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Workplace harassment and overtime (self.japanlife)

MotokoKami が 投稿

Situation: Engineer for smaller (less than 50) foreign company. Giashikei. Just started here 1 year ago. Youngest and only foreigner in office. Fluent in Japanese, with no particular problems understanding business level Japanese. I make about 25万 per month.

Problems are that I have to use my own cellphone for work and often get called during break and after work hours. official end time is 17:30. Bill is paid by myself, but they are offering to pay now after 1 year. I sometimes get rude calls if I don't answer immediately. When I don't answer I am usually in a meeting or busy lifting things, checking products, etc.. They speak rude and loudly and criticize me for being inconsiderate. Recently one guy just cut off the call, after I didn't answer asap at 7PM in a bar on Friday evening.

They also try to make me work on the weekends. 'Work is not over on Friday', 'If you cant get everything done, you should do more overtime'. I also need to babysit visiting managers from overseas on the weekends so they make it safely back to the airport.

Now they also want me to get my Japanese driving license out of my own pocket, but on weekdays so I don't have to go to work.

In my contract/rules of employment weekends are holidays and overtime is only paid after 30h of overtime per month. Which I can practically never reach, because any time out of the office is not logged for this. I still report my time weekly to management though.

What should I do? Go home every day on time right now? Stop answering calls on my phone? Make them lay out rules on when I have to answer calls and when not?

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[–]tokyohoon関東・東京都 30 ポイント31 ポイント  (1子コメント)

Legally, if you are on call, you are on the clock, whether you're in the office or not. A friend's employer got hit - HARD - for that after a labour bureau investigation, and many staffers were paid rather a lot of back wages.

You have a shitty employer and, tbh, a fairly crap wage, so you've got nothing to lose - take this to the Hello Work office and see what they have to say. You might be able to hit them for a hefty chunk of change in back wages.

And seriously - if you have business level Japanese, you're worth more than what you're being paid. Talk to some headhunters.

[–]shonborishibori 3 ポイント4 ポイント  (0子コメント)

What this guy said about your Japanese. If you can speak Japanese you really have a lot of options - it's a seller's market for you. Check out wahl & case they are a good recruiting company.

[–]kochikame関東・東京都 13 ポイント14 ポイント  (0子コメント)

I'd put up with most of that shit if I was paid decent money for it.

For 25万? No fucking way.

[–]TCsnowdream九州・鹿児島県 27 ポイント28 ポイント  (4子コメント)

Have you considered being direct with them?

"Look, I don't sit around waiting for you calls. I am doing my job and doing work during work time. If I don't answer, suck it up and stop being so KY."

Then they'll naturally freak out and probably start crying, fall on the floor in the fetal position and wonder why "The Foreigner" was so mean... and why can't "The Foreigner" just understand I am helping him be "More Japanese"... why was "The Foreigner" so mean to me? I am gonna go tell all of my Japanese coworkers how mean "The Foreigner" was... yea, fuck "The Foreigner."

Look, your job doesn't respect you... leave... get a new one. You have a year under your belt, that's plenty of time on a resume to find a new job.

RUN.

[–]MotokoKami[S] 6 ポイント7 ポイント  (3子コメント)

Honestly that is exactly what they think they are doing. Helping me being more the "Japanese Way". Told to me directly by my direct boss. Recently I also got a booklet on how to behave during work. Stuff like work always come first, stand about 30cm away from the desk of your superior, how to strike out wrong words etc.

It's a shame, because I enjoy working with our overseas staff and the product is super interesting.

[–]TCsnowdream九州・鹿児島県 1 ポイント2 ポイント  (2子コメント)

You could refuse to play ball. How would that work?

You could say 'look, I'm sorry. I am a polite person and hard worker. I was not raised to 'be Japanese' and I, quite frankly, find the pedantic nature of this handbook to be rude. Maybe Japanese people raised from birth accept this without question. But I am a foreigner in a forgone company... so we're going to meet halfway. Capiche?"

And then you're fired.

[–]MotokoKami[S] 2 ポイント3 ポイント  (1子コメント)

I'm 正社員 so not so sure they could fire me that easily, no?

[–]TCsnowdream九州・鹿児島県 3 ポイント4 ポイント  (0子コメント)

They can not! And Japanese companies don't seem quite so interested in references. So... why not push back?

Not so rude, like I did, but set boundaries and demand they be respected.

And go hunt jobs... why not? If you're leaving, make your job a job you want to go to?

[–]raoxi 7 ポイント8 ポイント  (1子コメント)

Some people I work with tell me that if you know you wont make that 30hr quota of OT then just leave on time lol.

Tbh everything should be reimbursed, sounds like a black company to me. Rage quit and look for something better.

