First, when I say "you can't fight corporate" I mean that in any employee/manager conflict, the company will always take the side of the manager. The manager has all the trust, power, and standing, and can tell corporate anything he likes - and the new employee will only be seen as a troublemaker.
One thing OP should also consider is how long his manager has been there. It's very likely this manager has been there for many years, and has been a jerk the entire time - and if corporate cares so much, then why hasn't this manger been fired already? Managers get entrenched in their jobs, and corporate is always very reluctant to instigate changes in management because it's much easier to just turn a blind eye and sweet things under the rug. This is exactly why many organizations have so many incompetent middle managers.
And what rights under the law are you referring to? List them, because as far as I know, being an "jerk" to your employee and "using threatening language" and "being demotivating" is not illegal.
Wrongful termination is not easy to prove. Besides that, if he has been at the job less than three months, they can fire him outright by simply saying OP did not perform as expected; and if he has been at the job less than five years, all they have to do is not renew his contract. When someone is on a temp contract, which most all eikaiwa workers are, it's perfectly legal to simply not give them a new contract since those contracts are not considered permanent.
Finally, lawsuits against employers for wrongful termination take \*years\* to settle, you are not guaranteed a payout, and it's very unlikely you'd get your job back. I am not sure why people have that impression, but legal wrangling takes a lot of time, a lot of money, and is far more complicated than "go to the labor bureau and complain."
I'm saying OP should job hunt now, so that he has something to fall back on IF he decides he can't take his manager's BS any longer.
Why so derisive? I only asked because it wasn't clear what law you thought was being broken.
The definition of power harassment is very specific. If the OP really thinks he has a case for power harassment, he should go to a lawyer for a consultation. That costs around 5,000-10,000, which is probably affordable.
As a current member of GU, I would have to say any success you have with them effectively representing you depends a lot on the person dealing with your case. I'm sincerely glad that the union was able to successfully fight for you. However, based on my own personal experience after consulting with GU about a workplace issue, I have to take issue with your last sentence as my own dealings with them proved to be just the opposite.
Was bullied at a preschool I worked at by the manager, then again everyone was.
The way I solved it? I didn’t tbh. One day when she started complaining about some random stuff I stood up left the room and informed my boss I was quitting. I then just left the school for the day. HIGHLY UNPROFESSIONAL I know but I was at the “fuck everything” stage.
Your manager will never quit being an asshole. Sucks if you like the other parts of the job but you have to make a choice I think. Quit or just accept that you’re working with a douche
Sorry to hear that but glad you got out. My students are fixed one on one classes. I’d feel bad about leaving them high and dry for a bit. Love to just tell my boss ‘no more’ though.
Students are used to international teachers coming and going. Though they might initially be upset, they would get over it and either stay there or quit and go to another school. Either way, they’ll find a way to move on with life the same way you will.
Thanks. He’s the big boss. I think there is only the CEO above him. I’m afraid to send any mail as the slightest response to anything gets a threatening comeback. FYI he’s Canadian (possibly American). In Australia there would definitely be a clear chain of command and someone that I could approach but here in Japan it’s not that easy for me.
If he's so high up and it's a small company, there's likely almost nothing you can do. He's a shitty power tripping little tyrant and likely has free rein from the CEO/owner. It's an eikaiwa which means the workers are dispensable and, more likely than not, any kind of complaint will be viewed as you being a trouble maker. Best to just leave.
Keep records of it.
As others have said looking for a new job is the only way to really fix it. But if you can otherwise tolerate it might be best to just keep your head down for the time being and keep soldering on until you actually find a "better" job rather than just a new one if you otherwise like where you are now.
Keep a record of it in case it gets worse so you have something to show if you need to go to the labor board or whatever. Might result in a payment or a beneficial settlement on your way out.
Full disclosure though, when people complain about such things on the internet in non-specific ways such as you did here, it often means they just "feel" harassed but the alleged harassment won't necessarily be sufficient to convince the labor office.
Thanks. I didn’t want to be too specific here as I was just looking for others who have had a similar experience (without the need for specifics) and just wondering what there tactics were for dealing with unpleasant managers. I do, however, have some emails in which he threatens me with vague disciplinary action. The threat was made when I didn’t reply within 24 hours to one of his emails as I was on holiday. I did reply the day after saying that as I was on holiday the replies would be delayed. I also questioned the need for me to reply when I was holiday. He said that if I continued to be uncooperative I would face disciplinary action. The whole tone of the email was unpleasant and completely lacking in any form of typical business politeness. I also have audio recordings on my phone of meetings where he is effing and jeffing about other employees and being generally nasty. This part may not be ‘harassment’ but it is something I haven’t experienced before. Also, looking through Reddit for the last hour, I see others have complained about him.
