Apparently more and more Japanese companies are seeing an impact on their recruitment and sales if they end up being tagged as a “black company” on Japanese online bulletin boards like 2 Channel by employees, interviewees and even visiting suppliers.
The Nikkei Business magazine lists up some examples of how around 90 companies are considered “black”, of which 60% are listed companies:
- A world famous manufacturer: “Extreme working of over 100 hours of overtime a month. Many suicides. Tough stance in court”
- High growth current ‘darling’: “low pay, extreme work hours, physical labour. If you’re not connected to the ‘in group’, no chance of promotion”
- Popular graduate recruiter: “Popular because it’s the biggest in its sector. It looks OK at first glance, but the work load is very high”
- Stable, high market share, older company “Is connected to a particular Buddhist sect. So difficult to be promoted just on merit. Bullying of younger staff”
- A company with a charismatic leader: “Like a cult, or the army. Really noticeable to outsiders that it has inexplicable,odd ways of behaving”
The top ten tips for not being seen as “black” are:
- Ensure holidays are taken
- No unpaid overtime
- No “ordering people about” aggressively
- Appropriate workplace “norms”
- Ensure breaks are taken
- Appropriate pay levels
- No workplace bullying
- Modernize appraisal system
- No sexual harassment or power harassment
- A career plan for the mid-long term rather than using people up and spitting them out
Requests from employees include:
Please stop:
- Coercive language
- Forcing me to drinking parties, lunches
- Not respecting “distance”
- Ignoring my existence
Please do:
- Greet in the mornings
- Say something to me at least once a day
- Ask me what I am worried about
- Tell me what you’re worried about
- Use soft language
Of course the employers have their own complaints about new recruits – it seems the habit of getting your mother to tell the office you are taking the day off or don’t want to do a particular task like photocopying has not gone away…
The most “unblack” companies, which the Nikkei judges to be those with low turnover of new recruits, include Kirin Beer, YKK, Sumitomo Heavy and Hitachi Zosen.
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