With Dec 31st steadily approaching its end, I would like to reflect on my experiences during 2010, a year of undoubtedly major transitions from college to work for me that is bound to have major consequences for my future careers. But in the back of my mind, there always seem to be that thought of "am I really doing the right thing? Am I really moving in the right direction?" as listen to more and more complaints from my fellow coworkers, words of doubts from prospective employees, and most importantly, stories of major responsibilities and progress from my classmates back at Yale.
Well, first, lets see what we, the new employees here in Rakuten, have done for our first three months since entering on Oct. 1st. We have been subject to continuous lectures on the core values and ideologies of the company from Day One, our hopes of being identified as the leaders of English-nization at the company and working at our own favorite departments are mostly dashed for the time-being, and our extra values as non-Japanese workers are increasingly questioned as even necessary to any extent.
And to be honest, we the foreign new hires of Oct. 2010 really do not want anyone else to suffer through this. Yes, we do understand that the new grads do not have enough skills to always do what they want in the company and they do not have th right to be picky about their work, but the lack of skills does not mean that the management of the company can personally decide our future careers by simply putting us in corporate roles for which we are utterly unprepared to pursue as a long-term employment option.
And this sort of "humiliation" at lack of self-control over personal destiny is especially hard to live down for a Yale grad. Yes, I have said, and I stand by the comment that Yale is highly overrated in many aspects including academic, but as a college that represents the highest academic achievement across the world and one that has relentlessly brainwashed its students to think of themselves as future global leaders, to have its students snubbed in a foreign country but a company without much credit in the States would just be ridiculous if it were to be known in the States.
And it is certainly not helpful to think about this positively when so many options are presented to the average Yale grad. For money, they can go to consulting and investment banking; for experience, they can go teaching in foreign countries, work for NGOs, and head straight for prestigious grad schools abroad. Just as a Yae student who recently received an offer from Rakuten remarked, "I need to know that Rakuten is the best option for me available when I have so many other ones."
Indeed, given that the average Japanese company, including Rakuten, does not have a system of putting young employees in grad schools after few years of work, working in one can quickly cause the Yalie to become direction-less and doubtful of his initial decision. Sure, there always is the value of living in a new country, facing new challenges, and doing something that no one before has thought of doing, but when all of that is, really, in name only and do not convey REAL skills, you have to ask yourself when is the time to get off this "side track" for "life experiences."
And then, there are those who showed up as the ultimate profession of love for anything Japanese. They can quickly become disillusioned simply because, as I have experienced so many times before, the sheer gruesomeness of reality in Japan that only makes the cute, cuddly, and friendly facade of Japanese pop culture just so much more chilling and disturbing. The lost opportunities back home probably are not the biggest thing on their minds after they started working; instead, they need to reflect on their ENTIRE (Japan-centric) mentality and way of life up until now, a move that might just well kill their motivation to do anything else, in Japan or elsewhere.
People say they are willing to do anything if they are paid well. Of course, I, being convinced that excess wealth is a sign of danger, would definitely disagree. But, to quote the novel 狼圖騰 I wrote about a while ago, the "whatever" attitude that come with being dismayed of one's work environment will quickly turn a person from a "wolf" to a "sheep." Perhaps, this episode will just be one big disappointment as I, unfortunately, become just another old man discontented with my own life.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Why is there no labor union at Rakuten?
After finishing some company work in the morning, I finally got to sit down, read the news, and relax a bit on this fine Christmas day (well, like I said in the last post, before going off and getting drunk somewhere). But even as I am finally relaxing a bit, I know that some of my colleagues are still working hard at their desks, finishing certain documents for the Monday that seems so close from now. My immediate superior is certainly up to that, making some documents based my work for this morning and calling me a couple of times to clarify my wording in the little note I submitted.
And certainly, he is not the only one. Even for people who do not specifically have work like he does, there is never too much assurance that work will definitely arrive in the middle of a two-day weekend like any other (or not). A good example is the top of my department, who, even as he excitedly told about his weekend family trip, can only weakly muster an "I hope not" when asked if there is possibility of sudden work in the middle of that long-planned vacation.
