@MichaelGrubey Most apartments in Japan are not like that (something I always lamented). After moving in to the current one we were "nominated" to be the secretary of our building, and ran in to everyone else on the floor at the yearly meeting. We all met up that night for dinner, and meet up regularly ever since
@RhysW My apartment has 25 rooms altogether (relatively small). The apartment has a monthly fee that is intended to cover electricity, water, cleaning, etc. all those nice things, as well as adding to a fund for planned maintenance (major refurbishment) in 35 years or so
@RhysW So there is a committee whose role it is to make sure the budget is enough, authorize any requested things the budget should be used on, and generally waste a morning every month listening to people whine.
@RhysW This was not something I enjoyed much. A guy who bought an apartment on the first floor was complaining that people could see his apartment from the next building, and insisted we build a 2 meter wall to protect his privacy at the cost of something like 15,000 GBP.
(the apartments on the lower floors are almost always cheaper for the reason that there is less privacy)
We got the residents to agree to let him put up the wall himself (since it is publicly owned space for the apartment) if he would: (a) pay for it, (b) pay for all maintenance of it, (c) pay for any claims resulting from it (if it blows off in a typhoon and maims someone, we won't foot the bill)
and (d) that those responsibilities were attached to his apartment, and that whoever buys it next also has those responsibilities.
@RhysW That is his issue. The kicker was that the guy was the head of the committee the first year (it is a new apartment) and volunteered to do a second term as head of the committee
Eventually he brought his wife to the meeting, she started crying, he said, "See how much stress this is putting on my wife?!" and eventually stepped down from the head of the committee to prevent any inklings of a conflict of interest.
but it was generally unpleasant, because we live with the guy, and most of us on the committee were first time owners and didn't have the first clue how to deal with this sort of situation in general
If the interest on a mortgage here wasn't under 1%, I probably wouldn't have bothered buying!
@MichaelGrubey I wasn't in charge when he actually went forward with the building, but in the meeting we said he cannot do it without putting it in writing.
@MichaelGrubey But Japan is much much much less litigious than other developed economies, and contracts are often regarded as guidelines rather than as things to refer to in times of need (you would be amazed)
@RhysW "Stable" is one way to put it, "Stagnant" starts with the same letters and also may apply. The current Prime Minister has shocked and awed the nation with his ambitious plans to implement a 2% inflation rate. 2%!
It would take longer than I have to explain the Japanese economy, but when a large portion of the wealth is help by an increasing army of elderly, inflation is a big deal since they are mostly on fixed incomes.
@jmac Sounds like there could be a lot of potential issues with that then. What is the legal system like though as I would have considered contracts to be binding in most countries.
Japan flirts with deflation a lot of the time, and consumption has plummeted in the country because it makes more sense to hold wealth than to spend it, since the value in the future increases.
@MichaelGrubey Contracts are binding, but the most important contract is the social one. When you enter business with a company, you sign an agreement sure, but if you are a stickler for the "contract as word of the law" to be tricky and violate the implied contract, you will lose business in a hurry.
@RhysW Basically, to grow an economy people need to spend money. Money in savings accounts are stagnant wealth which don't provide benefit to anyone (save bankers, I suppose, but savings accounts are generally regulated in a very strict way compared with other sources of funds)
@RhysW If you know your money will be worth 100%/105% of its current value next year, you have an added incentive to spend. Your money will have less buying power next year, so you may as well use it.
@RhysW The reverse is true under deflation. Since my dollar today will be worth $1.05 next year, even if there is no interest on my bank account my net worth will increase through saving. So people delay major purchases and generally stagnate the economy.
@MichaelGrubey Let me give an example (related to the Workplace no less!). My last company had me on a yearly contract. Every August the thing expired, but the Japanese calendar starts its fiscal year in April, and gives out bonuses in April and October (that's when they evaluate the balance sheet, etc.)
@MichaelGrubey So even though the contract expired in August, they weren't in a position to discuss pay until October, so I would usually get a renewed contract in November. I protested the first year, and the president of the company called me in and said, "Don't worry."
@MichaelGrubey It took them 2 years, and they eventually send out letters of intent saying that they would renew the contracts of employees on date X, and that in the interim they had a job and needed to be paid, etc. and would be given backdated pay for any increase decided later.
@RhysW I mean my contract would end in August, and I wouldn't get a new contract until November or so. When I got the new pay package in November, I would have 3 months of salary increase retroactively applied to my December paycheck.
So if I got an additional 100 GBP/month over my previous pay, they would tack on 300 GBP of salary. to december's paycheck. Only 3 months -- not 2 years. For two years they did this with no agreement (or letter of intent) from August to November. Eventually they gave the LOI for the interim.
@jmac The social concept is incredible. Are there any books you can recommend for some casual light reading regarding legal social concepts as I have a great interest in legal aspects of different countries?
@MichaelGrubey I'll ask around for one -- I learn by doing, not by reading when it comes to cultural stuff. A light intro to Japanese society in general (from a Western perspective) would be The Blue-Eyed Salaryman
(the last one I highly recommend avoiding if you ever plan on living in Japan -- even if you visit, that book will make you notice things that will make you enjoy the trip less -- it's like when someone points out an image in a logo that you can't unsee)]
I know exactly what you mean. Coming from Australia to England I can see a lot of what you would have gone through but in a lesser form due to them both being western countries. I couldnt imagine the change moving to Japan.
@MichaelGrubey looking slightly better, still need to finish off my CV but now im atleast set that i am definately leaving this one, before i was a little unsure
@jmac Bet you just love those....they are somewhat amusing to say the least ;). What you are refering to is called banter...amazing little insults that brighten ones day and strengthen friendships.