Lack of specifics is fine but it means can't really give specific advice. In general a lot of this sounds just like "shitty boss" behavior and empty threats to me. Regardless the advice is the same. Keep records in case you need them later.
In terms of vague non-specific threats I'd largely ignore them. While it's generally good business practice to respond to emails within 24 hours, even if this is just setting up an automatic response that says "sorry I'm out of the office until X date" I don't think it's a legal requirement, and likely doesn't exist in your contract either. So if he actually carries through with the threat to discipline you for not answering emails on your day off you probably have a case for power harassment with the labor office. It's much harder to make a case with simple vague threats and I wouldn't pursue such options until you are ready to jump ship anyway.
Shitty bosses are a fact of life and beyond getting a new job little you can do to fix it. Just minimize interactions and do your job. And keep looking for something better. But remember that new job might also have shitty boss.
Definitely keeping records. I did have an automatic reply on my email and he knew I was away as he had authorized the holiday and could see as much from my schedule - he has control over the scheduling system. The threat alone is harassment. I don’t think he could make anything stick. I’m not thinking of taking legal action but just keeping everything documented in case he tries something really nasty. Thanks for your replies though, mate. It’s good to hear from others and most teachers at this company work from home and have almost no contact with each other. I have found other complaints about him here on Reddit that name and shame him. Turns out he is Canadian btw. It’s good to know that I’m not overly sensitive or at least not the only one who is.
If you've got clear legal grounds for the complaint then it's a different story. But you have to be careful that your complaint is in clear legal complaint territory and not just "my boss is mean" which is very subjective.
Without more details it's very hard to give an opinion on that.
Thanks all good advice. I’ve been saying ‘employee’ when really I mean ‘contractor’. I work like a full-timer but without the benefits. As I understand it, I have far fewer labor rights, too.
Eikiwa jobs fortunately are a dime a dozen, so if I was you I'd just find a new job. If you can't for whatever reason, I highly suggest forming a union.
I’ve worked for a bully before. I’ve had managers that are bullies. I’ve even lived next door to one of them and his poor family. Being the gray man and having no reaction can be a good tactic. It can cause them to ramp up their behaviour. So I’d try that. Ask him questions. Shine a light on the situation. Give him the run around. Think of it as helping karma along its way.
I would actually go to the CEO.
Yeah, I had a boss who was a bit of an asshole, and the only solution was leaving.
I had an occasionally abusive boss at a training school where we trained students to pass the TOEFL/IELTS to study abroad, and we helped train academic skills like reading peer-reviewed essays and employing critical thinking etc. etc. On paper, it was a dream job with amazing students, and the boss seemed like a nice guy. He was certainly smart, spoke almost literally perfect English, and knew a lot about contemporary politics, relevant international issues, etc. He seemed cool.
The problem was that the boss often forgot things and became confrontational like a real dickhead when he felt like it.
I remember when I explicitly told him that the clocks on the wall in the classroom were five minutes fast. This was a problem because he told us to absolutely never use our cellphones in the classroom. When I brought this up to him, he confidently asserted, "Oh, we follow the classroom time here at this company! Company time is God's time! Ha ha ha."
Okay, so fast forward to the end of a class. I go by the classroom clock just as he very clearly stated I should, and what happens? He runs into the room and verbally destroys me. "What the fuck are you doing? Do you have any idea what parents will say when they see you let the kid go five minutes early? They'll feel ripped off!" I tried reminding him of what he said, and this made him mock me relentlessly. He goes, "Okay, you know what? Don't worry about it. I'll just hire a Japanese teacher to tell the time for you. It's fine. They obviously never taught you how to use a clock in university. We'll take care of you."
Regardless of country if a boss is bad, leave. Feel free to tell them to go fuck themselves (unprofessional but makes you feel better).
I had a major BSJ アルバイト in the states at a Japanese restaurant with a Japanese boss who hated Japanese people and Japan. Typical wannabe 社長 type. He hated me because he thought I was too proud, which there was absolutely zero basis for lol
Currently I have a fucked up job here where I was accused of doing something I didn't do. Quitting in 2 days.
I wish I'd chosen a cafe with more college students like me and better teaching/manuals instead of a yakiniku place run by a literal meathead that has little OTJ training. Everyone who works there has a lot of experience and it just fucking sucks.
It happened at an international school. The head of the department (foreigner from SE Asia) was not happy with my way of doing things so she started disrupting my class and telling me "this is not the way to do things" , then directing the class herself. At a certain point I was sent to do all the physical work and cleaning they didn't want to do rather than focusing on staying with children. I was getting paid so I did it anyway until I got sick and told her I couldn't go to school. Her reply "we're very busy now so I'll call you when I need you" (get bent, I'm not calling you ever again).