Such is the life of a Japanese salary-man, working when he is not supposed to and forced to neglect his own family. An American colleague of mine here in Rakuten said it well, "the best way to piss off an American is to take away something s/he expected to have already received." When applied to holidays, the Japanese salary-man can only face the situation with dismay and force it down with a glass of beer or shot of warm sake. The individual is just to powerless to change the situation.
Or is he? Isn't there usually some kind of organization where employees can fight to retain their given benefits like work-free weekends? Isn't there an institution where the desires of the management to keep the employees at the wheel seven days a week kept in check? Can't the employees somehow collectively seek to maintain and even increase their benefits? Yes, it is called a "labor union," and funny enough, nothing like it exists in Rakuten.
Why doesn't it though? In my image, a union is as inseparable a part of a company as the management level, a force of legitimacy and justice that serves as the check-and-balance against the overwhelming decision-making powers of the managers, owners, and stockholders. And when the question was posed by another new grad during a training seminar, the answer was practically "just because" plus some incoherent BS.
Starting a union, to be honest, of course is not an easy thing. Several elements (none of which exists in abundance in this country, as you will see) are required for its ultimate success. (1) There needs to be one or a few leaders who are willing to put their necks on the line to become the ill-reputed initiator of open resistance to the management. In Japan, the neck on the line does not simply mean getting fired. It is possible the union leader here may forever be branded as an undesirable commodity, shunned by all other companies for fear of inciting popular revolt in their establishments.
(2) A large group (as a percentage of the total in the company) of employees who are willing to periodically come into open conflicts with their bosses for seemingly trivial concerns (for the bosses and the general audience outside the company). Considering that the Japanese are so indifferent to everything, those sacrifices made by the willing union members may be simply dismissed as trouble-making by everyone, leading to limited exposure and effects outside the company itself.
Now compare that to places like France, where it seems like strikes go up practically every other day. Strike leaders are never punished (legally or socio-economically) and the chances are that, they may be lauded as heroes pushing for socio-political changes when other segments of society joins in to make a small strike into a large social movement. Now, you just cannot imagine that happening in this conservative Japanese society.
And certainly, he is not the only one. Even for people who do not specifically have work like he does, there is never too much assurance that work will definitely arrive in the middle of a two-day weekend like any other (or not). A good example is the top of my department, who, even as he excitedly told about his weekend family trip, can only weakly muster an "I hope not" when asked if there is possibility of sudden work in the middle of that long-planned vacation.
Such is the life of a Japanese salary-man, working when he is not supposed to and forced to neglect his own family. An American colleague of mine here in Rakuten said it well, "the best way to piss off an American is to take away something s/he expected to have already received." When applied to holidays, the Japanese salary-man can only face the situation with dismay and force it down with a glass of beer or shot of warm sake. The individual is just to powerless to change the situation.
Or is he? Isn't there usually some kind of organization where employees can fight to retain their given benefits like work-free weekends? Isn't there an institution where the desires of the management to keep the employees at the wheel seven days a week kept in check? Can't the employees somehow collectively seek to maintain and even increase their benefits? Yes, it is called a "labor union," and funny enough, nothing like it exists in Rakuten.
Why doesn't it though? In my image, a union is as inseparable a part of a company as the management level, a force of legitimacy and justice that serves as the check-and-balance against the overwhelming decision-making powers of the managers, owners, and stockholders. And when the question was posed by another new grad during a training seminar, the answer was practically "just because" plus some incoherent BS.
Starting a union, to be honest, of course is not an easy thing. Several elements (none of which exists in abundance in this country, as you will see) are required for its ultimate success. (1) There needs to be one or a few leaders who are willing to put their necks on the line to become the ill-reputed initiator of open resistance to the management. In Japan, the neck on the line does not simply mean getting fired. It is possible the union leader here may forever be branded as an undesirable commodity, shunned by all other companies for fear of inciting popular revolt in their establishments.