@MichaelGrubey Americans don't do well with banter in general -- it is very un-American, much to the chagrin of your average Brit
(just makes them do it more in fact!)
Though I do have to admit, the first time an Aussie called me a seppo, I was not so content. That is just mean-spirited and not used in a banter-esque manner.
@RhysW I think banter is great -- it just takes some getting used to. My British friend from Japan now lives in my old hometown, and he absolutely loves the US -- he just can't get used to the humor.
@jmac I have not heard that one in years. @RhysW just to let you know it goes back to cockney ryhming slang. seppo = septic tank which is slang for yank.
@MichaelGrubey I came over in 2003, so we were at the height of the anti-American "global police" fad sweeping across the world, and many Aussies felt the need to point out their moral superiority. Not all, just enough to make it unpleasant going to gatherings now and again.
@RhysW It's not all bad puns, I mean, you have Seinfeld which is more "humor in day to day happenings that are nothing out of the ordinary" or the like.
@RhysW But really, American humor is mostly inside jokes and just laughing over whatever is relevant at the moment. It is difficult for the Japanese and English to understand because they aren't used to talking about themselves, and so focus on the other person (banter)
@MichaelGrubey of course, its a Junior .NET position in London offering training in a lot of the things i want training in, they require that you have knowledge of only three skills beforehand, all of which i have, and the pay is almost triple what im making currently
not to mention its all 'greenfield' development rather than support, (yay) and they are a company that relies heavily on their IT (being that they are the largest online film rental / streaming company in the UK)
a quote from the job posting '..with relaxation pods and background music throughout the day...'
man, all the stuff online about personal statements is all for students, nothign out there for people writing CV's :(
@RhysW That sounds like a dream job at our age. The training would benifit you greatly. It sounds like they would be moulding you in a way if you get what I mean. Is it the red and white logo one? Relaxation pods....background music. Sounds unreal!
@MichaelGrubey the name of the company is omitted, but i assume its either netflix or lovefilm, being that they are the two big ones that spring to mind
and yeah it really does sound perfect, and thankfully, because they are offering to train they arent expecting over the top technical knowedge, instead basing it off if you would fit into a team, something ive never had an issue with
This is an excellent opportunity for a Junior Developer to working within a challenging supportive environment. Top performers can expect to receive their first promotion (and pay rise) within 6 months. Our client offers a unique working environment including a free onsite organic restaurant, relaxation pods, games room, background music while you work and flexible working hours.
@MichaelGrubey yeah they have a bit, either way, i dont much mind the company if the work is interesting
hopefully i will have news about my success/failure by the end of this week
Sounds good. Its not really the company but the working env that really sells it though aint it. You might just walk into a place for a meeting and decide straight out its not for you.
@MichaelGrubey that does make more sense actually! i assumed you just missed the letter y off the end. but yeah the work environment sounds great, if the people are just as good then fantastic
I wonder what sort of response i will get when i ask in the interview 'Can i meet the team' is that something people ask usually?
It is not considered to be inappropriate at all and in some interviews this has been part of the interview process. Here are some helpful hints during your interview staying both positive and on track.
If you could describe your corporate culture in three words, what
would you say?
This questi...
huh, turns out, even though i changed my mind and agreed with you, i never removed my downvote, now i can't!
The one thing i have noticed with all these personal statements online help sites is that they all focus on the statements part, never on the personal part, and i find that bit to be more important
@MichaelGrubey much appreciated, just got to coax someone else to check them too now, i dont like submitting more than a couple at a time in case people come on and go 'WTF, why are there 100 things to review?'
@BVR I don't want you to take this the wrong way but this isn't a site to come to to get tailored career advice for each individual problem that comes your way, please see the On-topic help page (http://workplace.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic) if you are unsure on what is ok to ask.
More specifically: "Questions looking for opinions on what to do but with no specific problem are suited for discussion boards (not a question/answer site)"
Your latest question seems to want opinionated answers on what your best course of action is for keeping your job but the points you want us to take int…
I am working for an Indian outsourcing organization. I have been placed at client interfacing role in USA. I have been joined 3 weeks before only. I am seeing the below risks
(1) Client is cutting down budgets and laying off employees. 3 of my colleagues were laid off last month. As per the v...
you can certainly ask it, whether or not there will be anyone around with the required experience to help is debatable but most of the time we will be willing to lend a hand
First of all, the fact you are at the stage where people have already been lain off says to me that its too late to try to make a good impression now. By the point layoffs happen the company has already made an informed decision, and barring a miricle it isnt likely to change.
On the other hand the best advice i can offer to you will be to not let it affect your work. It will be easy to get disheartened and stop trying but if you work hard continuously and show that you are providing worth to your company it is more likely that you will be kept around. Of course this is something you have …
Others may have a differing opinion but i strongly feel they will all follow a similar suggestion
hmm, well (and this is without going into indepth review) about 90% of the question is the things that are related only to you, whilst this does give us more information it means that the answer will be very specific and tailored to your specific issue, which reduces the pool of people the answers may help
Alternately you might find that its not a question you can make on topic, not everything has a place to be, and not every question can be stopped from being opinionated, for example 'how to put yourself last on the list' will never have 1 answer, it will differe from company to company, and without being the person in charge of layoffs i dont think its anything we can answer accurately
It is not considered to be inappropriate at all and in some interviews this has been part of the interview process. Here are some helpful hints during your interview staying both positive and on track.
If you could describe your corporate culture in three words, what
would you say?
This questi...
I am working for an Indian outsourcing organization. I have been placed at client interfacing role in USA. I have been joined 3 weeks before only. I am seeing the below risks
(1) Client is cutting down budgets and laying off employees. 3 of my colleagues were laid off last month. As per the v...
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