Good way to negotiate compensation at Japanese company

Japanese companies have a culture of not negotiating individual salaries each time. This is different from American and European companies that can negotiate on individual circumstances. So how can foreigners negotiate good rewards in Japan?

Larger companies usually have a salary increase table, and each position will only be promoted within that range. The salary promotion table does not have such a range, and there is no difference between a person who has achieved considerably excellent results and a person at a lower level.

Basically, the salary increase table determines the amount of salary increase, that is, the fixed salary for the next year, so it is not possible to negotiate the salary of each person. Once the fixed salary for the next year is decided, the employee will only be notified on the salary statement.

So when do you negotiate?

Recently, in Japan, one-on-one interviews with bosses and performance feedback interviews are held. Let's take advantage of that opportunity.

But don't talk about salary suddenly. Moreover, if you are in the same grade, you cannot expect a big salary increase.

First of all, I want to play an active part in the next grade, so let's hope for promotion. Without promotion, there can be no big jump in salary.

Recently, even in Japan, it has become a performance-based approach, and there is a tendency to appoint young people who have a solid track record and are motivated to the top posts. Your salary will increase automatically as you move up your job title.

Let's draw the case of other companies

Salary levels in Japan are sensitive to comparisons with other companies. In particular, if you objectively know that your salary will be lower than that of your rival company, let's try it. The salaries of rival companies can now be found online and on SNS. At this rate, employers may have to raise their salaries if they find that a large number of human resources will be pulled out by rival companies.

Let's use the labor union

Although it is not an individual application, there are many labor unions in Japan. Usually, there are many trade unions inside or outside the organization, although the organization rate is declining. In Japan, it has a relatively high bargaining power. It is also a good idea to ask the labor union to raise the overall salary and pay bonuses.