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All good things come to an end (Working for Japanese)

statrosa

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This post maybe interesting for anybody willing to work in Japan or for a Japanese company.

4 days ago I was in the office and I always begin the morning with a cup of coffee. I noticed someone already had made coffee, even though nobody at my department (me and four guys) drinks coffee or even know how to make it. Didn't think anything of it at the time.

I walked to my desk and smelled a strange odour.
When I tried to take a sip I smelled it again.
It smelled like bleach. I went to the small kitchen in my department and found a bottle of bleach in the kitchen cabinet smelled it and I was right. The whole coffee machine smelled like bleach.

I immediately called a management meeting and showed them the coffee. They couldn't believe it.
They suspected my guys (I'm head of the department and I treat them well) but I told them they would not even know how to make coffee and I was the first in the office, always at 7:40.

I wanted to check surveillance footage, but typical corporate bureaucracy, it would take forms and other shit to get to see the videos, which takes time.
So I said well can I see who checked in first today. That was ok, one girl, one guy, the girl clocked in at 07:30 but the guy was already here at 06:20, while he is normally here at exactly 08:00.

So we called him in at a meeting. It did not took long to crack him and to admit to the bleaching of the coffee. The reason why: He said I slept with his girlfriend. I went berserk, screamed in both Japanese and English, lost my cool completely. Told him I don't know him, do not give a fuck about him let alone about his girlfriend.

He then said a name. Instead of denying that I do not know who she is I said. "ohhh she."
That girls does not work at our office any more, left about 4 years ago. 5 years ago, when she joined the company she was terribly homesick, missing Kyushu and we kind of bonded, nothing more, but yeah we ended up in bed together, I believe two times, maybe more can't remember. She was not exactly my type of girl but I felt sorry for her and knew she had difficulty fitting in, so I don't want to call it sympathy sex but we liked talking and could confide in each other.

After a year something gruesome happened to her and she left the company. Did not have any contact any more only heard from others that she got married and divorced in one year.

For those who have studied in Japan or work for a Japanese company might know, that when there is a fight, always both parties get the blame and punishment.
He was fired on the spot, but I wanted to go to the police and file a report. Management asked me not to do this, because I did not get poisoned yet.
However at the end of the day my punishment came.
I was to be relocated to another office in another city. I could not believe it, I was actually devastated. I said "wow isn't this harsh. Why?".

They said yeah the whole me too movement, we also have to modernise. I replied, "that is nonsense know one here cares about that, just like me, you guys had sex with all the girls here, this is bs."
Just to put in context what I mean: We (all staff) have down times, drink, go eating, karaoke of drink more and go to love hotels together. These things just happen. When there are no girls with us, the guys all go to the hookers, these thing just happen. I would almost call this a Japanese tradition, but this also happens in China and probably also in South Korea (even though there the metoo movement is starting to have affect).
I maybe said it before in prior post, but I never corrupted, blackmailed or forced a girl to do anything. I am in no position to promise them anything. The girls always worked at a different department, wanted to go out with my department or with the management just to have fun. I know that some girls want to get higher up or just wan to be favoured, but it is what it is or better said, it was.

I wanted to resigned that night. I just do not want to move. Even though the location where I am living now is a backwards town, really crappy and far from work, I have already spent 12.5 years here, kind of gotten used to it.
Then at home I got another fight with my SO because I did not run the whole thing by her. Eventually she sided with me and said that it was time for change. I did not yet hand in my resignation and wanted to do so at the end of the week.

Two days the Japanese management ignored me like I did not exist, but suddenly I was called into a meeting with the two top guys. They started making small talk to me and also made jokes. Suddenly offered me a bonus offer. I said "why?"
The want me to help them relocate the whole office within five months. I am then free to decide to move with them or leave the company.

