Jason Irwin dot Net

Swimming Against the Tide

April 22, 2009 Working in Japan

Many people are feeling anxious during this economic slump but, for some, this could be the moment of opportunity that we’ve been looking for to seize the job that we want.  During times of economic prosperity, companies may be less inclined to listen to what their employees can truly offer to the organization.  However, considering the number of people that have been laid off, now might be the best time to show why we are one of the many people that should be retained.

Sound impossible?  It doesn’t have to be.

As many of you already know, I am currently an English Language Instructor in Japan who is looking for a way to get back into computer programming or database development … preferrably both.  That said, because of my weak Japanese skills, there have been few opportinities to speak with companies where I might be able to offer the greatest return.  However, despite not having the ability to effectively communicate in this country, there are always options and ways to advance one’s career.

Over the last year I have been engaged in some subtle (and not-so-subtle) self-promotion around the office, letting people know what I am looking to help the company solve business problems with some solutions in the form of software and systems.  On top of this, I’ve been pitching some ideas that might help with sales or otherwise save the company some money without costing anyone their job.  To compliment both of these tactics, I’ve also been offering freebies to prove my points.

But to what end, you ask?  I’ve been pushing for a full year and still barely scratched the surface with my employer, you say?  Well … that’s true.  In Japan, when a person is hired to do a certain task, they’re expected to do only that task.  That doesn’t mean we can’t try, though.

Mild Self-Promotion

The word “mild” needs to be stressed here.  I’ve made this mistake several times in the past where I would come on way too strong about what I wanted to offer my employer, and it was seen as arrogance.  This is the last thing that people would want to have associated with them at work, so the idea is to be real low-key with what we can do.

One of the tactics that I have found to be relatively subtle involves answering computer-related questions for people, and mentioning how some simple programs could improve the company’s image with our customers.  This is most useful when co-workers are complaining about one thing or another, as they may be more receptive to solutions.  Agreeing that something needs to be fixed is a good way to gain allies with our own ideas.

What’s really nice about this is that it flows effortly to the next idea …

Pitching Ideas

The nice thing about pitching ideas is that it’s far more positive than complaining.  Managers notice this.  By pitching different ideas, we not only have a platform to showcase what skills we have that can help the organization, but we also open a dialogue that could lead to positions of greater responsibility in the future.  Naturally, many of our ideas may be rejected by managers for various reasons, but this shouldn’t stop us from being part of the solution rather than the problem.  This has been my area of focus for well over eight months and, despite months of inaction and being brushed aside by members of the head office, things are starting to take shape in a meaningful way.

But, as with anything, a company might recognize a good idea when they hear it, but might not have the resources to implement it.  This is where the next item becomes our next great step towards the goal …

Offering Freebies

Since December of last year, I have been plugging away on several custom applications for my employer.  That said, very few of them have been implemented.  There are literally several hundreds of hours of development invested into these applications that are aimed at solving some key business problems facing the organization.  How much have I been paid for this work?  Almost nadda.  Does this get me down?  You bet.  But I’m not about to give up.

By offering freebies, we can more effectively prove that we know what we’re talking about, and that we have the requisite skills to help the organization in another way.  On top of this, the company has something tangible to look at and examine.  When it comes to software, most companies honestly have no idea what they actually need to solve a problem … but they usually know what they don’t need.  With an application in front of them, they will be able to look at a screen and see things they like, and don’t like.  From there, they may (hopefully) ask for some modifications and you can be on your way to a nice sideways promotion in the organization.

But there may be some problems along the way …

Possible Consequences

I speak from experience when I say that there are more things that can go wrong with this tactic than seems possible.  By offering solutions we may unknowingly come on a bit too strong and appear agressive.  We could be giving pressure to our managers who are often stuck in the undesirable position of being the middleman between front-line employees who seek change and upper or middle managers who seek compliance.  We can make enemies of co-workers who might think that we’re looking down on their jobs or (as I’ve seen with previous employers) they might think we’re trying to replace them.

Over the last fifteen years I have seen just how quickly good intentions and carefully laid plans for advancement can collapse.  More often than not it’s through a combination of frustration and impatience, but there are also situations where co-workers will feel threatened by what we can offer and take matters into their own hands.

We also need to consider what kind of working environment we’re in.  Luckily, I am employed by a Japanese-owned company that has a large number of non-Japanese managers.  This affords quite a bit more leeway than one might have at other Japanese companies.  Yet regardless of who owns or runs the company, we must keep in mind whether new ideas are rewarded or beaten away with a big stick.

However, thanks to this very painful economic recession, there are more opportunities for people who do not want to simply eke by to grab a little more attention from their managers and move into a career that better suits them.  Companies want to cut costs, and people are their biggest asset.  It’s up to us to show them how to better leverage those assets so that there aren’t more of us facing the unwelcome prospect of unemployment.

So what do you think?  Does this sound realistic?  Do you see any positives in the world today, or have I created a delusion around myself over this past year to think that I might actually be making inroads with my employer to do computer work?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Tags: advance, career, employment, promotion