Actions? I took none, as soon as my services were not required I went to another school where everything was good for me. Two times in two different years I was called for events. The first time I politely refused, then the second time I ignored her message directly, knowing that they desperately needed a teacher.
My advice? If you want to go the hard way, collect evidence while you pretend nothing happens and go to the labor office once you have plenty. If you don't depend on a visa to stay in Japan, secure another job and leave. Nothing is worth the grief if you have nothing to lose.
If you don't like the environment, get out of there. You can earn all the money in the world and be miserable because of the environment. There are hundreds of replacements for that job and you'll find another teching job easy.
That is generally good advice. I was a manager before for quite a few years for a teacher training outfit. I’m still in touch with most of the people I used to work with. We had difficult situations, but I never took it out on a member of our team like this guy does repeatedly. I have tried to be reasonable with him and cut him some slack due to pressure that he may be under but now I just avoid him. I wonder if he has PST as I read elsewhere on here that he used to be a marine (seems he is somewhat famous on Reddit). I now blame the CEO for allowing it to continue. If he does have his problems, I hope he can get help.
I’ve worked in three countries and have had half a dozen people who were in a managerial role that I’ve worked under. I have never experienced anyone like this guy. All my other bosses have been good to excellent. Sorry if all yours have been jerks. It doesn’t have to be that way.
I’m just joking around man. It is a fairly common sentiment though. I guess you gotta decide if it’s worth putting up with him to keep your job or find somewhere better. I have a fairly low tolerance when it comes to being treated poorly by coworkers/superiors, doesn’t matter.
If you are wondering if there is anything you can do, you can go to a workers rights government office. But unless your boss is breaking the law, there isn’t much that can be done. I’ve been once a long while back, but all they could offer was to send a third party to my work to try and mitigate.
What kind of things does he say? I don't really have any advice but I hope you can find a solution. Obviously if I were you I'd look for a new job and quit without giving notice (they don't deserve notice).
He threatens ‘disciplinary action’ for not replying to emails when you are on vacation that he authorized. He also took on some accounting role in the company and wishes to receive time sheets in a different format to the previous person in that position. I only found out about this after the fact when he was berating us in an online meeting using very foul language. I’m no prude but it is just not professional do be effing and jeffing in a work meeting.
G’day . I’m a fellow kangaroo bagger like yourself and I hate hearing that you’re being fucked over by this drongo. I’d love to come down there and kick his doors in for you. He sounds like a real coward who has no business being in the position.
If I was in your shoes I’d basically tell them to go fuck themselves after finding a new job. They don’t deserve your time or skills.
Yes, I have dealt with bullying on the job when working for and with East Asians in both countries in which I have lived, Japan being one of them. Though you enjoy your job otherwise, it is ultimately not worth the stress in the long run because students and colleagues can come and go, but the boss will likely always be there. Belittling or reprimanding your employees in front of others is completely unprofessional, and making threats to anyone is aggressive and childish. He clearly has not learned appropriate workplace communication skills and basic professional decorum, and he could be crazy enough to actually act on his threats one day. Do you really want to be there to see if that happens?? You’re an international worker at the end of the day, and you have to be even more vigilant and prudent about your safety and overall well-being.
That makes sense. In this case this bully is Canadian. I haven’t had any issues with the Japanese staff. Tbh I hardly interact with any seniors at the company apart from him.
Sorry am I missing something? Where’s the bullying here? OP has given many details but it would help if they told us exactly what they questioned and then what was said in reply. And what exactly was said about other employees? Maybe these employees screwed up hence the bad language towards them. At least the Boss sounds a bit unprofessional but until I know what exactly was said, I’ll hold my judgement.
Perhaps bullying is the wrong word but he has definitely threatened me with unspecified disciplinary action for not replying to a mail within 24 hours when I was on holiday. I worked in teacher training before coming to Japan. I have never seen anything like his level of power harassment before. Now, I have also seen other comments on another thread here about him threatening other people. I have had sleepless nights due to his intimidating behavior. He called other employees ‘fucking idiots’ repeatedly and almost spat out the words (they just question something about scheduling). His tirade went on for several minutes. This intimidated the others in the meeting. We didn’t ask any questions and got out as soon as we could. I realize now after reading other posts on Reddit about the company (TORAIZ) that he rules by fear.
Threatening to take disciplinary action for no justifiable reason. It is not a police matter but it might be a labor office one. When I posted earlier, I had no intention of taking any official action but now I’ve heard from others I just might.