It was already in the planning for a year now, but kept being postponed to move some departments but not all, due to running contracts ending. Also my mother company has too many offices and the Japanese Tax office had asked to decrease this so it would be easier to follow the money. I told them a year ago that if they prepare the staff involved immediately the blow would be softer and everybody can prepare better on the inevitable. However they never listen to an outsider like me and rather screw up the situations to come.

I did not want to wait and told my staff what was going on. They were not happy, but had already seen an illegally obtained print, with some kind of plants a few months ago. They hoped it was all just an idea not an actual plan. We talked for an hour and I asked if they wanted to go drinking. One guy opened his drawer, got whiskey and said Let's drink now.

One of the managers wanted to go home but stopped by my department and saw us drinking. He asked if I told them everything, I said yes.
He walks away in a hurry, I'm thinking "am I in more trouble".

A few moments later he comes back with our acting president and asked me to come to a meeting room. They asked me if I could tell the rest of the staff, what is about to happen. I told them I'm not HR, president or director, however they told me they see it as doing back a favour regarding the metoo stuff, which was ridiculous, uncalled for and I found it total nonsense. Then they told me it was better that it came from a foreigner, I could soften the blow. I was also the longest there. I finally agreed.
At 17:00 I had send an email to all staff still in the office asking to meet me at the largest department floor, Operations. I told my department that they do not need to come.

It was not easy. I try to hold composure.
There were of course many questions and I tried to answer them all with the knowledge I had. Of course the rest of managers already fled.

One guy said to me thank you for ruining my Friday night. I told him that if management had done this a year ago we would not be here like this today. Of course I gotten thrown at my head, that I was management, and I replied that is correct and that is why I'm telling you this, however guess who is not here to confront you.

I went back to my department, three guys were still drinking, one left in anger. A few staff came by seeing that they were not happy but did not blame me or knew I was not behind the decision making. Which helped me a bit.

At around 19:00 we were out of Whiskey and started drinking Sake, a few staff members asked if we can go drinking. I told them angry drinking will not solve anything and pointed to my three drunken colleagues. Then I realised I need to get some food in these guys before the walk under a train.

I called my boss and asked if I could rent out on of our restaurants (yes we have our own restaurant, which is from 19:00 only available for high management). He did not understand, but I had asked him to trust me. He allowed it, I had the restaurant until 23:30.

I asked everybody who was still in the office if they wanted to join, to drink and eat, they can ask me anything, we can talk about the future about the past when can give each other advice or support each other. I called the restaurant and informed them that 35 employees are coming to drink and eat everything and that he should get rid off all management currently there. He had already heard from my boss and said that they will be gone within 20 minutes.

Well this has already been a long post. If you guys are interested I can tell you about Friday night in a different post or if you have questions I'm willing to answer them.
 
This is incredibly interesting - so this is related to office relocation or is this their way of getting rid of a lot of staff by relocating offices and having people quit?

How personal the work circumstances become in Japan is something I find very fascinating
 
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What the fuck... I just have to get that out for a reaction as I re-read this again.

As I’ve started doing business in Japan I’ve started learning about the very strange practices related to employment matters here

The sheer amount of odd things you do to terminate people is stunning and at the same time the amount of personal and emotional investment expected of one’s employees are absurd.

Perhaps this is the Western, the preference for a group of cool and collected, professional and semi-mercenary professionals vs. a work family? Shaming someone until they leave sounds a lot worse than paying 3-6 months salary.
 
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I work in a ultra-Japanese environment, but I've managed to carve a niche out of what I do and people leave me the fuck alone.
We don't have the kind of antics happening that @statrosa talks about here, but I've heard my fair share of stories from regional firms and smaller offices.

But man, bleach in the coffee. Christ.
 
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This is incredibly interesting - so this is related to office relocation or is this their way of getting rid of a lot of staff by relocating offices and having people quit?

