Harassment in Japan

Somewhat the same happened to me: I had two managers who constantly told me I was doing everything wrong and pinpointed that 'there is no way I could have gotten the diploma's i have with my intelligence .' Luckily i was just 17 years old so I immediately quit the job, which somewhat sucked because I did have a good time with my colleagues.

I wouldn't say harassed as that too strong a term from what I've experienced. Basically, when I first start this job, a manager of mine used to stand behind me and not say anything until I realised he was standing there and he'd also make really condescending comments during our department meetings that we (the designers) don't have enough work and needs to be kept busier! (meanwhile he's known around the office for sleeping at his desk!!)

He also likes to make comments like he's not our boss but a work mate that works with us but then pulls out that he is our manager and what he says goes whenever he feels like it.

I could go on all day but I won't

This is really sad, and I feel bad for the man.

Anyway, when I worked for a year the only harassment I got was that I was pretty useless from a guy or two, but it was suppose to be a " joke ". Not really funny to hear a few days a week that you are pretty useless, even if it's a joke.

Damn, that top story sounds really bad. Thankfully I don't have any experience with that...but on the other had I haven't really worked much, only studying...

Hmm, I've never been harassed in my summer jobs, in fact I've rather been looked after because I've always been the youngest in every company XD

Now that I'm older, I've still to see that kind of bullying. I wonder where you draw the line between bullying and a manager doing his job?

I glad he did not do a suiside.....

i've seen loads and with him.. he has a good case.. your not supose to do that.. one boss told the entire staff i worked for a a pre shift meeting that we didn't have to get along.. just work together.. don't let petty diferances get in the way.. and it worked.. we all got along just fine..

the only boss that has critized me is my curent one.. but he dows that to the entire grave shift that i work on.. and my collegues tell him where to go when he gets to bossy.. so do i.. so i guess for me is ya just have to stand up and tell that person thats getting on your nerves to back off.. and iff he doesn't.. take it up the chain to his boss..

when I was still　19, play a nasty trick on me　for one's boss in a restaurant of kitchin.

He sometimes get angry for me.

still more　strong and storng・・・

Only in Americ..... oh, wait....

I didnt think the 'sue everything' philosophy applied to the japanese?

Thankfully where I am now, there isn't that sort of thing going on, however in the past I've had my fair share of bad headbutts against toxic managers.

Mainly the passive aggressive type that likes to subtly berate you and bug you like eight or nine times throughout the day for the same low importance 'what have you', constantly dropping hints that 'if it's too hard they can have you replaced' or equally stupid attitude that desperately needs to be adjusted. All in all it's a very poor environment to work in, my sympathies to everyone that currently DOES work or had worked in that sort of place.

I know your pain and it can really hinder a person's long term career growth and confidence. Even if they say 'that stuff doesn't affect me'.

Power harassment in my school PE class. If someone cant get the the stupid excercise routine right, they are made to do it in front of all the other students until they get it right while they laugh at their mistakes.

Its not too bad I guess, but you can see where the mentality comes from.

Guess my past would interest very few people, but I was a very innocent child back then... I was in this elementary school and this female director would constantly have something to reproach me instead of telling me how to do things properly.
Being punished under the desk by one teacher (I guess I was just admiring the sky through the window or daydreaming) and having one paper ripped to shreds by another marked me also...
I guess teaching was not easy back then and is getting worse nowadays... Another experience in work was along the same lines.
This is one of the few reasons I entered a long period of brooding and isolation and basically lost faith in humanity...
It may be fun for others to read it and for myself to find those events a bit trivial, but when you're a kid you tend to see things in a very literal way... I'd also say I'm glad I didn't meet worse (I have empathy for others in that) and that my current life is not a bumpy road anymore.

I'm not sure if it still couts as harassment, but I had an immediate supervisor who would take credit for my work and push blame to me whenever things don't go smoothly. this went on for a month until I made a formal complain to the HR. it didn't do any good though. lucky for me and unfortunate for them the ceo of one of their larger client was a relative of mine, so I got the word out to their country manager. >:)

ah well... I have my fair share as well...