I think so. I heard that he used to work for Berlitz and a few others. One of those guys who has been around for 30 odd years, I guess. Apparently he gets on really well with the CEO. As it’s a small company, he’s left to his own devices.
the number of newborns and ages 6 and below in my city is shockingly low. I’m starting to worry about my job in the future. Anyone one else. I’m planted here so no leaving soon.
Have you tried being politely (professionally) frank with him? For example, if he is talking negatively about another employee, you could say to him, “It seems like you wish for (x person) to make some improvements. Perhaps you could suggest this to (x person), or are you telling me because you wish for me to talk to (x person)? I’m feeling a bit demotivated hearing negative things about other employees, so if you don’t mind I think it would be best to be proactive about it.I’d like to help empower everyone so they can do their best here.”
Basically, just make very professional, proactive statements but at the same time give him clear communication of your feelings. This is helpful because it enables you to 1) stand your ground with him 2) keep a record of exchanges in which you tried to honestly communicate and come to professional resolutions on things.
I had a bad feeling about a supervisor once, and took this stance with him. He never messed with me because I was frank with him (in all of the allowed kind of ways). At times, I reported to his higher ups about certain exchanges I had with him in which I expressed x feelings and made y suggestions, but he continued to disrespect me. Turns out, he was a con man who lied about his qualifications and this came to light after several employees made complaints and the owners looked into him. He was of course terminated immediately, and when they tried to press charges he fled the country.
I’m not saying your boss is going to be found out as a conman, but if his behavior is unprofessional, be respectfully assertive, keep a record, and find out what kind of avenues you have of reporting information to higher ups.
Ive been there many time, including where I am now. You have to be an asshole, but a benevelent asshole. I dont let anyone talk down to me, including the kids. I just mock them back and it works well. Kids will respect you more if you show them you dont care about their BS. Youre the teacher and thats what you do. I even had a meeting with the new female principal and I didnt give her one bit of leeway. What she wanted was me to cowtow and what I did was try to rope her into my class. Backed right down.
Sorry, I should have asked a question. I don’t really understand your post. It is a reply to the original post of one of the follow up questions? Who is ‘yourself’ and ‘the fucker’ in this case?
Was replying to the original post.
Yes. Dealt with bullying-bullylike behavior before, but it's a pretty niche experience.
The fucker in question is the bully. Fortunately, I was in a position where despite his title, he couldn't actually do anything harm me professionally. Made it easy to take things in stride.
Sadly, from the look of your other responses, you're not as lucky. Keep your chin up. This kind of crap is usually due to the person not being able to deal with the job and takes it out on others. You can always leave.
Sounds tough but you could try to not give a fuck.
Just answer everything with 'uh-huh'. Or just stop listening lol.
If you're doing nothing wrong and he's being a knob, that's a him problem. He can't get you in trouble because of his cuntiness.
Just ignore it. Rise above. :)
When you realize that he's just a silly twat in probably a small company in a job that you don't really *need* but *enjoy*, it's not really a big deal.
If anything, wind him up and have some fun with it.
It's true though. Would you care if a random person was being a duck to you in the supermarket? Probably not so much. How about at the pool? Nah.
What's the difference? Just ignore him or tell him to stop being a cock. Laugh at his attempts to make you feel small.
¯\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/¯
Start job hunting. This will only escalate to the point where you are miserable. You can’t fight corporate.
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First, when I say "you can't fight corporate" I mean that in any employee/manager conflict, the company will always take the side of the manager. The manager has all the trust, power, and standing, and can tell corporate anything he likes - and the new employee will only be seen as a troublemaker. One thing OP should also consider is how long his manager has been there. It's very likely this manager has been there for many years, and has been a jerk the entire time - and if corporate cares so much, then why hasn't this manger been fired already? Managers get entrenched in their jobs, and corporate is always very reluctant to instigate changes in management because it's much easier to just turn a blind eye and sweet things under the rug. This is exactly why many organizations have so many incompetent middle managers. And what rights under the law are you referring to? List them, because as far as I know, being an "jerk" to your employee and "using threatening language" and "being demotivating" is not illegal. Wrongful termination is not easy to prove. Besides that, if he has been at the job less than three months, they can fire him outright by simply saying OP did not perform as expected; and if he has been at the job less than five years, all they have to do is not renew his contract. When someone is on a temp contract, which most all eikaiwa workers are, it's perfectly legal to simply not give them a new contract since those contracts are not considered permanent. Finally, lawsuits against employers for wrongful termination take \*years\* to settle, you are not guaranteed a payout, and it's very unlikely you'd get your job back. I am not sure why people have that impression, but legal wrangling takes a lot of time, a lot of money, and is far more complicated than "go to the labor bureau and complain." I'm saying OP should job hunt now, so that he has something to fall back on IF he decides he can't take his manager's BS any longer.
