Quote:
Originally Posted by ThirdSight
I know there's the difference between being Japanese and working vs. working at a Japanese job, but isn't it the same in any country you go to? If a foreigner comes to America, an employer will treat them like every other American employee. Makes sense that the Japanese would think along the same lines.
Though I can agree with your point, work ethic can be a big culture shock to foreigners if they're not prepared for it.
Chest-thumping?
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I think American companies are more respectful to foreigners because there are laws against discrimination that are enforced. Plus, we are more accustomed to foreigners since our country is made up from foreigners.
You can't expect foreigners to know all your customs and if you wanted them to you should assign someone to teach them. Also, I am in the habit of listening to anyone who has more knowledge and experience no matter if they are a foreigner or not. The Japanese never listened to us because we were foreigners (this is not just my opinion but I was told this point blank by a Japanese co worker who understood these things). I was never called "sensei" by my students (no, I wasn't teaching English but a technical science) although when my first year students started assisting the new students they were addressed by this.
I guess it all comes down to respect. While a few Japanese there respected us, most (including our bosses) didn't. I later found out that Japanese companies are well know for getting what information they need from foreigners and then getting rid of you. They tried everything in the book to try to get us to quit our contracts, but when they figured out we wouldn't quit they ended up buying out our contracts (at a big profit to us) and sending us home. I am happy to say that after we left complaints went up, demand for the services went down and the program was shut down.
I don't hate Japan or Japanese, just the way the companies treat
all of their workers. Most Japanese workers feel the same way but they are stuck there. To understand my feelings you would need to work there.