Otsuka Shokai, an IT solutions provider with over 1 trillion yen ($6.7 billion USD) in annual sales, has adopted “AI Happiness” to promote employee well-being. As a result, leveraging AI Happiness also has led to improved business performance.
Otsuka Shokai implemented a method developed by Happiness Planet (CEO Dr. Kazuo Yano, affiliated with Hitachi), which uses an app to enhance communication related to mental risk in the workplace and to promote employee well-being. Upon implementing AI Happiness, Otsuka Shokai found that it improves employees’ mental capital and psychological safety, which in turn boosts motivation and enhanced company performance. President Yuji Otsuka (pictured below) stated, “The growth of our employees equals the growth of the company. We aim to be a workplace where people feel happy to be a part of Otsuka Shokai.”
The foundation of AI Happiness lies in the “Happiness Planet Gym,” an organizational support service offered by Happiness Planet and Hitachi. The app has been proven to improve communication around mental risks. It automatically forms small groups of three to four people that cut across teams and hierarchies (not only top-down but also lateral and diagonal relationships). Each member shares daily positive actions via their smartphone or PC, prompted by the AI advisor (Happi-Advisor), and sends encouraging messages to one another. This intentional formation of “triangular connections” helps improve communication, even among the 33% of employees who previously had weak workplace ties. These features are expected to reduce mental risk through improved communication.
President Yuji Otsuka
In Japan, with a growing labor shortage, boosting employee engagement, reducing turnover among young or high-performing staff, and rapidly integrating mid-career hires are major corporate challenges. Strong interpersonal connections and daily workplace communication are essential to addressing these issues. However, traditional chat tools and social networks often fail to improve engagement, as busy or less outspoken individuals tend not to participate, leaving only a subset actively involved.
AI Happiness enhances this engagement by leveraging AI to increase impact and analytical capabilities. Since 2024, Otsuka Shokai has introduced it during onboarding for new graduates and has expanded its use once they join their field teams. As a result, it has become clear that increasing mental capital (a positive mindset) and psychological safety (a sense of unity) promotes employee well-being and personal development, which leads to company growth.
This was revealed by Otsuka during a financial results briefing. According to branch data from Otsuka Shokai, new employees show high levels of mental capital and psychological safety upon field assignment. Happiness peaks again at the start of the second half of the year in July, dips slightly during summer, bottoms out in September, and rises toward the fiscal year-end. The ability to visualize these trends has made it clear that employee well-being correlates with business performance.
“Promoting employee well-being also means transforming internal organizational structures. By understanding each individual’s state, we can intervene early if they seem close to burnout. When the organization becomes more energized, it naturally leads to better performance. After all, when motivation and happiness increase, so do results. We made a considerable investment in AI Happiness, but it has proven to be a valuable tool for improving management practices at Otsuka Shokai,” said Mr. Otsuka. He added, “AI Happiness helps us create a system where every individual can work with energy. By using it with awareness and intention, we can adapt and improve continuously—and it directly ties into our performance.”
4 New Services from Happiness Planet Incorporating GenAI
Happiness Planet has introduced four new services integrating generative AI to help companies achieve well-being-oriented management. These services aim to harness digital power to continuously improve employee happiness and autonomy, contributing to sustainable organizational growth.
Here are the four new services introduced as part of AI Happiness:
- Connect
Traditional chat tools and SNS platforms were limited to communication and often failed to enhance engagement, especially for busy or introverted users. Connect integrates proprietary AI to reduce user burden and ensure comprehensive workplace connectivity. With just one minute a day, employees can deepen relationships, improve engagement, and boost psychological safety—helping prevent turnover. - Energize
Employees respond to three theory-based survey questions and receive personalized AI coaching. Managers receive practical feedback to foster dialogue and inspire challenges. The light-touch survey and AI coaching combination supports employee proactivity and enhances middle management skills—driving the shift toward a self-directed organization. - Juku
In this program, well-being expert Dr. Kazuo Yano provides direct lectures on the latest data-driven theories. Employees learn how to become well-being leaders. The program includes access to an AI consultation app and aims to develop employees who positively influence their organizations through a two-month intensive course. - Shachō Bunshin (President’s AI Twin)
A generative AI embodying the founder’s or president’s philosophy, vision, and values, Shachō Bunshin helps deeply embed corporate culture. It ensures that even as times change, the company’s mission and vision are consistently communicated, aligning all employees under shared values.