How personal the work circumstances become in Japan is something I find very fascinating

No the whole thing with the bleaching was hopefully just a coincidence, regarding the relocation. The guy that tried to poison me (I found out Friday night) was actually the boyfriend of that girl. The whole event was a fucking coincidence, can you believe it! I found out that he was bragging to the operational team that he had the most beautiful virgin ever, when one girl said, are you sure, because she used to fuck the head of finance.

Edit: grammar errors
 
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I work in a ultra-Japanese environment, but I've managed to carve a niche out of what I do and people leave me the fuck alone.
We don't have the kind of antics happening that @statrosa talks about here, but I've heard my fair share of stories from regional firms and smaller offices.

But man, bleach in the coffee. Christ.

I know, I know. I became part of the furniture.
I'm pretty good at my job, really efficient. Just like you say, I they left me alone because I always delivered.

Till this guy happened. And I do not blame the girl, that was before he was in the picture.
 
He said I slept with his girlfriend... That girls does not work at our office any more, left about 4 years ago. 5 years ago, when she joined the company
Crazy story man. Was she his girlfriend back then? Or she’s just his girlfriend right now that you boned previously. Either way, bleached coffee is crazy.

My paranoia and lack of trust in people in general (and strength of chemicals much worse than bleach that we have at the workplace) is the reason I only drink the instant coffee I make myself when I make it. Lol.
 
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Till this guy happened. And I do not blame the girl, that was before he was in the picture.
Oops, posted my previous post before I saw this. Guess he’d be better off finding some untouched virgin then. Lol.
 
Crazy story man. Was she his girlfriend back then? Or she’s just his girlfriend right now that you boned previously. Either way, bleached coffee is crazy.

My paranoia and lack of trust in people in general (and strength of chemicals much worse than bleach that we have at the workplace) is the reason I only drink the instant coffee I make myself when I make it. Lol.

No after we were together and she left the company she married another guy and divorced with him within a year. I thought she had returned to Kyushu, but she did not and ended up with this guy.
Yeah, I really prefer to make my coffee myself.
 
I work in a ultra-Japanese environment, but I've managed to carve a niche out of what I do and people leave me the fuck alone.
We don't have the kind of antics happening that @statrosa talks about here, but I've heard my fair share of stories from regional firms and smaller offices.

But man, bleach in the coffee. Christ.

TAG Manager, no antics with girls at all?
Edit: And if no, no judgement at all, but for me it became a lifestyle, but I'm not addicted, I can say no. I did so that Friday night, I felt so responsible, I just wanted to make sure everybody was safe.
 
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TAG Manager, no antics with girls at all?
Edit: And if no, no judgement at all, but for me it became a lifestyle, but I'm not addicted, I can say no. I did so that Friday night, I felt so responsible, I just wanted to make sure everybody was safe.

In a Western context, any office romance whatsoever, is extremely frowned upon but obviously still happens a lot. If you take your career seriously don’t shit in the bed where you sleep.

Entire careers have been derailed because of even the semblance of it these days. That said, I know law firms often semi-encourage it, as dating and marrying a “civilian” can mean higher likelihood of divorce as people don’t understand the demands of the job.
 
TAG Manager, no antics with girls at all?
I won't say none at all, because I know stuff has happened between people. However, it doesn't really impact the workplace.
People can and do get transferred to other offices in Japan, but from what I can see, it's not because of anything other than requested move or temp assignments where we need more people.
 
In a Western context, any office romance whatsoever, is extremely frowned upon but obviously still happens a lot. If you take your career seriously don’t shit in the bed where you sleep.

Entire careers have been derailed because of even the semblance of it these days. That said, I know law firms often semi-encourage it, as dating and marrying a “civilian” can mean higher likelihood of divorce as people don’t understand the demands of the job.

Everything you say make sense, not gonna argue that.
 
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Everything you say make sense, not gonna argue that.

Honestly though, I imagine I am going to be involved in a major downsizing of a Japanese company at some point, so I find this all very interesting.

It’s not always the case but there’s a few zombie companies walking around where there’s too many unproductive staff and the house needs to get cleaned.. the tactics I’ve been proposed by consultants though are pretty distasteful.

