[Profile]
Masayuki Minato has used a wheelchair since his mid-20s. Since joining Bayer, he took up a job focused mainly on marketing-related procurement and is currently working as a member of the Sales Promotion team of Commercial Operations Management.

How do you experience everyday life with a wheelchair?

Steady progress is now being made in the improvement of accessibility for wheelchair users, but there still are nuisances to us in everyday life. Still, there are also plenty of times when passers-by have offered a helping hand. Kind gestures like that really make me happy. So, if you come across a wheelchair user who appears to be struggling, I think they would be glad to have you offer assistance.

Is there any influence on your work while using a wheelchair?

I got through my tasks fairly smoothly, partly because it’s desk work. I’m working at home now, but even when I was going into the office I didn’t experience much trouble with getting around, thanks to Bayer’s workplace accessibility improvements and permission for me to drive to work.

Have you been able to carry out your work without any major problems?

However, I couldn’t do all this without the understanding and support of those around me. The thing that I appreciate the most is that I’ve been given all sorts of opportunities. Despite the difficulties of traveling abroad in a wheelchair, I was afforded many opportunities to go on overseas business trips. My boss always put my feelings first, each time telling me, “An overseas business trip has come up. If you feel up to the challenge, I’ll recommend you for it.” I’m very grateful for support like that, because it has enabled me to turn a lot of my can’t-do’s into can-do’s.

I heard that you’ve recently been transferred, but is there any difference from the previous work? 
 

I have many years of working in procurement. In procurement, my main task was to support and negotiate the purchase of goods and services necessary for corporate activities from outside the company, as well as to negotiate and coordinate in accordance with the Global Policy. In September 2020, I was transferred to Sales Promotion, and in my current team, I am working on coordinating with other business units, sharing best practices, and standardizing various evaluation criteria to ensure effective sales activities in line with product strategies. It is my mission to evolve the sales organizations through these efforts.

That is a completely new jobs. Is there anything you can do to utilize your past experience?

I had to learn a lot of new things every day, but I can put the know-how I gained from procurement to good use for our team, for example, my team calls on me to find other companies we can partner with and to serve as our liaison with them. I think Bayer provides an environment where each individual's position is respected and each and every employee can grow their skills.