Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is 25 yo elderly for you? Because by 2030 there will certainly NOT be 85% of the population as elderly (well except if some new sickness kills all the people below 65 obviously). There might be 35% though, which is already quite high but not unmanageable.
My bad, it was meant to be 2080 but I can't edit the post anymore. Either way, japan's population is not only ageing but declining at an exponential rate due to low childbirth - which has been directly attributed to the piss poor work life balance. The Japan as we know it today will not exist in a few decades. It will either be a far less populous country, or full of immigrants. So I don't think we can take their 'no…
For $450, a Japanese Company Will Quit Your Job for You
71–80 of 121 posts
Re: For $450, a Japanese Company Will Quit Your Job for You
#72Resigning seems hard, but it's a little bit like giving regular feedback in my opinion. First of all it's best done face to face, because you don't want to be misunderstood, and you want to give the other party a fair chance at replying. Second, you give the compliment sandwich. You start out with thanking them for the opportunity (any job is an opportunity, no matter how shitty it was, you made money and you learned…
I think like most "weird Japan" articles this one is being mischaracterised somewhat. It is often somewhat difficult in Japan to get your legal entitlement when leaving a so called "black" company. They might not easily pay out your remaining holiday, or they might use "power harassment" to otherwise make your exit process difficult. So I can see that a company like this, while not providing legal services, removes t…
Re: For $450, a Japanese Company Will Quit Your Job for You
#73The ideal is that you use things like exit interviews as a canvas on which to have a broader discussion about both career and business priorities that will leave them very interested in bringing you back on in an expanded capacity once you've grown in your career more.
This requires the ability to clearly understand and distill why you couldn't get what you needed out of your current job. Nobody's really expecting you to be unhappy, but at the same time, there's a kind of expectation that you raise issues and work them out before they reach the point where you go find another job.
Naturally, something like compensation isn't part of this expectation, if another company is offering you $30k more, you won't be expected to have asked for that before handing in your notice, because obviously you weren't going to get it. But if compensation is the primary reason you're leaving, then rationally speaking, you should be open to accepting a counter-offer. If you're not open to that, then you need to clarify more reasons why you're leaving.
My understanding is that it's best to tie what you want and why you couldn't get it to the business model of the company. That offers the least-offensive pathway through an exit interview that results in no legal issues and the utmost in professional candor. They can't change the business model, so another job is a perfectly appropriate pathway to getting what you want. This naturally requires you to understand the company's biz model and this is best accomplished by having discussions with your manager.
If you want career advancement, doing it through your current job requires you to wait for an opportunity to open up. I would have happily stayed at my last job if I could have led a team, but that wasn't in the cards. But it was an option that we explored.
If you have a personal problem with someone working there, then the expected resolution is to restructure the teams so you don't have any interaction with them. This one is a bit tricky, I wouldn't bring it up in an exit interview, but behind closed doors long before you start looking. This way you can simply hint at it in the interview and everyone knows what you mean without having to actually discuss it, while the surface discussion is about business priorities. A personal problem affects team cohesiveness though, and if management isn't willing to resolve them, then that points to a political problem with the organization.
Anyway, I hope this offers some frameworks and tools to help with career management.
Re: For $450, a Japanese Company Will Quit Your Job for You
#74This sort of thing seems really sad to me, From the site linked in the article, "Proper Etiquette for Quitting Your Job in Japan": Show your appreciation to every member of the company, or at least those you have been working with directly. Sweets, small gifts such as mugs, tea sets, a thank-you card or other similar items will be appreciated by everyone. Prepare those for your last day on the job. Usually, Japanese…
When those niceties are not a free choice, but "strongly encouraged" by management, they quickly stop being nice. For a person who spent a lifetime at the firm (which used to be pretty common in Japan) and is retiring from work altogether, they may be a warm touch. For someone who hates the job and wants to leave, maybe not so much. Not burning bridges is always a good idea, but I can understand avoiding long, script…
It isn't about being nice though - it's about giving the appearance of nice. If everyone is being nice and courteous to one another for the sake of group harmony, then I think it is good. I can understand why many people would be irritated by it, but then this kind of culture isn't for them.