My boss is a Major, she's a real piece of work... if you're wrong, you're wrong. Even if you're right, you're still wrong as you failed to correct her in the first place...

as a Lance Corporal, there's not really much I can do... bloody chain of command...

at least she's getting posted out soon

I'm very fortunate to not have had a boss that picked on me for whatever reason. Though if something similar happened to me the offender would "accidentally" get hit with a baseball bat. It's good to see the man is trying to seek some justice for what he suffered from.

I think such a situation would last exactly once before walking out. I wouldn't stick around 3 hours of crap like that.

Then again, there's a reason I don't work in large corporations any more as one of the thousands of anonymous cogs in the wheel. In a smaller business, you get to have more of an impact, feel like you're making a bigger contribution.

And, of course, get yourself to a point where you're so critical to the business that if you left, they'd be hurting. Makes for a good shield against that kind of abuse. :)

do not know what to say..boss might also be a member of the site..

Part time job, but my boss was horrible.

I worked a counter by myself, despite the fact that I was supposed to be part time. and certain times my boss, who I assume is probably the laziest person in the place since she never shows up at all, is actually there when I'm working my shift. since I saw her up front, I thought she would take care of the customers so I went to the back to clean out some of the cooking utilcils to prepare for the next customer. a few minutes later she came in the back to yell at me because I wasnt up front. Apparently the whole time she was just standing around chatting with the manager of a different section of the store, and when a customer came around, instead of taking care of it, she came to the back to yell at me and have me go and do it.

Honestly, I was washing the stuff out to keep with the sanitation codes, but apparently she didnt thinnk they mattered.

I quit that job later on when school started. Senior Year of highschool means I need to get as much done as possible before my highschool career ended. So no more money, but at least I dont have to deal with stress anymore.

I had something kinda similar in the past, where the owner actually threw a place right past my head and it broke on the wall behind me.

Anyways, I didnt stick around long in that job.

Danny I should also mention that it appears Websense has labeled your site with the 'adult content' tag, which means countless organizations and educational facilities (who use websense) here in the US have your site blocked now (I know all the public buildings in my state use websense). It was a bummer that I couldn't check your site at my college today.

But, don't let that stop your ecchi-filled wonderful site!

Well haven't been bullied at work but mostly at schools from something like grade 2 to grade 8 people thrived on bullying others for some reason. Got picked on, got an ice ball thrown in my eye, got hit in the head with a basket ball, got laughed at for hanging out with a "stupider" classmate, wasn't able to play certain sports games, not allowed to slide on ice that they "controlled", not able to hang out with a few, had my toys almost thrown in the garbage (grade 5), and all that crap. All this crap stopped once I reached High School luckily.

Mines probably not as bad as Shigofumi or Jigoku Shoujo but if it stuck around more it probably would made an episode. Who's had similar or worse?

I have been harraessed more than I wna to admit. It makes me feel like I am nothing. I feel like have to endure it as a way of building strenth, but it helps coming back to me.

Middle school all they way up to high school was terriable. Not many of my teacher cared about me. Just becaseu was not a sports MVP. The jocks and prep had allot of special prilizes. It made me sick. Being short too makes me feel depressed to.

At work I feel like I am hassased because I am short and I do the other dure jobs at the store that no one elese wants to do. I have tried to advance myself in the company but I can. It gets me depressed and it is hoard for me to promise my best.

What is worse than just being hassesed like this is being surrouned by idots that do not do there job right because they do not do things right I have to clean up after them.

There was one puck rock song that said these words that explains my situation in a nutshell, "The idots have taken over".

well the only thing that comes close to harrasment for me would probably be my 7th grade math teacher, he would always torment me with "asian" jokes, and he also coached the football team for the remaindering years. But I realized quickly that this sort of torment is to make you become stronger on the "inside", which I've become. He would crack even more jokes during football practice. Take for example, I was a running back, and me being asian, korean to be specific, ran a play and couldnt find a hole to punchline through defense so I took a different route, but the coach stopped the play and said "JOTHAM, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!, you're going the wrong way...from now on, your name will be wong wae kim. (Its intended to sound like its being said by an asian person with a heavy accent)

