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Having a good boss in Japan Poll

Have you experienced a good manager/ supervisor in Japan? I hear stories of other foreigners having the same experience of having bad bosses in Japan. What is your experience? This has led me to change jobs every year or so in Japan.

Have you experienced a good manager/ supervisor in Japan?

Yes, I love my boss!
Yes, but I felt their leadership skills were lacking
No, all of my bosses have been bad
Half/Half- some of my bosses have been good, others bad

9 comments

9 Comments

urara

Mar 31, 2023

I’ve voted half/half but i can’t really say I had a good boss in the past. I had bad experiences working in teams (lack of management, in any type of management you could imagine). Some other experiences not involving team work or being less involved in the team were better for me since I was able to manage my job independently. And some others involving a manager weren’t that bad at first but not so great after a while. I feel that I prefer working with female managers because the female managers I’ve worked with were better at communicating and actually managing things xD

Tone&Edo

Apr 15, 2023

Replying to

I hate to compare, but in my working experience in Canada (also in privately owned ESL schools) team leaders and directors of studies were much more capable of managing the teachers under them. It gave teachers the confidence to work under good manager/head teachers.

In Japan, people are promoted to heads of departments based on seniority before demonstrated skill. The work rules were always clear, the labor laws were respected, teachers were provided with standards to be met, and received rational periodic performance assessments. Here, the quality of the organization you work for varies so much. I've butted heads with employers on labor law, arbitrary decisions, and vague communication about crucial information. It's not always deliberate or malicious - often the result of bumbling and ignorance.