And while I know it’s unrelated .. I am going to take all my coffee from Starbucks from now on just to be safe.
 
I won't say none at all, because I know stuff has happened between people. However, it doesn't really impact the workplace.
People can and do get transferred to other offices in Japan, but from what I can see, it's not because of anything other than requested move or temp assignments where we need more people.

Yeah, I know. What you just said I can write a book about. Not only man getting transferred because of the opposite sex, but man getting transferred because of man or men.
My SO asked me if I will work for a Japanese company again, hell yes, it is what I know and what I'm good at.
Look, I can still go along with the move, but every inch in my body is saying it is time to say goodbye (when I was typing this there was a pause and I was actually letting down a tear).
I'm not allowed to work for the competition so that makes finding new work a lot harder (in the same country). My parents are no longer alive, I should try to become a pornstar, joking!

My SO wants to move to Shanghai, I want to move to Amsterdam, we will see in the next 5 months.
 
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I'm not allowed to work for the competition so that makes finding new work a lot harder (in the same country).

Except that is not something they can enforce. In Japan everyone has the right to work to make a living and so they cannot prevent you from doing that.

Unless the ban is for x number of months during which they pay you for not working.
 
Except that is not something they can enforce. In Japan everyone has the right to work to make a living and so they cannot prevent you from doing that.

Unless the ban is for x number of months during which they pay you for not working.

No you are correct, if I wait 6 months, I can apple with the competition, but I do not know if I can wait so long.
 
First off, cool profile pic. 孤独のグルメ is a good show.

You could claim mental and health issues suffered from this and milk them for several months of garden leave. Or negotiate that they remove the non-compete note in place of a signed resignation + severance pay.

** If you go down this route, your team may get hung out to dry with no compensation. Is this the reason you posted? To get advice on how to protect you, or your team? Sorry, the original posting was a little long and windy....

Anyway, you may want to consider seeking legal counsel. It’s worth the (10k yen?) yen spent as you will pick up strategies and legal words to use against the company. Especially, if you documented the bleach-in-coffee thing. That’s probably more productive to getting to the goal than posting on here.
 
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Jesus! A Hell of a story!

You might want to consult a decent lawyer for a number of reasons.

First, the attempted poisoning... you probably want to understand the basics of filing a criminal compliant ( higai todoke ). Filing one successfully - getting the police to accept it - is actually quite a pain in the ass. They’ll only accept it in most cases if they’re certain it won’t get rejected by the Prosecutors office. Not all lawyers know how to do this either. On top of that, you don’t know whether this chlorine bleaching was the first attempt or not. Liquid phosgene is an “interesting” agent as unlike its gaseous cousin, the “drowning in air” ( liquid in lungs, pulmonary edema ) doesn’t occur immediately but after 2-3 days. Not everything is arsenic and lace ...or old polonium.

The next obviously is advice so that you don’t lose benefits by making a poor decision. Or, being coerced into making a poor decision. A common tactic is to confine the target in a room and harangue and intimidate them into signing an agreement that favors the firm. A more evil one for those stubborn resisters is to be met by two seemingly innocuous representatives who turn out to be bona fide medical doctors. Under the medical hygiene law, if two docs concur that the subject is mentally ill, he can be legally sectioned to a psychiatric hospital against his or her will. Law firm Mori Hamada et al used this tactic successfully on behalf of clients like Olympus.
 
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Holy shit. There is so much going on here...

First off, sorry for your troubles, and glad you didn't swallow the coffee.

Now.... the key things that affect you directly:

I was to be relocated to another office in another city.

The relocation order is, on its face, legal, if it is done for a valid company need. If it is being done for punitive or retaliatory purposes, it is harassment, and illegal.