(2) A large group (as a percentage of the total in the company) of employees who are willing to periodically come into open conflicts with their bosses for seemingly trivial concerns (for the bosses and the general audience outside the company). Considering that the Japanese are so indifferent to everything, those sacrifices made by the willing union members may be simply dismissed as trouble-making by everyone, leading to limited exposure and effects outside the company itself.
Now compare that to places like France, where it seems like strikes go up practically every other day. Strike leaders are never punished (legally or socio-economically) and the chances are that, they may be lauded as heroes pushing for socio-political changes when other segments of society joins in to make a small strike into a large social movement. Now, you just cannot imagine that happening in this conservative Japanese society.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
On Self-Censorship and Independent Identity
As both my blog content and readership expand in size, some negative feedbacks are bound to arise. To be fair, I have been a writer of controversy, and I fully admit this point (and am quite proud of it, despite the "unfriendliness" I sometimes receive). But as a paid full-time white-collar worker that I have now become, the trigger-happiness and the joy of lashing out at anything and anyone I feel like, inherited from my college days, may become a serious liability to my future directions in life, career, and plainly said, amount of cash I will receive.
Yes, I am talking about the many job-related posts I have been writing on this blog. All of them have been shared on Facebook, on which I already have many "friends" who are from Rakuten, not to mention some who happen to be in very high places and can easily derail my long-term plans in the company by putting in some light complaints. Right, an easily replaceable new graduate with a big mouth, certainly an uncontrollable commodity when some skills are obtained and a few ladders climbed.
But, what they should realize I do have a message for them beyond my constant ridicule of their obscenely inadequate English skills, not to mention their complete lack of understanding when it comes to cultures of English-speaking countries. It is a message that says, right now, I actually care enough about the company to honestly point out her problems. And more importantly, I actually want to stay have for a LONG time if they do make amends and work to resolve these issues.
"They," the top-tier leaders, should listen. Yes, the way they deal with new graduates does have problems; Yes, there are interesting business ideas they have not considered; Yes, sometimes they, as a collective, behave like the leaders of a certain unmentionable East Asian political entity. I am still able to express these opinions because I have yet to be brainwashed to simply follow commands and wait for promotions.
But of course, for some, that "robot-nization" will come just as surely as "English-nization." After the hopes and high expectations of placements are blown away for most people, the only way to escape the "sad" reality is to shut up and do what you are told, perfectly. Just make to "think for yourself" and "do it yourself" enough so that your honorable superiors and bosses do not get overly offended from answering all your stupid questions.
With or without these borderline (or outright, depending on how you see it) inappropriate commentaries, this blog is, and will always be, my personal diary, one that just happened to be published online for everyone to examine as closely or sparsely as they feel. Inscribing my personal thoughts is the whole reason for its existence, so there is absolutely o reason for me to compromise on that point as long as the blog continues its existence.
René Descartes said it well, "I think, therefore I am." A person without fully independent thoughts cannot be considered to have a fully independent individual identity. Without individual opinions, a mature adult can only be labelled sub-human. And as I taught my students in English, true writing, done as enjoyment and not purely as a task and a chore, need to display the logic and the character of the writer, pulling the reader straight into the writer's world, no matter how discomforting that situation is to the reader.
And discomforting is exactly what certain readers of this blog should feel. I am making an all-out assault on their established positions, and I am shooting signal flairs into the sky as I do so. Those entrenched in the established positions have to choices: (1) to fight back from their positions and become my enemies, or (2) sit down at the negotiation table to compromise on our respective positions.
And lastly, a comment for all those sitting on the top of corporate hierarchy. In business, rebellion based on logic is inherently equal to innovation. Just as uprisings led to political reforms, dissidence in a business organization represents forces of change. If the leaders of the status quo insist on suppressing rather than learning from the dissidence, perhaps (and I say this very reluctantly out of respect) that the company itself does not deserve us to be gracing her with our efforts and even presences.
