Black – Connotation

How quickly you can get to information in other languages?

Before I leave for the first meeting with a company, I’ll check 2 things.

1. Financial statements if available
2. Google – just type the company name and see what Google suggests

You know what Google suggests? Usually a hot topic or trend about the company.

Good to input any informations for a small chat… sometimes this brings a big impact on the meeting.

At the first meeting where I was asked to provide clients with general key factors for Japanese management in Czechia.

As an introduction I gave a question to managers – 1 Japanese and 2 British.

“You guys know a lawsuit held against your mother company in Japan, not so before?”

“Whaaaaaaat ???” – 2 British. Japanese manager got confused why I’m doing this.

“Oh, you didn’t know. OK. It’s not my intention to deal this topic. What I wanted to demonstrate is that you find several different news or topics about your company in every language. So good to know Czech may have information which you in English or Japanese cannot find.”

“As a manager, just be relaxed and try to build your network with employees and external companies, typically such as recruitment agencies or consulting experts. How you quickly get to information in other languages is one of key factors for foreign management, I believe.”

Sometimes it’s good to display to Czech employees what you know about them or any kinds of topics in Czechia more than them!

The 1st suggestion by Google in Japanese about the respective company was … exactly a lawsuit.

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Black companies in Japan VS Black (Svarc) system in Czechia

A black car, a lady in a black dress or a man in the black suit don’t leave us a bad feeling. Black color, in specific circumstances, is considered as a formal style.

Another example. red is the color, in accounting, which describe being in debt or losing money. Black describes being solvent or accumulating money. Again, positive meaning.

But what about black companies? It’s described as a dark side of Japanese society.

This article gives you a quick view of black companies in Japan. Here, black means evil.

https://www.tsunagulocal.com/en/35973/

As an umbrella term, “black company” is used to denote companies which operate in a manner exploitative of their employees. However, specific reasons for labeling a company “black” can vary. Common symptoms include power harassment, sexual harassment, little to no overtime work pay, and little to no work/life balance.

An extract from the article

I just remembered about this term when I came to my memory that I worked in a black company in Japan. Just for a week on a part-time job. I knew that the company is black, but I wanted to try something for my own sake. A little funny story.

One new thing what I catch from the article was ….. an organisation gives awards of black companies, almost every year!

The latest article in Japanese is here. You can use automatic translation in Chrome.

(English sector is no update, information from 2012. So not useful.)

http://blackcorpaward.blogspot.com

Actually, I heard about black companies personally.

“Oh, my new employer is a black company! I can’t take a paid off. Overtime work? No pay as well!”

In other cases, if I just look through a list of best (which means worst) black companies, some factors are clear. Pushing employees working hard to death, giving them unachievable (sales) tasks, bossing etc. – I can easily imagine.

But in other case that Rakuten Japan was nominated as a black company due to their new strategy using English as an official company language. So English crushed mentality of Japanese employees.

The article in Japanese: https://biz-journal.jp/2021/01/post_199929.html

Some challenges or reorganisation always brings hard time, but “setting English as an official company language” may help Japanese toward to the global standard. At the same time, that’s true that the employer may provide enough support to employees.

Black (Svarc) system in Czechia means having more contractors (freelance). The company has 2 possibilities, concluding an employment agreement or a service contract. Employing 1 person means additional personnel costs.

The company saves 33,8% as social & health insurance premium and more if they choose not employ someone, but use him as a contractor. The contractor has no opportunity to exercise rights for employees, but usually his net income is higher than the net salary based on employment contract.

So, not always unfair for contractors. In the specific occasion is an unfair play when someone wants to work as an employee, but the company doesn’t deal the situation in a correct way.

Labor standards inspection offies were keen on this matter, but nowadays, there is less inspection than before during pandemic era.

So far, this preferring freelance to an employee is the official “black” matter in Czechia, but other incompliance is not just talked aloud.

Czech labor code can protect employees sufficiently, but black companies always and everywhere exist and we’ll never be disappointed if we are keen on our rights.

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Recruitment agencies & headhunters

You’re not satisfied with your job, colleagues, your employer, etc…. What’s the next step?

Looking for a new job!

I personally don’t have any good expediencies with recruitment agencies, from the view of both an employer or a candidate.

I always had better – well organised recruiting process when I got an offer from someone’s recommendation.

How are your experiences?

I’m sure more business chances in HR fields – career coaching, mental health care, recruiting more like matching via networking – accelerate in the future!

There is an interesting concept In Czechia, I never met the same case in Japan, outsourcing of a HR manager. A HR manager who is a contractor for defined period lead HR agenda for the whole company. It’s not a black (svarc) system, but the manager is a highly-skilled coach, mentor and a manager for reorganisation or restructuring the company.

There may be more chance in similar business of outsourcing highly-skilled employer for a short-term period. It could be an advantage for someone who doesn’t want to work through a year or who likes challenging (difficult) situation rather than rutin works.

– Revolution in working culture –

The pandemic didn’t bring chaos, but new chances together! Don’t you think so?

What is your plan or your strategy? Try to contact top employers here to ask for vacancies?

ps://www.top-employers.com/en/certified-top-employers-search/?country=CZ&page=1

WebWavelife with Namiko Sakamoto

Život na webu s vlnkou Namiko Sakamoto