Didnt see todays post thread so thought of posting it.
I got an offer letter which have less pay than current but 4 times bonus a year + potential raise in near future. Other foreigners are also there so there wont be any language issue or anything. But cons are
-No transportation fee. (They state they will add some potion on pay)
-No HR in company, so i have to do tax adjustment and all everything
-Must pay pension, insurance all by myself.
-about 20,000 less salary than now. But potential to get raise looking at performance and result.
-No overtime(pros)
Current job
-no bonus or raise in last 5 years.
-many new staff they join and leave next month due to rude behavior of owner.
-Last week, owner asked everyone to attend company meeting next week but except me :/
-as wfh they expect me to be available any day of week or time. Overtime is like regular.
-one of the employee hints that many other staff is planning to leave the company and told me to look for alternatives if any thing happens…
I am in dilemma if I leave current company and join new one but 20,000 less than current one.
Also we are expecting baby on september , so kinda anxious and stress.
13 comments
About the baby : the company may refuse your paternity leave if you are working less than a year. If the new job has less overtime, then it’s a win. Your wife (I assume you are a man, correct me if I’m wrong) will need all the help you can provide.
About the bonuses and salaries : how high are the bonuses ? I’d be shocked if 4 bonuses doesn’t make up for 240,000 yen loss on salary.
No HR/tax by yourselves etc… That seems shocking to me, but I may just be uninformed.
There’s a lot to unpack here.
Companies are legally obligated to pay commutation allowance (up to a certain limit). Companies are also legally obligated to enroll you in social insurance and pay 50% of it while you pay the other 50% if your employment is over a certain weekly limit (28 hours IIRC).
It’s also normal for them to help you with your annual tax adjustment and provide an annual health check.
What kind of company is this that doesn’t know the above and doesn’t have an HR person?
I am not sure, but there is some rule about being eligible to the lump sum of 500,000 yen at birth:
I think it says you must have been enrolled in the current insurance for at least 6 months, or it must be within 6 months since you left your last insurer.
I am really not sure, but you might want to confirm it.
(Edit: that is, of course, if your wife is your dependent)
Take care about the bonus… It’s not uncommon for unscrupulous companies to claim you get a nice bonus depending on performance, but in reality at bonus time they say performance did not reach expectations and only pay out 10% or something similarly low of the stated bonus amount. If you can check with someone working there it may be worthwhile to see if they pull this trick.
A bonus in Japan can simply mean a withholding of monthly wage, which is then paid in bulk in June and December. If you were given an annual figure for your wage, then the 4 times bonus is highly likely to be included in that. You need to clarify.
> 4 times bonus a year
Pop quiz:
Q; What kind of startup promises 4 bonuses a year and salary increases, yet can’t pay for employees commute, doesn’t have HR or finance/accounting able to handle mandatory government contributions?
A: A startup that probably won’t be around in a year.
Back in black
Current and new job seems Black kigyou.
You should find a white company.
You didn’t mention the difference in commuting time or WFH policies, but I would stay in the same company. The new one sounds like an iffy startup.
Also, you need to add an extra newline between lines to make those bullet points look decent, it’s hard to read all in the same line.
Why not just work both jobs. Money seems to be a big deciding factor for you.
Are you sure they’re offering an employment and not a position as an independent contractor?
Companies are free to cut down bonuses and most of them have a clause about whether to pay you if you quit close to the bonus payment.
Huge red flags.
Base pay is THE most important part of the salary, it is used to calculate your overtime pay, benefits, severance pay, etc.
I have been in 3 companies over 10 years both Japanese and gaishi, and I can tell you that NOT once have they paid the “base” bonus amount, it is usually less than 50%. Not because you perform poorly but the companies always make up a reason to reduce bonus pool. For the past 3 years it was covid, then even with record revenue and profit this year, bonus is again reduced by at least 75% because “expected downturn in economy” for the next fiscal year. Also companies determine bonuses vs. planned performance. For example even if you have 20%+ growth in revenue and profits YoY, but if the “plan” was 50%, then everyone likely will be sharing a sub-50% bonus pool. I am glad I focused on base pay for my position this time since I’m expecting the bonus pool to be less than 25% this year.
Sounds like you may be better off staying with this company until your child is born? Then take a nice long childcare leave of several months, take care of your newborn and after a few months start looking for a new job with better benefits than this start-up one.