I visit Japan often and I'm aware of just how much of the culture is a "bullshit front". That's not surprising when an important concept is around being two-faced[0]. If this type of culture bothers you - it's a terrible country to live in. But the constant "faking for group harmony" leads to actual group harmony as far as I can tell. It's enjoyable being in a culture where people try to support one another than one that's an individualistic - "everyone fend for themselves" - culture like the U.S.A.
Re: For $450, a Japanese Company Will Quit Your Job for You
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
> First of all it's best done face to face, because you don't want to be misunderstood, and you want to give the other party a fair chance at replying. You're making an assumption here: that one is leaving for amicable reasons (e.g., a better paying job elsewhere, a new career path, going back to school, etc.). There's another mindset that this sort of company is perfect for: "I don't give a hoot about my soon-to-be-…
Amicable reasons or not, face to face is best. At work you sometimes have to face situations that are not pleasant. Staying calm and professional pays dividends. One can (and should) still be quick and firm during the resignation meeting. And the world is a small place -- exiting right can help you in the future, even if you think you will never work with that company again. My 2c.
Not always, and especially for those that don't "think on their feet". I'm one of those, and I prefer writing, simply because I can make sure I've said everything I want to say in the exact way that I want to say it. I get flustered when put on the spot, and sometimes say what I don't mean, or say what I do mean but ambiguously.
Point is, people are different, so face to face cannot always be best.
Re: For $450, a Japanese Company Will Quit Your Job for You
#76Re: For $450, a Japanese Company Will Quit Your Job for You
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, ghosting a job is a terrible idea. If two parties invested any amount of time into a relationship, be an adult and own up to your responsibility to end it in a way that gives closure and respects the other person. A job is not a party, a job is a big commitment with a lot of value exchanged both ways. It also benefits you, more than you know.
Funny how the companies don't extend that courtesy to employees. When they're done with you, you're walked out the door. Sure, you should tell them you've quit and not ghost them, but why go to any extra lengths like a two weeks notice when they wouldnt do the same for you?
Re: For $450, a Japanese Company Will Quit Your Job for You
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, ghosting a job is a terrible idea. If two parties invested any amount of time into a relationship, be an adult and own up to your responsibility to end it in a way that gives closure and respects the other person. A job is not a party, a job is a big commitment with a lot of value exchanged both ways. It also benefits you, more than you know.
As another person commented, a job is not a commitment. It's a transaction, and it's very impersonal in nature. The second I am not profitable for my employer my ass is out the door, and generally they won't give me any sort of notice. I don't owe my employer anything other than work for my paycheck. If my manager or employer needs "closure" from an employee leaving, they're overly attached to their employees.
Re: For $450, a Japanese Company Will Quit Your Job for You
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
Funny how the companies don't extend that courtesy to employees. When they're done with you, you're walked out the door. Sure, you should tell them you've quit and not ghost them, but why go to any extra lengths like a two weeks notice when they wouldnt do the same for you?
Which companies don't extend that courtesy? Any company I've worked at gives 1-3months notice for low performers. They call it a "Performance Improvement Plan" or somesuch, and basically pay you while you search for another job. For layoffs, there's a severance payment equivalent to several weeks. No salaried job at a going concern would skip severance, because severance is on condition of promising not to sue the co…
People that resign may or may not be allowed to stay for the two weeks, depending on how much the company was relying on them (often the companies didn't really have much redundancy or documentation in place and needed to train someone new and/or do a few meetings with infodumps with these people)
But that's the only 'courtesy' I've ever seen.
Re: For $450, a Japanese Company Will Quit Your Job for You
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
When those niceties are not a free choice, but "strongly encouraged" by management, they quickly stop being nice. For a person who spent a lifetime at the firm (which used to be pretty common in Japan) and is retiring from work altogether, they may be a warm touch. For someone who hates the job and wants to leave, maybe not so much. Not burning bridges is always a good idea, but I can understand avoiding long, script…
>When those niceties are not a free choice, but "strongly encouraged" by management, they quickly stop being nice. It isn't about being nice though - it's about giving the appearance of nice. If everyone is being nice and courteous to one another for the sake of group harmony, then I think it is good. I can understand why many people would be irritated by it, but then this kind of culture isn't for them. I visit Japa…
As long as we remember and push against this false "fend for themselves", it need not become America.