A small toxic Japanese office
Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich
The office is located in full Munich centre (Karlsplatz), with good transport connections.
Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich
- Culture shock, in case you are coming from a modern Western corporation.
Expected robot behaviour.
Nobody talks to anybody, nobody eats with anybody.
No company events, like Christmas or summer party.
No company benefits, only the salary.
- Toxic atmosphere created by a Logistic lady, who works there for many years and spreads toxicity (insults, lies, hiding information, etc).
She convinced other people to leave in recent years. Will you be the next one?
- Easy to be fired. The company has less than 10 employees, therefore by German law you may be fired immediately, with no explanation.
- Understaffed office. The office is understaffed, compared to the complexity of products / projects.
Every single work minute is monitored.
- No team work or any periodical Progress meeting.
Everyone works on his own (and keeps the monopoly of his knowledge), and reports exclusively to MD.
- No English language in Japan HQ (!). Japanese language is therefore a must for the German office, independently of your position (80% of the mails are in Japanese).
- Difficult to schedule holidays. The daily pace of the company is completely decided by Japan HQ (which has 2 weeks holiday per year, with long daily working hours).
They are always in Japan office, therefore in Europe you will be expected to follow their schedule.
- Uncertain future. The company was acquired by the Japanese competitor Ryoyo (Japan) in October 2023, with a new Stock listing scheduled for April 2024.
Restructuring / cost cutting measures may arrive after this operation, also in overseas subsidiaries.
- Public control of your working time (as badge substitute): you must write daily mails (morning + afternoon) to all your colleagues, informing about your start / end of work.
Verbesserungsvorschläge
This depressive military Japanese culture cannot be changed: take it or leave it.
Arbeitsatmosphäre
Permanent tension and hostility.
The expatriate Managing Director (MD) expects a robot behaviour.
Extreme micromanagement, with control to the slightest detail.
Kommunikation
Exclusively work-related communications with colleagues (any ''unrelated'' personal discussion is not tolerated).
Better if you will not talk at all, except for phone calls or reporting.
No general corporate communications from Japanese Headquarter to employees, beyond the daily operative activities.
The Munich office has its own local mail network, separated from Ryosan Japan.
Kollegenzusammenhalt
Munich team is 100% Japanese, and divided in 2 casts: the Thinkers (MD + a Logistic lady), and the Doers (the blind executants, despisely called ''staff'').
For a Western standard, the time of this office stopped in year 1960.
Work-Life-Balance
Daily work time is 8.5 hours (includes 1 hour break).
Tight monitoring of the working time.
Vorgesetztenverhalten
Dictatorial, full micromanagement, expected blind obedience (Japanese style).
You will be treated as a reporting assistant, independently of your position.
Interessante Aufgaben
Overall interesting products and projects.
The company distributes electronic components in Europe (mainly Automotive microprocessors).
Some components are part of complex projects, requiring international project management skills.
Arbeitsbedingungen
Standard office conditions (desks, computers, printer, a meeting room).
Horror kitchen equipment: a completely rusted microwave (not joking), and a broken, dusted cofee machine (both are subject to a fine from sanitary authority, if discovered).
Gehalt/Sozialleistungen
A pure money relationship: exchange of your time and energy, against a salary, and nothing else.
Better if you will behave like a robot, because any human touch disturbs the profit machine.
Only work, please.
Image
The image of a modern international corporation (quoted in Tokyo Stock Exchange) is misleading: this small European office is only an operative extension of Japan HQ office, with full local MD discretional power.
Office 100% Japanese, as language and mentality, with no roots to Germany (most of the people do not speak German).
Karriere/Weiterbildung
Training on the job only.