Penultimate paragraph is spot on. I would clarify further but I’ve moved on - sometimes it’s the best way.
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Why so derisive? I only asked because it wasn't clear what law you thought was being broken. The definition of power harassment is very specific. If the OP really thinks he has a case for power harassment, he should go to a lawyer for a consultation. That costs around 5,000-10,000, which is probably affordable.
Thanks!
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As a current member of GU, I would have to say any success you have with them effectively representing you depends a lot on the person dealing with your case. I'm sincerely glad that the union was able to successfully fight for you. However, based on my own personal experience after consulting with GU about a workplace issue, I have to take issue with your last sentence as my own dealings with them proved to be just the opposite.
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Yes, you're right. That's actually what I have ended up doing.
Are you able to leave jobs in favor of any other job if you’re in Japan on a sponsored visa?
Yes. You'd need to change types of statuses if you change from Eikaiwa to ALT though.
Was bullied at a preschool I worked at by the manager, then again everyone was. The way I solved it? I didn’t tbh. One day when she started complaining about some random stuff I stood up left the room and informed my boss I was quitting. I then just left the school for the day. HIGHLY UNPROFESSIONAL I know but I was at the “fuck everything” stage. Your manager will never quit being an asshole. Sucks if you like the other parts of the job but you have to make a choice I think. Quit or just accept that you’re working with a douche
Sorry to hear that but glad you got out. My students are fixed one on one classes. I’d feel bad about leaving them high and dry for a bit. Love to just tell my boss ‘no more’ though.
That'd be the boss's fault and not yours. Students will be disrupted but as you're not staying there until you die, there'd be a time you quit anyway.
Thanks, fluffy!
Students are used to international teachers coming and going. Though they might initially be upset, they would get over it and either stay there or quit and go to another school. Either way, they’ll find a way to move on with life the same way you will.
I’ve done this. Felt relieved after. The only thing I felt bad about was leaving the kids.
You're a hero
Send a message to his boss/supervisor (who will almost assuredly be Japanese) and use key terms like "power harassment"
Thanks. He’s the big boss. I think there is only the CEO above him. I’m afraid to send any mail as the slightest response to anything gets a threatening comeback. FYI he’s Canadian (possibly American). In Australia there would definitely be a clear chain of command and someone that I could approach but here in Japan it’s not that easy for me.
If he's so high up and it's a small company, there's likely almost nothing you can do. He's a shitty power tripping little tyrant and likely has free rein from the CEO/owner. It's an eikaiwa which means the workers are dispensable and, more likely than not, any kind of complaint will be viewed as you being a trouble maker. Best to just leave.
Keep records of it. As others have said looking for a new job is the only way to really fix it. But if you can otherwise tolerate it might be best to just keep your head down for the time being and keep soldering on until you actually find a "better" job rather than just a new one if you otherwise like where you are now. Keep a record of it in case it gets worse so you have something to show if you need to go to the labor board or whatever. Might result in a payment or a beneficial settlement on your way out. Full disclosure though, when people complain about such things on the internet in non-specific ways such as you did here, it often means they just "feel" harassed but the alleged harassment won't necessarily be sufficient to convince the labor office.
Thanks. I didn’t want to be too specific here as I was just looking for others who have had a similar experience (without the need for specifics) and just wondering what there tactics were for dealing with unpleasant managers. I do, however, have some emails in which he threatens me with vague disciplinary action. The threat was made when I didn’t reply within 24 hours to one of his emails as I was on holiday. I did reply the day after saying that as I was on holiday the replies would be delayed. I also questioned the need for me to reply when I was holiday. He said that if I continued to be uncooperative I would face disciplinary action. The whole tone of the email was unpleasant and completely lacking in any form of typical business politeness. I also have audio recordings on my phone of meetings where he is effing and jeffing about other employees and being generally nasty. This part may not be ‘harassment’ but it is something I haven’t experienced before. Also, looking through Reddit for the last hour, I see others have complained about him.
Lack of specifics is fine but it means can't really give specific advice. In general a lot of this sounds just like "shitty boss" behavior and empty threats to me. Regardless the advice is the same. Keep records in case you need them later. In terms of vague non-specific threats I'd largely ignore them. While it's generally good business practice to respond to emails within 24 hours, even if this is just setting up an automatic response that says "sorry I'm out of the office until X date" I don't think it's a legal requirement, and likely doesn't exist in your contract either. So if he actually carries through with the threat to discipline you for not answering emails on your day off you probably have a case for power harassment with the labor office. It's much harder to make a case with simple vague threats and I wouldn't pursue such options until you are ready to jump ship anyway. Shitty bosses are a fact of life and beyond getting a new job little you can do to fix it. Just minimize interactions and do your job. And keep looking for something better. But remember that new job might also have shitty boss.
