English Translation follows Japanese

「3年経ったら、辞めても良いですよ」

毎年、新入社員を前にすると、私は決まってこの言葉を口にする。人事部の人たちが聞けば、間違いなく顔をしかめて怒り出すだろう。「せっかく採用した新人を、最初から手放すような真似をするな」と。その言い分もよくわかる。だが、私はこの言葉を冷め切った諦めから放っているわけではない。むしろ、彼らを預かる私たちの覚悟に対する、私なりの「誠実さ」の裏返しなのだ。

最初の3年がもたらす「現在地」

この言葉の真意は、「3年間、とにかく一所懸命にやってみよう」という呼びかけにある。ビジネスにおける3年という月日は、一つの仕事の全体像を見渡し、酸いも甘いも経験するための最低限の猶予期間だ。がむしゃらに走り抜け、失敗し、小さな成功を積み重ねる。そうして3年が経ったとき、初めて自分の現在地と、この会社という舞台の相性が見えてくる。

もしその時、どうしてもこの場所が自分に合わないと確信したなら、そこから次の道を考えればいい。あるいは、3年間で圧倒的な成長を遂げた結果、「この会社でこれ以上できることはやり尽くした」と感じるかもしれない。もっと大きな挑戦をしたい、自分の力を外の世界で試してみたいと本気で思うなら、その時は迷わず外へと飛び出るべきだ。

私が新入社員に望んでいるのは、「嫌だから辞める」という後ろ向きな逃避ではない。自らの成長の果てに、次のステップを見据えて踏み出す「前向きな退職」だ。

「前向きな退職」が会社を強くする

不思議なもので、そのようにして前を向いて飛び立っていった人間は、外に出ても決して元の会社を悪く言わない。それどころか、「あの会社で学ばせてもらったから、今の自分がある」と、感謝の言葉すら口にする。彼らが社外で活躍し、元の会社を好意的に語ってくれることは、巡り巡って会社のブランド価値を押し上げることになる。これこそが、今の時代における企業の「自然なブランディング」ではないだろうか。

さらに言えば、新天地で活躍していても、何かしらのきっかけで、この会社を思い出して前向きに戻ってくることがある。外の世界でもがき、学び、ひと回りもふた回りも大きくなった彼らが戻ってきたとき、その貴重な経験と新たな視点を組織に惜しみなく注入してくれるのだ。出戻り社員がもたらす化学反応は、ずっと同じ場所にいる人間だけでは決して生み出せない。

古い価値観と、見えない嫉妬

終身雇用の神話はとうに崩壊し、ひとつの会社に骨を埋めることが美徳とされた時代は過去のものとなった。会社と個人の関係は、お互いに「選び、選ばれる関係」へとシフトしている。

しかし、頭ではそれを理解しつつも、未だに「長く勤めることこそが正しい」という古い価値観に固執する人間は多い。そして大抵そういう人に限って、転職して外の広い世界で活躍している人の話を聞くと、途端に腹を痛くするのだ。どこか羨ましそうで、どこか面白くなさそうな、苦虫を噛み潰したような顔をする。彼らの心の奥底にあるのは、若者への落胆ではない。本当は、自分自身に「決断力」と「行動力」がなかったことへの、無自覚な嫉妬と焦燥感なのだろう。また、その決断力と行動力が無いことは決して悪いことではない。ただ、ひとつの会社に骨を埋める道を選んだのであれば、飛び立っていく者たちへの嫉妬の声を決して漏らしてはならない。

私たちが背負うべきプレッシャー

「3年経ったら辞めても良い」

この言葉は、新入社員に対する免罪符ではない。同時に、私たちマネジメント側への「3年以内に彼らをどこでも通用する人材に育て上げ、なおかつ『この会社で働き続けたい』、あるいは『いつかまた戻ってきたい』と思わせる魅力的な環境を提供し続けられるか」という、強烈なプレッシャーでもある。

会社にしがみつく人間を増やすのではなく、いつでも飛び立てる翼を持った人間たちが、あえて自らの意思で残って力を合わせる組織。そんな健全で強い組織を作るために、私は今年もまた、人事の視線を盗んで新入社員たちにこの言葉を贈り続ける。

English Translation by AI

"Once three years have passed, it is perfectly fine for you to quit."

Every year, when I stand before our new recruits, I make it a point to say these exact words. If the people in HR heard me, they would undoubtedly frown and lose their temper. "Don't go driving away the new hires we spent so much effort recruiting right from the start," they would say. And I completely understand their point. However, I do not utter these words out of cold resignation. Rather, it is the flip side of my own "sincerity" toward the responsibility we bear in taking them in.

The "Current Location" Brought by the First Three Years

The true meaning behind these words is a call to action: "For three years, just give it everything you've got." In the business world, a span of three years is the bare minimum grace period required to see the full picture of a job and experience both its joys and bitter realities. You run at full speed, you fail, and you accumulate small successes. When those three years have passed, you will finally be able to see your true current location and how well you align with this company as your stage.

If, at that moment, you are absolutely certain that this place is not right for you, then you can start thinking about your next path from there. Alternatively, as a result of achieving overwhelming growth over those three years, you might feel, "I have done everything I can possibly do at this company." If you genuinely want to pursue a greater challenge and test your strength in the outside world, then you should leap out without hesitation.

What I desire from our new employees is not a backward-looking escape born from resentment. I want to see a "forward-looking resignation" --one where they step forward toward their next stage as a culmination of their own growth.

How "Forward-Looking Resignation" Strengthens a Company

Strangely enough, individuals who leap forward in such a positive manner never speak ill of their former company once they are on the outside. On the contrary, they express genuine gratitude, saying things like, "I am who I am today because of what they taught me at that company." The fact that they thrive outside and speak fondly of their former workplace ultimately elevates the company's brand value. This is precisely what corporate "organic branding" looks like in this day and age.

Furthermore, even if they are active and successful in their new environment, some trigger may remind them of this company, leading them to proactively come back. When they return after struggling, learning, and growing one or two sizes larger in the outside world, they generously inject that invaluable experience and fresh perspective back into the organization. The chemical reaction brought about by returning employees is something that people who stay in the exact same place can never create.

Old Values and Invisible Envy

The myth of lifetime employment has long since collapsed, and the era when burying one's bones at a single company was considered a virtue is a thing of the past. The relationship between companies and individuals has shifted to one where both sides mutually "choose and are chosen."

Yet, even while understanding this intellectually, many people still cling to the outdated value that "working somewhere for a long time is the only right way." And it is usually these very people who get a sudden heartache whenever they hear stories of former colleagues thriving in the wider world outside. They wear a look that is somewhere between envious and displeased—a face as if they've just swallowed a bitter pill. What lies at the bottom of their hearts is not disappointment in the youth. In reality, it is an unconscious jealousy and anxiety over the fact that they themselves lacked the "decisiveness" and "courage to act" required to take that leap. Furthermore, lacking that decisiveness and courage to act is by no means a bad thing. However, if you have chosen the path of burying your bones at a single company, you must never let out voices of envy toward those who fly away.

The Pressure We Must Shoulder

"You can quit after three years."

These words are not a free pass for the new employees. At the same time, they serve as an intense pressure directed at us on the management side: "Can we develop them into professionals who can thrive anywhere within three years, and can we continue to provide an environment so attractive that they will still choose to stay or want to come back to someday?"

Instead of increasing the number of people who simply cling to the company, we want to build a healthy and strong organization where individuals who possess the wings to fly at any moment consciously choose to stay and combine their strengths. To build such an organization, I will steal away from the watchful eyes of HR again this year and continue to gift these words to our new recruits.

June 2026