Japanese Employees and Employers: Updated April 4, 2024.

 

'If I warn them harshly, they'll quit': Staff training creates headaches for many in Japan

Article Source:  https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240401/p2a/00m/0bu/023000c

Ideas:

This might be a normal situation globally, as the younger generation of workers don't see exactly what senior workers see or want the to do. 

This is nothing new as its been going on forever, with each new generation of workers now wanting to do things differently and now what senior workers want.

But in Japan there seems to be more rigidity and formality in doing things that maybe the younger Japanese workers don't want to follow these days.

Communication has always been a challenge between young and old and maybe even the pandemic has made the situation much worse has younger workers don't seem to have the communication skills needed for the global or even the Japanese workplace today.

But you can't blame the younger generations for wanting to do things differently, as maybe some Japanese business practices are outdated and rigid compared to what is normal for some younger workers.

At the same time, there is always the need for basic communication skills and proper manners no matter what the setting.

Also, unfortunately, some or many young workers, globally, just don't have the correct manners or don't know what the correct manners are for business and for communication.

Its a global situation, and its even become pandemic in less than good manners globally among young workers.

For example. using a smartphone and when to use it, but today many young workers can't live without their smartphone in their hand and have to look at it sometimes 24 hours a day.

Many or some younger workers are very good as multitasking but not so good at focusing or concentrating on one task to get it done correctly.

So its understandable if older workers, who are responsible for training new/younger workers feel frustrated when younger workers don't want to do what they say, and get upset and quit if there are too many rules or too much rigidity in the workplace.

At the same time, companies need to change to fit or find compromises that can make younger workers feel more comfortable in doing their jobs without a lot of stress, if not that company might get the reputation as a not so good work environment for younger workers.

Its not just in Japan, but it seems to be a global challenge today between older workers and younger workers about what each group expects or want from the other.

Most likely business skills are the least important part of training new employees as maybe communication is the number one skill that young workers need to improve on, as maybe social media, the pandemic and smartphones have resulted in a whole generation of younger workers with the worse communication skills ever.

And again, its not just Japan, but young people today, for many or some, are like "snow-flakes, as they can't handle correction, as they have been pampered their whole life and never had to deal with any form of correction in any form and when they get to the corporate workplace they can't handle correction or training related to communication skills.

Good manners should be a given in any situation and not just in the corporate workplace. And it should be learned at home and reinforced in the school setting.

But today, many parents, and society only think about grades and not the complete person, and good manners is far down the list of what is important today, unfortunately.

Its unfortunate that companies have to spend time or dealing with skills dealing to good manners as it should be a norm for all things in society and not just in a business environment.

Good manner training starts in the home, again, and should be reinforced in the early years of schools, but most parents are either too busy or have given up trying to educate their children on good manners.

Again, if younger workers, by the time they become new corporate employees don't know the importance of good manners, its a complete breakdown of society, and, again, its a global problem and not just a Japanese problem.

Of course Japan is a so-called polite society and even more so in corporate business but many young people either don't care and or have never been trained at home or in the schools what is good manners, but its the same globally, again, and not just a Japanese problem.

I feel empathy for the older workers trying to teach the younger workers what do related to good manners, but unfortunately, many younger workers might reject anything an older worker says to help them improve.

Have a nice day and be safe!