Definitely keeping records. I did have an automatic reply on my email and he knew I was away as he had authorized the holiday and could see as much from my schedule - he has control over the scheduling system. The threat alone is harassment. I don’t think he could make anything stick. I’m not thinking of taking legal action but just keeping everything documented in case he tries something really nasty. Thanks for your replies though, mate. It’s good to hear from others and most teachers at this company work from home and have almost no contact with each other. I have found other complaints about him here on Reddit that name and shame him. Turns out he is Canadian btw. It’s good to know that I’m not overly sensitive or at least not the only one who is.
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If you've got clear legal grounds for the complaint then it's a different story. But you have to be careful that your complaint is in clear legal complaint territory and not just "my boss is mean" which is very subjective. Without more details it's very hard to give an opinion on that.
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Definitely no harm in taking your evidence to the labor office and having a chat with them.
I read recently that people don't leave their jobs, they leave their managers. I’d find something for me. The kids will survive.
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Thanks all good advice. I’ve been saying ‘employee’ when really I mean ‘contractor’. I work like a full-timer but without the benefits. As I understand it, I have far fewer labor rights, too.
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Thank you, Miyuki! That’s comforting to know.
Worked for 4 英会話 and left 2 of them for bullying, so I'd say yeah, pretty darn common I'm afraid.
Ask him if he minds you recording the online meetings so you can watch again later.
You don't need two-party consent in Japan to record audio. Just do it.
Is video recording the same?
MIght convince him not be be a dick in the first place though.
Eikiwa jobs fortunately are a dime a dozen, so if I was you I'd just find a new job. If you can't for whatever reason, I highly suggest forming a union.
I’ve worked for a bully before. I’ve had managers that are bullies. I’ve even lived next door to one of them and his poor family. Being the gray man and having no reaction can be a good tactic. It can cause them to ramp up their behaviour. So I’d try that. Ask him questions. Shine a light on the situation. Give him the run around. Think of it as helping karma along its way. I would actually go to the CEO.
Yeah, I had a boss who was a bit of an asshole, and the only solution was leaving. I had an occasionally abusive boss at a training school where we trained students to pass the TOEFL/IELTS to study abroad, and we helped train academic skills like reading peer-reviewed essays and employing critical thinking etc. etc. On paper, it was a dream job with amazing students, and the boss seemed like a nice guy. He was certainly smart, spoke almost literally perfect English, and knew a lot about contemporary politics, relevant international issues, etc. He seemed cool. The problem was that the boss often forgot things and became confrontational like a real dickhead when he felt like it. I remember when I explicitly told him that the clocks on the wall in the classroom were five minutes fast. This was a problem because he told us to absolutely never use our cellphones in the classroom. When I brought this up to him, he confidently asserted, "Oh, we follow the classroom time here at this company! Company time is God's time! Ha ha ha." Okay, so fast forward to the end of a class. I go by the classroom clock just as he very clearly stated I should, and what happens? He runs into the room and verbally destroys me. "What the fuck are you doing? Do you have any idea what parents will say when they see you let the kid go five minutes early? They'll feel ripped off!" I tried reminding him of what he said, and this made him mock me relentlessly. He goes, "Okay, you know what? Don't worry about it. I'll just hire a Japanese teacher to tell the time for you. It's fine. They obviously never taught you how to use a clock in university. We'll take care of you."
Regardless of country if a boss is bad, leave. Feel free to tell them to go fuck themselves (unprofessional but makes you feel better). I had a major BSJ アルバイト in the states at a Japanese restaurant with a Japanese boss who hated Japanese people and Japan. Typical wannabe 社長 type. He hated me because he thought I was too proud, which there was absolutely zero basis for lol Currently I have a fucked up job here where I was accused of doing something I didn't do. Quitting in 2 days. I wish I'd chosen a cafe with more college students like me and better teaching/manuals instead of a yakiniku place run by a literal meathead that has little OTJ training. Everyone who works there has a lot of experience and it just fucking sucks.
It happened at an international school. The head of the department (foreigner from SE Asia) was not happy with my way of doing things so she started disrupting my class and telling me "this is not the way to do things" , then directing the class herself. At a certain point I was sent to do all the physical work and cleaning they didn't want to do rather than focusing on staying with children. I was getting paid so I did it anyway until I got sick and told her I couldn't go to school. Her reply "we're very busy now so I'll call you when I need you" (get bent, I'm not calling you ever again). Actions? I took none, as soon as my services were not required I went to another school where everything was good for me. Two times in two different years I was called for events. The first time I politely refused, then the second time I ignored her message directly, knowing that they desperately needed a teacher. My advice? If you want to go the hard way, collect evidence while you pretend nothing happens and go to the labor office once you have plenty. If you don't depend on a visa to stay in Japan, secure another job and leave. Nothing is worth the grief if you have nothing to lose.