Used to work as a cook at a local Italianni's, and apparently the general manager at the time was a real piece of work. Didn't really affect me, being a new recruit at the time, but my other co-workers had a lot to say when he was absent after breaking his arm during work (while arm-wrestling the kitchen head!).
The staff called up the company general manager, and grievances were heard that night. Among the complaints, sexual harassment was at the top, and the GM was plenty pissed. So was I. That's probably the worst thing you can do in the work place for me, next to pilfering (also, the dude in question owed me cash 'cause he wanted to bone a stripper. Long story. Couldn't say no, since he WAS my boss and I had just started. Did NOT feel good after though... Will never listen to "I would do anything for love" the same way again...).
Also, the guy was married with a kid (even had a party for him at his place too), with another on the way at the time, and he was acting like that. Guess karma finally caught up to him. End of story, he got fired. Got my money back too. Eventually. My bro recently saw him working at another restaurant. I'm glad for that, if only for his family.

Power harressment... kowai o_o; I have yet to really meet a bully boss like that, but I did come across 1/2 higher ups who gives me the creeps (kimochi warui *shudder*) over stepping the comfort zone putting hand on your shoulder as if he is your best friend (when he really isn't) Danny I'm glad you found other opportunities ^^!!

Hope he wins the cause.
And hope he gets a better job too, after overcoming that depression.

I know it's a serious problem on japanese companies... specially factories and big businesses.

All my uncles complained about being insulted and mistreated on their jobs by their bosses while in Japan... common practice in their case... you know, foreigners working in factories on manual labors. But they eventually found something better, before coming back to Brazil.

I once had a supervisor who would pile most of the work load onto me because I worked faster then the others - as this job had a heavy emphasis in working as a team obviously I questioned my superiors actions which nobody should do - I asked him.... "if I work faster doesnt that mean i do more & complete more work then the others?" & my suspervsor just said "yeah" & walked off.

when i finally managed to get his attention i told him that I'm only one person. I get one persons salary, if you want me to do all the other peoples work then sack them & pay me their salary ontop of mine because I cant be doing ALL their work making me look the fool because they have it easy & im breaking my bollocks trying to get all the work done.

not long after that i resigned as the situation didnt change - I was still being given everybody elses work & was employed to work as a team - not standalone

After I read this, I didn't want to read it.

As a manager myself, I hear those horror stories and it makes me cringe. If an employee is performing that poorly they should just be let go - it's a lot less trouble that way. If I behaved like the people in some of these examples I would expect to be fired and/or sued.

Intimidation is the cheapest form of leadership.

I haven't had anything that bad but some people got transferred to our area because they had been bullied in other cities. I see what the US would consider a lot of depression in these guys.

Hope that man wins the case.

The librarians at my school are terrible. No one ever wants to deal with them.

Never been harassed on the job...
That is still pretty mean...Who would abuse their power to pick on one guy. I wonder if the guy who got picked on win the case against his old employer.

Power Harassment here is very common until mid 90s. For example, during my days in the national service we get wrack so hard as a new recuit. Both physcial and mental were being pushed to the limit. But during after a year when we get to a senior level (With some rank) we tend to take it back on those new enlistee. It is a culture in the Army (Depends on the units). But morever, the purposes for been such a hush basterd were mainly to build up the aggressiveness in war time. However some Specialist and Office were just overdoes... I guess nowadays in the workforce, people are learning more to respect between overself and others. As for me, i'm in-charged of afew junior workers at my workplace and with on direct superior to report to. But in actual fact, we're like brothers and sisters (no gays) in the dept. The key is really to foster a good relationship with different level of people expecially toward different races, background, looks and gender... very important.

Fortunately I work in the family business. I work as an administrative assistant and as an accountant while I'm still in college. The most trouble I get come from my coworkers. I get to train and supervise the new workers and when they don't perform I get stuck fixing their mistakes, at worst I get blamed for them. That's about the worst I get at work, not too bad in my opinion, It'll only get harder as I graduate and go on to work for others.

Old joke abt an engineer and manager ^^

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The woman below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."

You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.

"I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is, technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far."

The woman below responded, "You must be in Management."

"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."

BTW how does the reading of the kanji in the picture go?

I've never really been harassed by superiors. If anyone, it would be my peers.

