutes, a fixed allowance is added! Gasoline and parking fees fully covered |
- Evaluation every six months → raise
- Company covers qualification costs → fully waived after 3 years of work
- Join as a new location launch member and move up into management → boost both position and pay
| Step | What You Do | Estimated Annual Income |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Home-visit helper From 1 hour a week OK | Up to 2.5 million yen |
| STEP2 | Service provision manager Document preparation and training new staff | 3 million yen+ |
| STEP3 | Manager Team leadership + 400,000 yen/month salary range | 4 million yen+ |
| STEP4 | New location launch leader Nishinomiya → Ashiya → Kobe… | No ceiling, depending on the position |
The caregiving industry is expected to keep growing. For anyone aiming for career advancement, it’s reassuring just to know there’s a path like this. Right now, they have offices in Nishinomiya and Ashiya, so it’s nice to have options.
They’re Really ICT-Driven
“Tsunagute” is seriously ICT-driven.