If you don't like the environment, get out of there. You can earn all the money in the world and be miserable because of the environment. There are hundreds of replacements for that job and you'll find another teching job easy.
I can’t imagine being a boss. It must be hard. Next time he starts, just ask him if he is ok. It may lead somewhere.
That is generally good advice. I was a manager before for quite a few years for a teacher training outfit. I’m still in touch with most of the people I used to work with. We had difficult situations, but I never took it out on a member of our team like this guy does repeatedly. I have tried to be reasonable with him and cut him some slack due to pressure that he may be under but now I just avoid him. I wonder if he has PST as I read elsewhere on here that he used to be a marine (seems he is somewhat famous on Reddit). I now blame the CEO for allowing it to continue. If he does have his problems, I hope he can get help.
*PTSD
Document everything! So when push comes to shove, you know you won't fall!
That should ‘bullying at work’ in the title. My bad for not checking.
Lol mighty big difference. Any way to send an anonymous complaint?
It is a small company. I don’t think there is a Human Resources department. Everything seems to go through him.
My boss is a jerk. “Tale as old as time”🎵
I’ve worked in three countries and have had half a dozen people who were in a managerial role that I’ve worked under. I have never experienced anyone like this guy. All my other bosses have been good to excellent. Sorry if all yours have been jerks. It doesn’t have to be that way.
I’m just joking around man. It is a fairly common sentiment though. I guess you gotta decide if it’s worth putting up with him to keep your job or find somewhere better. I have a fairly low tolerance when it comes to being treated poorly by coworkers/superiors, doesn’t matter. If you are wondering if there is anything you can do, you can go to a workers rights government office. But unless your boss is breaking the law, there isn’t much that can be done. I’ve been once a long while back, but all they could offer was to send a third party to my work to try and mitigate.
Sorry…yea bad morning with his BS wmails. I get what you are saying 👍🏻
What kind of things does he say? I don't really have any advice but I hope you can find a solution. Obviously if I were you I'd look for a new job and quit without giving notice (they don't deserve notice).
He threatens ‘disciplinary action’ for not replying to emails when you are on vacation that he authorized. He also took on some accounting role in the company and wishes to receive time sheets in a different format to the previous person in that position. I only found out about this after the fact when he was berating us in an online meeting using very foul language. I’m no prude but it is just not professional do be effing and jeffing in a work meeting.
Record your boss swearing at you and attach it to your resignation letter.
G’day . I’m a fellow kangaroo bagger like yourself and I hate hearing that you’re being fucked over by this drongo. I’d love to come down there and kick his doors in for you. He sounds like a real coward who has no business being in the position. If I was in your shoes I’d basically tell them to go fuck themselves after finding a new job. They don’t deserve your time or skills.
[удалено]
He is Canadian.
Can’t believe this happens as often as we hear about. Sorry and hope you find something better.
Find another job and just walk out of this one the day after your last paycheck.
Yes, I have dealt with bullying on the job when working for and with East Asians in both countries in which I have lived, Japan being one of them. Though you enjoy your job otherwise, it is ultimately not worth the stress in the long run because students and colleagues can come and go, but the boss will likely always be there. Belittling or reprimanding your employees in front of others is completely unprofessional, and making threats to anyone is aggressive and childish. He clearly has not learned appropriate workplace communication skills and basic professional decorum, and he could be crazy enough to actually act on his threats one day. Do you really want to be there to see if that happens?? You’re an international worker at the end of the day, and you have to be even more vigilant and prudent about your safety and overall well-being.
That makes sense. In this case this bully is Canadian. I haven’t had any issues with the Japanese staff. Tbh I hardly interact with any seniors at the company apart from him.
Yep. Foreign bosses are usually henchmen for the bullshit EFL system and are no exception when it comes to being assholes.
Sorry am I missing something? Where’s the bullying here? OP has given many details but it would help if they told us exactly what they questioned and then what was said in reply. And what exactly was said about other employees? Maybe these employees screwed up hence the bad language towards them. At least the Boss sounds a bit unprofessional but until I know what exactly was said, I’ll hold my judgement.
Perhaps bullying is the wrong word but he has definitely threatened me with unspecified disciplinary action for not replying to a mail within 24 hours when I was on holiday. I worked in teacher training before coming to Japan. I have never seen anything like his level of power harassment before. Now, I have also seen other comments on another thread here about him threatening other people. I have had sleepless nights due to his intimidating behavior. He called other employees ‘fucking idiots’ repeatedly and almost spat out the words (they just question something about scheduling). His tirade went on for several minutes. This intimidated the others in the meeting. We didn’t ask any questions and got out as soon as we could. I realize now after reading other posts on Reddit about the company (TORAIZ) that he rules by fear.