Yes, I am talking about the many job-related posts I have been writing on this blog. All of them have been shared on Facebook, on which I already have many "friends" who are from Rakuten, not to mention some who happen to be in very high places and can easily derail my long-term plans in the company by putting in some light complaints. Right, an easily replaceable new graduate with a big mouth, certainly an uncontrollable commodity when some skills are obtained and a few ladders climbed.
But, what they should realize I do have a message for them beyond my constant ridicule of their obscenely inadequate English skills, not to mention their complete lack of understanding when it comes to cultures of English-speaking countries. It is a message that says, right now, I actually care enough about the company to honestly point out her problems. And more importantly, I actually want to stay have for a LONG time if they do make amends and work to resolve these issues.
"They," the top-tier leaders, should listen. Yes, the way they deal with new graduates does have problems; Yes, there are interesting business ideas they have not considered; Yes, sometimes they, as a collective, behave like the leaders of a certain unmentionable East Asian political entity. I am still able to express these opinions because I have yet to be brainwashed to simply follow commands and wait for promotions.
But of course, for some, that "robot-nization" will come just as surely as "English-nization." After the hopes and high expectations of placements are blown away for most people, the only way to escape the "sad" reality is to shut up and do what you are told, perfectly. Just make to "think for yourself" and "do it yourself" enough so that your honorable superiors and bosses do not get overly offended from answering all your stupid questions.
With or without these borderline (or outright, depending on how you see it) inappropriate commentaries, this blog is, and will always be, my personal diary, one that just happened to be published online for everyone to examine as closely or sparsely as they feel. Inscribing my personal thoughts is the whole reason for its existence, so there is absolutely o reason for me to compromise on that point as long as the blog continues its existence.
René Descartes said it well, "I think, therefore I am." A person without fully independent thoughts cannot be considered to have a fully independent individual identity. Without individual opinions, a mature adult can only be labelled sub-human. And as I taught my students in English, true writing, done as enjoyment and not purely as a task and a chore, need to display the logic and the character of the writer, pulling the reader straight into the writer's world, no matter how discomforting that situation is to the reader.
And discomforting is exactly what certain readers of this blog should feel. I am making an all-out assault on their established positions, and I am shooting signal flairs into the sky as I do so. Those entrenched in the established positions have to choices: (1) to fight back from their positions and become my enemies, or (2) sit down at the negotiation table to compromise on our respective positions.
And lastly, a comment for all those sitting on the top of corporate hierarchy. In business, rebellion based on logic is inherently equal to innovation. Just as uprisings led to political reforms, dissidence in a business organization represents forces of change. If the leaders of the status quo insist on suppressing rather than learning from the dissidence, perhaps (and I say this very reluctantly out of respect) that the company itself does not deserve us to be gracing her with our efforts and even presences.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Actual Job Assignment and Globalization at Rakuten Revisited
So last week, I finally get my job assignment at Rakuten after two months of "training" that involved brainwashing us with Rakuten ideology. After weeks of anticipation and should I say, annoyance and anxiety, we the new guys were finally given our assigned places at a rather formal-looking ceremony on Tuesday morning. On the surface, everything appeared calm, but below the tranquility some jumped for joy while others quietly shed tears in their hearts.
All the poetic stuff aside, I have to say that most of the assignments are, really honestly, quite puzzling in many aspects. Yes, I did mention how the company have absolutely no idea where to place us, but the randomness of the end result goes much beyond just "let's put this guy there and see what happens." Not to mention the language ability and communication problems, the type of work and the field of studies for each individual just see little connection if any.
But all in all, it somehow feels that the whole "global perspective" and "language abilities" for which us the non-Japanese new graduates are hired have all the sudden became non-commodities not worth considerations. Similarly, our job experiences and majors in college are thrown aside completely. A sales professional goes to creative web design, a politics major goes to accounting, a study abroad grad student becomes just another tool in the Japanese call center...the list goes on and on...