I'm not allowed to work for the competition

Non-compete agreements are not legally enforceable in Japan unless they are of limited duration (as you say above, 6 months) AND they pay you a stipend for the period during which your employment prospects are diminished. Usually this stipend is expected to be equivalent to the amount you would otherwise have earned in the same industry.

You need a lawyer. Full stop.

You also need a full medical workup to see if you have any poisoning symptoms, as he may have tried this on more than one occasion.

In addition to the two points above your company has some liability in the attempted poisoning - which is why they're trying to convince you not to file a police report. IIRC, pressuring you to not file a report is prosecutable as obstruction of justice.

It's very important that you sign off on nothing until you've had the situation reviewed by a legal professional. Until then, record everything, or get it in writing. If they won't put it in writing, email them after a meeting to summarize your understanding, and give them an opportunity to correct you. And seriously - do not agree to or sign off on anything at all.
 
Holy shit. There is so much going on here...

First off, sorry for your troubles, and glad you didn't swallow the coffee.

Now.... the key things that affect you directly:



The relocation order is, on its face, legal, if it is done for a valid company need. If it is being done for punitive or retaliatory purposes, it is harassment, and illegal.



Non-compete agreements are not legally enforceable in Japan unless they are of limited duration (as you say above, 6 months) AND they pay you a stipend for the period during which your employment prospects are diminished. Usually this stipend is expected to be equivalent to the amount you would otherwise have earned in the same industry.

You need a lawyer. Full stop.

You also need a full medical workup to see if you have any poisoning symptoms, as he may have tried this on more than one occasion.

In addition to the two points above your company has some liability in the attempted poisoning - which is why they're trying to convince you not to file a police report. IIRC, pressuring you to not file a report is prosecutable as obstruction of justice.

It's very important that you sign off on nothing until you've had the situation reviewed by a legal professional. Until then, record everything, or get it in writing. If they won't put it in writing, email them after a meeting to summarize your understanding, and give them an opportunity to correct you. And seriously - do not agree to or sign off on anything at all.

Definitely a lawyer.

If the transfer is or was intended to be one step in moving you toward a “voluntary” resignation ( another tactic is to assign you to a new role that is completely demeaning or unsuited ), those without decent counsel often fall right into the trap ... they either comply ...and if they don’t, insubordination makes it easier by one more step. Those who understand the “game” might claim work induced stress disorder ( in your case , you might add possible poisoning or PTSD ), take legal medical leave with all the necessary and sympathetic documentation ( shindan shomeisho) from a physician.
 
Holy shit. There is so much going on here...

First off, sorry for your troubles, and glad you didn't swallow the coffee.

Now.... the key things that affect you directly:



The relocation order is, on its face, legal, if it is done for a valid company need. If it is being done for punitive or retaliatory purposes, it is harassment, and illegal.



Non-compete agreements are not legally enforceable in Japan unless they are of limited duration (as you say above, 6 months) AND they pay you a stipend for the period during which your employment prospects are diminished. Usually this stipend is expected to be equivalent to the amount you would otherwise have earned in the same industry.

You need a lawyer. Full stop.

You also need a full medical workup to see if you have any poisoning symptoms, as he may have tried this on more than one occasion.

In addition to the two points above your company has some liability in the attempted poisoning - which is why they're trying to convince you not to file a police report. IIRC, pressuring you to not file a report is prosecutable as obstruction of justice.

It's very important that you sign off on nothing until you've had the situation reviewed by a legal professional. Until then, record everything, or get it in writing. If they won't put it in writing, email them after a meeting to summarize your understanding, and give them an opportunity to correct you. And seriously - do not agree to or sign off on anything at all.

Thanks, I already decided to take a lawyer.A Russian friend of mine works for White & Case and he is well known with Japanese corporate law.
I also have a lifetime contract, so that should also be considered.
 
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Dude, the poisoner guy should be in jail right now. Please go to the police. Imagine if he does it to someone else?

Yeah I'm still think of going to the police. A few staff members wanted to beat him up, but I talked them out of it.