[–]donald_chump 9 ポイント10 ポイント  (0子コメント)

Nah, tell the fuckers off the next time. See how that goes. If fighting fire with fire doesn't get anywhere, THEN quit.
I've learned that older guys can be aggressive at first, but once you start raising your voice, then they back down real quick.
Also, 30hrs overtime before overtime pay is considered? Psh. Go home.

[–]caw___caw 6 ポイント7 ポイント  (0子コメント)

Man I wouldn't let them walk all over me like that. Gaijin smash them back and start looking for a better job.

I had a couple of work arguments with Japanese coworkers and if I started losing I just started speaking in English and they usually back off.

[–]Yuuyake 3 ポイント4 ポイント  (0子コメント)

What should I do? Go home every day on time right now? Stop answering calls on my phone? Make them lay out rules on when I have to answer calls and when not?

Find a better job. Seriously working as an engineer for 25man is ridiculous and is hurting not only you but everyone else looking for a new job/raise.

[–]sailingonward 2 ポイント3 ポイント  (0子コメント)

I used to wonder why the Japanese employees at my eikaiwa worked so hard. "What did they hope to achieve? This is just a shitty part-time job!"

After I started searching for engineering jobs, it hit me: they make as much money as an Engineer.

[–]radioactive1985 2 ポイント3 ポイント  (1子コメント)

Just few things to confirm before I can advise

1.Is it Gaishikei Company? 2.Whats your nationality? 3.Is it same situation with other employees.

This shit happens alot at smaller companies. It wouldnt have probably happened if you didnt speak Japanese. I have consistently seen that more Japanese you speak-they want you behave and think exactly like them and not just speaking language.Obviously,being a foreigner you will be very uncomfortable to meet such expectations and this irritates a Japanese(their logic is he can speak Japanese but why cant he think and behave like one of us without sub-consciously accepting you are gaijin)

[–]MotokoKami[S] 0 ポイント1 ポイント  (0子コメント)

  1. Yes
  2. German
  3. Yes, but I'm the only foreigner

[–]w2g 2 ポイント3 ポイント  (0子コメント)

What are you doing with your life man? Get a better job ! You owe nothing to that company.

This feeling of having to be so super grateful to your company is such a shitty thing. Yes, they give you money, but you give them work which guaranteed makes them more money than they give you!

Never work anywhere without mutual respect, it's toxic and you won't be happy over the long term.

[–]IparryU関東・東京都 1 ポイント2 ポイント  (0子コメント)

Just start looking for a job, give them your 2 weeks notice and don't look back. Tou can make more and be treated better elsewhere.

[–]shibuyaqueen 1 ポイント2 ポイント  (1子コメント)

Well. Don't seem a new thing for me. My close friend had no public holiday. She works in a medium Japanese company with no rule. How no rule mean here , let me elaborate. 1. No public holiday. Not at all. 2. No sick leave. Not at all. U sick, get pv to replace. 3. PV, ok, literally speaking she has it because she got to take around 5-7 business day during year end to return to her home country for xmas vacation. So you thought ohhh 5-7 business day for the entire year, so little! Wait, because she doesn't entitle public holiday so the company assumed she is taking 2 weeks day off (instead of 5-7 business day) which sort of like she is using off all her PV the entire year, so the entire year she is not longer entitle any PV.

Phone, she has to answer question over LINE account (company paid her analog phone bill , smart phone is belongs to my friend's) on and off despite weekend off. (Wait, it's not even weekend, sometime she has to work on weekend).

Tell me if this is legal? So in your situation, I personally think it's your right to choose to fight over your right (be your so call direct gaijin way, but appropriate and polite of course), reasoning with facts or; compromise if this is the only path you have.

I am working at gaishikei, I have my tough moment being a foreigner in JP too but at least I m earning my deserve perks , holiday, with no obligation ..

[–]w2g 0 ポイント1 ポイント  (0子コメント)

Legal I don't know, but very common.

My girlfriend's longest vacation is 5 days over New year's. No public holidays either. Sometimes gets an email in the evening telling her to come in at 6 the next morning. Usually 11-12hr days.

[–]mk572 0 ポイント1 ポイント  (0子コメント)

Play along while looking for something better. Japanese companies need to learn not to pull that shit on junior staff. I made 20man as an intern. Fuck that.

I also need to babysit visiting managers from overseas on the weekends so they make it safely back to the airport.

Have babysat maybe 20 overseas managers so far and they all made it back safely to the airport without me.

I don't mind working off-hours for that stuff if it's necessary, but you're wasting your time on this one.

[–]buangakun3 0 ポイント1 ポイント  (0子コメント)

They speak rude and loudly and criticize me for being inconsiderate. Recently one guy just cut off the call, after I didn't answer asap at 7PM in a bar on Friday evening.

I would honestly just bash in the door and demand what their problem are, there are assholes everywhere.

And listen to what /u/tokyohoon