So there goes my entire logic on how the company may end up placing us. I mean, if the "potential" of a young new employee simply means "you tried hard at what you do for the last 20-some years of your life," then what is the point for us to even study anything related to a profession that we desire? We can all just go for easy humanities majors and show them "we tried EVEN HARDER" by getting straight A's...
Oh yeah, forgot to mention that for some unknown reason, I ended up in the CEO Office, the direct subordinate of the Big Boss. But underneath an unsaid shower of awe, congrats, and most importantly, jealousy, it is a me that is completely scared of what it means to be not just a random tool downstairs, but a direct tool of the Boss being evaluated constantly for even the slightest carelessness.
Listen to this "mission statement" of the CEO Office: "our mission is to make the work environment of the CEO completely perfect so that there is no way he can make any mistakes in decision-making." This simple statement suggests two things: (1) The CEO is incapable of faulting as long as he has a "perfect work environment" and (2) if he indeed makes a mistake, it is completely the CEO Office's fault.
And as if that is not bad enough already, here is the answer I got for questioning whether the CEO Office has any advisory role for the Boss: "we should only advise him when he specifically asks us to do so." Wow, talk when you are told to talk, and shut up otherwise. Well, there goes my hopes of making direct suggestions and proposals to the Boss because I happen to be, eh, physically close to him in the office.
So, unfortunately, I always thought globalization meant a "flatter" company structure, where those with global experiences may able themselves to have an independent voice. Instead, the so-called "globalization" at least in Rakuten headquarters is just a creation of an English-speaking North Korea. Hmmm, wonder if it is just me who is trying to import "polite and humble phrases" of the Japanese language into English....
All the poetic stuff aside, I have to say that most of the assignments are, really honestly, quite puzzling in many aspects. Yes, I did mention how the company have absolutely no idea where to place us, but the randomness of the end result goes much beyond just "let's put this guy there and see what happens." Not to mention the language ability and communication problems, the type of work and the field of studies for each individual just see little connection if any.
But all in all, it somehow feels that the whole "global perspective" and "language abilities" for which us the non-Japanese new graduates are hired have all the sudden became non-commodities not worth considerations. Similarly, our job experiences and majors in college are thrown aside completely. A sales professional goes to creative web design, a politics major goes to accounting, a study abroad grad student becomes just another tool in the Japanese call center...the list goes on and on...
So there goes my entire logic on how the company may end up placing us. I mean, if the "potential" of a young new employee simply means "you tried hard at what you do for the last 20-some years of your life," then what is the point for us to even study anything related to a profession that we desire? We can all just go for easy humanities majors and show them "we tried EVEN HARDER" by getting straight A's...
Oh yeah, forgot to mention that for some unknown reason, I ended up in the CEO Office, the direct subordinate of the Big Boss. But underneath an unsaid shower of awe, congrats, and most importantly, jealousy, it is a me that is completely scared of what it means to be not just a random tool downstairs, but a direct tool of the Boss being evaluated constantly for even the slightest carelessness.
Listen to this "mission statement" of the CEO Office: "our mission is to make the work environment of the CEO completely perfect so that there is no way he can make any mistakes in decision-making." This simple statement suggests two things: (1) The CEO is incapable of faulting as long as he has a "perfect work environment" and (2) if he indeed makes a mistake, it is completely the CEO Office's fault.
And as if that is not bad enough already, here is the answer I got for questioning whether the CEO Office has any advisory role for the Boss: "we should only advise him when he specifically asks us to do so." Wow, talk when you are told to talk, and shut up otherwise. Well, there goes my hopes of making direct suggestions and proposals to the Boss because I happen to be, eh, physically close to him in the office.
So, unfortunately, I always thought globalization meant a "flatter" company structure, where those with global experiences may able themselves to have an independent voice. Instead, the so-called "globalization" at least in Rakuten headquarters is just a creation of an English-speaking North Korea. Hmmm, wonder if it is just me who is trying to import "polite and humble phrases" of the Japanese language into English....
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