Tokyo and tech through the eyes of a split pea

Japanese Career Changes

Some of you have already heard the news, while others may have noticed an abnormally high frequency of entries recently. Technically as of last Friday evening, and officially as of this past Monday morning, my group’s research has been terminated and the group is being disbanded. Luckily I saw this coming almost six months in advance, so I have been spending the past week taking a few contingency plans out of the box and reviewing them. This is also when one of the few benefits of working for a Japanese company as a permanent employee kick in. Much has been written about employment culture in this country, but I’ll give a brief overview from my perspectives for those who are unfamiliar.

Although layoffs are not unheard of in Japan, they are still not the norm in a situation like this when looked through Western eyes. Non-Japanese companies usually hire an individual based on a job that needs to get done, hoping to find the best person for the position. Japanese companies, on the other hand, more regularly hire based on reputation, potential, and character. This may make sense for broad-spectrum jobs with frequent project turnover such as at consultancies, but keep in mind that Sony proper (i.e. excluding the entertainment and finance divisions) is first and foremost a manufacturing company. Japan still maintains a manufacturing-oriented mentality, particularly in areas where it makes little sense, such as in R&D and marketing.

The Japanese practice of recruiting almost exclusively in the Spring — the start of a new academic year — is also an issue. Although the American Fall is popular in seeing recruiters on college campuses, it’s like a religion here; some companies won’t even allow new hires to start work until it’s April. It’s not a strict rule for Sony, but as an example this year some 500 new employees joined Sony in April. When I had my orientation mid-September last year, I was one of 12.

Contrast these points with how Microsoft deals with hiring, and you get a taste of why foreigners can’t stand Japan’s sluggishness. These are just a few of the issues, I believe, that are factors in the decade-long economic weakness limping Japan along, and could perhaps be interpolated to include Japan’s insignificance in resolving world issues, let alone as a member of the international community.

But I digress. I hinted that there is a benefit within all of this, and it’s that we’ve essentially been given 3 months(!) to work with HR and find a new, shall we say, “employment community” within the company. Our group of 5 will spend the rest of September tieing up loose ends and writing final reports on work thus far. Then, for those who are interested in remaining with the current R&D lab, they have until the end of November to plan and propose a new project direction. Of course, the proposal will be scrutinized and if it doesn’t hold muster then that individual better have a backup plan! Thing is, ever since the power shifts initiated in April, there’s an increasing amount of restructuring movement, so there’s an inherent risk in staying with the current lab. Finding out this sort of information is obviously tough from low-levels such as where I am at, so a decision to stay or move out ends up based on sagacity and gut feeling. This of course means if a bit of due diligence isn’t done on other divisions where one might go, a perpetual cycle of job changes could ensue.

What’s interesting is the approach people take based on their position. From my manager’s perspective, it’s easier to sell yourself to a new division if you bring a core group of engineers. So he has been busy meeting with other areas that could use a group of audio guys (yes, unfortunately it’s a bunch of males). The challenge is that most places don’t have a budget for 4-5 employees to join at once (and my group is on the smaller side). We had a powow with the lab president earlier this week, and in addition to giving us our timeline he specifically suggested everyone pursue their job search individually, pointing out that “moving as a group” would be difficult in the current company climate. I for one have taken his invitation to heart and have considerably changed my desired focus. My manager has been quite helpful and is keeping an eye out for avenues that might coincide with what I am interested in doing next. Unfortunately he doesn’t seem to be taking the suggestion very seriously, and is attempting to guide the rest of the group.

Just to add, there has been no mention of anyone being “fired” or “laid off” from our lab. The “life long commitment” of employee to company and vice versa is still quite alive with the largest corporations, although the growing venture sector seems to be making sure this doesn’t continue. So what exactly does a company the size of Sony do when they need to downsize, you may ask? In short, make them miserable. Tell them their only job opportunity is out in the boonies. Make them want to leave. Then who’s “fault” is it? ‘Tis the Japanese way.

I’ll have more to share once prospects solidify. For now, here and here are links if you’re interested in reading more about the changes Japanese companies are having to deal with, and here and here are albeit dead giveaways in what I am interested in focusing on.