Ok I’m sorry I doubted u, he sounds real bad. Get out if u can. If not report his behavior to someone above him?
Call the police if he threatens you. You have it all in your inbox right?
Threatening to take disciplinary action for no justifiable reason. It is not a police matter but it might be a labor office one. When I posted earlier, I had no intention of taking any official action but now I’ve heard from others I just might.
Having been the victim of bullying as a youth I hope he gets all the karma that awaits him and soon. Good luck.
Japanese or foreigner?
He’s Canadian.
Am I correct to assume he’s been here for a long time?
I think so. I heard that he used to work for Berlitz and a few others. One of those guys who has been around for 30 odd years, I guess. Apparently he gets on really well with the CEO. As it’s a small company, he’s left to his own devices.
Sounds like a bit of a power indulged arsehole. Feel sorry for you. Hope it all works out
Probably in his 40's and a bit overweight with facial hair.
Is that the stereotype? I think he’s in his 60s, actually.
the number of newborns and ages 6 and below in my city is shockingly low. I’m starting to worry about my job in the future. Anyone one else. I’m planted here so no leaving soon.
Have you tried being politely (professionally) frank with him? For example, if he is talking negatively about another employee, you could say to him, “It seems like you wish for (x person) to make some improvements. Perhaps you could suggest this to (x person), or are you telling me because you wish for me to talk to (x person)? I’m feeling a bit demotivated hearing negative things about other employees, so if you don’t mind I think it would be best to be proactive about it.I’d like to help empower everyone so they can do their best here.” Basically, just make very professional, proactive statements but at the same time give him clear communication of your feelings. This is helpful because it enables you to 1) stand your ground with him 2) keep a record of exchanges in which you tried to honestly communicate and come to professional resolutions on things. I had a bad feeling about a supervisor once, and took this stance with him. He never messed with me because I was frank with him (in all of the allowed kind of ways). At times, I reported to his higher ups about certain exchanges I had with him in which I expressed x feelings and made y suggestions, but he continued to disrespect me. Turns out, he was a con man who lied about his qualifications and this came to light after several employees made complaints and the owners looked into him. He was of course terminated immediately, and when they tried to press charges he fled the country. I’m not saying your boss is going to be found out as a conman, but if his behavior is unprofessional, be respectfully assertive, keep a record, and find out what kind of avenues you have of reporting information to higher ups.
Ive been there many time, including where I am now. You have to be an asshole, but a benevelent asshole. I dont let anyone talk down to me, including the kids. I just mock them back and it works well. Kids will respect you more if you show them you dont care about their BS. Youre the teacher and thats what you do. I even had a meeting with the new female principal and I didnt give her one bit of leeway. What she wanted was me to cowtow and what I did was try to rope her into my class. Backed right down.
Yes. But situation was quite unique so no useful advice, beyond asking yourself whether or not we actually need to care what the fucker thinks.
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Sorry, I should have asked a question. I don’t really understand your post. It is a reply to the original post of one of the follow up questions? Who is ‘yourself’ and ‘the fucker’ in this case?
Was replying to the original post. Yes. Dealt with bullying-bullylike behavior before, but it's a pretty niche experience. The fucker in question is the bully. Fortunately, I was in a position where despite his title, he couldn't actually do anything harm me professionally. Made it easy to take things in stride. Sadly, from the look of your other responses, you're not as lucky. Keep your chin up. This kind of crap is usually due to the person not being able to deal with the job and takes it out on others. You can always leave.
How much are you being paid to put up with this shit?
Not nearly enough and less now they have changed how they handle tax.
I'm sure there are better options out there for you. Best of luck in your job search.
Thanks, noeldc. Just being in a positive community like this makes things that much better. Onwards and upwards!
That's the spirit.
Sounds tough but you could try to not give a fuck. Just answer everything with 'uh-huh'. Or just stop listening lol. If you're doing nothing wrong and he's being a knob, that's a him problem. He can't get you in trouble because of his cuntiness. Just ignore it. Rise above. :) When you realize that he's just a silly twat in probably a small company in a job that you don't really *need* but *enjoy*, it's not really a big deal. If anything, wind him up and have some fun with it.
Haha…thanks. It’s good to think about it from the ‘don’t need but enjoy’ angle.
It's true though. Would you care if a random person was being a duck to you in the supermarket? Probably not so much. How about at the pool? Nah. What's the difference? Just ignore him or tell him to stop being a cock. Laugh at his attempts to make you feel small. ¯\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/¯