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Microsoft Lays Off 34 Japanese Xbox Employees
Thanks to GameSpot for their article discussing the layoff of 34 Microsoft employees from its Japanese Xbox division. This accounts for just 17 percent of their Xbox workforce in Japan, but apparently the March 20th layoffs, documented in Nikkei BizTech, "..caused a commotion among the workers because of differences in business practices between Japan and the United States." The harsh 'escorted from premises' style of layoffs is not so common in Japan, according to the article, and so "..according to one of the employees who was cut, it felt as though they were treated like criminals." Needless to say, the layoffs, according to division head Par Singh, were because "sales of the Xbox in Japan had been extremely disappointing."
I'm not sure how layoffs should be done but I know the way most American companies do it today isn't the solution. It does treat the ex-employees as if they were criminals. In my experience the ex-employees are escorted, in front of coworkers, to a small office. Given the news and any severence then given a swift kick out the door. I've even been in companies where they didn't let the employee pack their cube. Rather someone boxed it for them and shipped it...
One should not theorize before one has data. -Sherlock Holmes-
I think the question is "Why is the XBox so popular in the states?"
The reason employers do this "kick them out quick" approach is not out of spite but, rather, to protect themselves from employees who might try to exact some revenge on their way out. A just-fired employee might try to sabotage the computer system (particulary if file permissions are not set correctly). There's a whole bunch of things that a disgruntled employee can do to hurt his former employer. Giving them access to any work equipment or materials just after they got laid off or fired is very unwise.
GMD
watch this
The employees were then told to check their e-mail inboxes
What a shitty and gutless way to fire someone. I think firing someone any other way than face to face whould be illegal.
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I know this feeling. When I was much younger, I had a lot of company loyalty and was convinced that if I worked hard, I would be treated right. I watched layoff after layoff at two companies before i finally got caught up in one, and it was like a punch in the gut.
That was a giant wake-up call to look out for #1, because if you don't, all you'll get is #2.
The Japanese way is not to lay off anyone. The company is your family and takes care of you througout life. As thanks for this you are loyal to your company and work good for it.
Laying off people the American Way makes people lose face, not very popular in Japan (or East Asia).
Never let anyone lose face, number one rule of social interaction in Japan.
The way the company handled it though came across as if they trusted me about as much as they trusted a potential disgruntled employee. It comes across as a lack of respect for the person leaving and their level of responsibility.
Yes, I understand that it's not "nice" or "fair" but companies don't really care about those things. They are playing it safe by assuming you're as bad as everyone else. Besides, would it really be any "nicer" for the company to escort certain employees out and let others take their time?
The best part of it was the companies core values and beliefs touted the fact that they believed firmly in giving individuals respect and that individuals treated with respect acted accordingly. But their treatment of those is another story.
You seem to already understand that their stated core values were really just words on a page to them. Also, you should double check that their stated core values really say "treating individuals with respect" and not "treating employees with respect". Since you just severed your relationship with them -- amicable or not -- I'm not sure why I see that they should still be held to those core values with regards to a now-former employee.
I'm not trolling or flaming you. I do understand the points you're making. I'm just saying that you have to look at this whole situation from the company's point of view. You remember how the LAPD told O.J. "Sure, you can turn yourself in down at the station when it's convienent, Juice. We don't want this to be any more embarrasing for you than it already is." Well, we know how well that approach went. Even if you seem like a nice guy, no manager is going to risk that one-in-a-million chance that you might go bonkers on your way out. That's the way PHB think. Remember, it's called "Human resources" and not "personel" for a reason.
GMD
watch this
Games don't appeal to them
Controller is huge, even the S
The marketing is INSULTING
It isn't Japanese
They had a recall when it first came out
It doesn't have Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior
Want me to go on?
...can be seen at IGN's monthly article "Gaming Life In Japan". Every month they release hardware and software sales for what are considered the major gaming consoles in Japan. Take a look at what was presented in June's article. The numbers are quite disturbing for Microsoft, though I'm sure that disappoints all the Open Source fans out there. ;)
Hardware Sales in Japan:
PS2: 44,300 (1,397,700)
Game Boy Advance SP: 31,800 (1,116,900 this year)
Game Boy Advance: 6,900 (890,800)
GameCube: 1,900 (284,800)
PSOne: 910 (42,800)
Xbox: 770 (58,00)
Swan Crystal: 320 (23,200)
I don't know which is funnier:
The fact that the PSOne outsold the Xbox during May, or the fact that this isn't the first time it has happened.
Here's a link to the actual article, but to give a fair warning, you have to be an IGN Insider to read it.
There is a term, I forget the Japanese spelling, but the translation is 'the beside the window tribe.' It refers to one who is given and office, with a window, where the individual will then sit, quietly, until retirement, looking out the window, never again given anything useful or important to do.
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The reason employers do this "kick them out quick" approach is not out of spite but, rather, to protect themselves from employees who might try to exact some revenge on their way out.
Really, if there is worry that ex-employees will try to sabotage things, shouldn't that be an indication that the company didn't treat them very well in the first place? I guess escorting them out is just a continuation of that...
Anyone who gets fired can be expected to be a little upset... but I think it takes a vested hatred of the company to start sabotaging things.
-"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man." -EH
Besides that, it is going to be hard for anything to make a dent in the Playstation 2's popularity in Japan. Sony is just considered a cool, superior brand over there. Yes, I suppose cultural superiority is a factor, but I don't think that is all of it. I've noticed that when I ask the Asian people I know "Which is cooler, Sony or X?" they invariably say Sony.
I also think that (and I'm no expert, not owning one) the Xbox's lineup has something to do with it. The big system selling game is Halo, a First Person Shooter. First Person Shooters have never been popular in Japan. Ever notice how few Japanese origin FPSs there are for the various Japanese consoles? Even Metroid Prime was made by an American second party using the Nintendo Metroid license. (This is why the N64 also had a tough time over there.) I once remember noting that the Japanese seem to like fighting games the way Americans like FPSs, if I can go by the huge number of fighting games coming out of Japan and the huge number of FPSs coming out of the U. S. (I could be way off on that but I don't think I am.)
Basically, I think that there are cultural reasons why the XBox hasn't caught on in Japan that don't have anything to do with it's relative merits as a console or just cultural superiority.
All the creatures will die, And all the things will be broken. That's the law of samurai. (Jubai, 1605)
And to a degree, this used to be the way things were in America. At least, if you were part of a super powerful union. But techies don't have a union and even unions don't assure this kind of expectation anymore.
It's undestandable that company changs can lead to people having to be laid off, but the problem is that it's no longer a matter of "our company is losing money, so we can't afford to keep you". Instead, it's a matter of "our company is making a profit. In fact, we're making more money than any other year in our history. But we're not making as much as investors wished we would, so we're going to have to cut back a ton to make the numbers look good and encourage more investors so our stock goes up".
I like the place I work. It's a huge company with about 40,000 people and I'd love to work here the rest of my life. The problem is, I know that I could be fired any day of the week on a whim and that prevents me from being as loyal and dedicated as I could be. They're cutting their own nose off there in lost production and customer service because it's hard to be enthusiastic about a place that will just end up a blip on your resume.
I know that years ago people would have had one, two maybe three jobs on their resume by the end of their career. I wonder what this generation's resumes will look like in the year 2040. I bet we can expect to see ten page resumes become the norm.
As an aside, I feel really sympathetic to all employees of Xbox Japan. They are basically trying to sell ice to Eskimos (the Xbox is *that* unsuited to the Japanese market), and it's not their fault they can't. It's the boneheads at Redmond designed the stupid thing, and yet these guys are taking the fall for it. How maddening that must be.