I was working in a family-owned business as the IT Assistant, but ended up having all the worked dumped on me. Accounts, logistics, inventory, sales, you name it.

After a year I handed in my resignation slip and the bosses attitudes took a turn for the worse. They would even bad mouth me to their clients! I was just glad to get out of there. My only regret was leaving my colleagues. Last I heard, all of them left the company. No surprise there.

I don't have any bad experiences... or maybe I don't remember them. I had a fun time working with my classmates on projects and got along with teachers well enough to crack jokes every lesson.

Or maybe I'm just too dense to give a damn XD

That first picture looks plenty like Kagami...

Oh god, Nendroid cosplaying Kagamin! Those have been going for over $100 on YHJ Auctions (plus whatever Shopping Mall Japan charges to win the auction, ship, gouge, etc -_-;), and I want a set so bad! I'm assuming GS gave you a set, Danny. =P I actually want the Saber/Konata one more than the Rin/Kagami one, but I must admit that up close she looks rather cool too.

One of the previous jobs I had, I actually thought for a while gave me a mental condition. The job itself wasn't bad, but dealing with the people everyday made me anxious to the point of never relaxing, not even at home. It got to the point where I'd try and sleep and my heart would pound in my chest and I'd end up with maybe 4 hours of sleep a night if I was lucky. Ironically, this would exacerbate the problem, because they say that lack of sleep is a heavy contributor to heart disease, and I already have mitral valve prolapse from when I was a child. I had 2-3 bosses in a row that completely made me feel inadequate and debased my whole sense of self-confidence -- in short I wasted 5 years of my life because I let myself get beaten by trash that will be trash forever and they know it, and they need to snuff out anything they sense that's better than them. One time I had an older "gentleman" I worked with tell me that I talked to much and that if I didn't shut up he was going to "box my ears", I told him not to threaten me, and *I* got sent home from work 4 hours early because apparently *I* was the one, "instigating problems in the workplace". I had a really outgoing personality and was basically resented for trying to get along with everyone and trying to "handle" my bosses in a dry manner so I wouldn't piss anyone off. A lot of not liking me had to do with the fact that I had broad horizons and showed it, too, i.e. - I talk about my hobbies like anime and otakudom along with politics in public a lot. But they would always find something to pick on because they didn't like me, while letting their pets get away with murder. Nevertheless I kept myself buoyant knowing that they'd never be beyond that job in their lifetime and that they'd be stuck and miserable and playing their little game of employee chess until their looks faded and they couldn't manipulate people anymore (they were all women, not that it matters beyond the fact that they did use their bodies to get things). And lo and behold, I'm at a new and better-paying job until I'm done with college then it's off to Japan hopefully! ^^;

My boss on my first job was an arse. For an IT company it would be of great help to have a boss who understands IT. This particular one doesn't and only cares about the business (he's the owner as well). What he'd do is get projects from clients to the point that us developers won't be able to support all the projects as they are overflowing already and most of the workers are fresh grads. Add to that was he didn't choose the projects that would correspond to our know how and just shoved the projects to whoever he thinks could do it. Got out of that hell hole after almost a year of working and looked for other more satisfiable opportunities.

I did when I was a highschool kid doing summer job. The boss was sooooooooo bad. I really hate him. =/

I usually spend per month ~100 usd for eating outside.

Things are rather on the cheaper side here in Malaysia. Although sometimes, quality is also on the "cheaper" side. ^^

Btw Danny, I'd love to see more pictures just like the one featured in the preview of this article (Nendo Rin).
It would be a nice way to learn Japanese, you know a bit like what kind of goodness Mari-tan can offer us, but of course, Danny Choo style.

Oh, and I can't wait using this sentence in written discussions with Japanese people to make myself a lot of good friends. ^^;

When I started to work for a call center, I had a supervisor which was constantly harassing me. I was still learning how to do my job and he demanded 100% perfection or I will get fired.
Funny thing is that he got fired 3 weeks after I started.

I've never had a boss harass me, but I've had co-workers sexually harass me.
Calling me inferior for being female, and making jokes about it.
Still happens, but I get it everywhere so it doesn't bother me.