Pros
- The company itself is somewhat stable due to many loyal Japanese SME clients. if you have some basic IT skill and no intention for further growth, this company can be a good place to "lie flat". - Work–life balance is better than many Singapore SMEs. Minimal OT. -> Working hour is indeed good, benefit is average at best, also no flexible work arrangement at all. - An uncommon chance to experience an authentic Japanese style workplace in Singapore. /s -> For those who still wears colour filtered glass on Japan due to Anime, J Drama, J Pop, etc., perhaps this company can really make or break you.
Cons
The Ultimate Red Flag: - No transparency in performance evaluation. In this company there is no clear KPI, no regular performance review, no evaluation framwork. The boss can shift the goal post at will, to suit his own purpose. For example if he decides to remove you, there will be no feedback session or PIP. - In the company Japanese is used openly, widely and in front of non-Japanese speakers. Japanese employees stick within their own circle and do not make much effort to socialize with non-Japanese speakers. -> if you want a inclusive and hamonious working environment, this company is not the right place. - Rigid hierarchy. Feedback and suggestions from frontline employees has no impact, the management rarely listens or acts. -> if you want to make improvement to the workplace and the team, this company is not the right place. - Poor internal communication. “Keeping things to yourself” is part of the culture. A lot of hidden or obscure information that makes work unnecessarily difficult. -> if you want to work transparently and efficiently, this company is not the right place . - No structured training or learning. Employees are expected to “learn by doing” but support and guidance is limited because overall technical depth within the company is very shallow, most of the time stays at L1 support level. -> if you want growth and career development, this company is not the right place. - Focus on minor, niche, meaningless details while neglecting big pictures and root causes. This applies to both internal process and external communication. For example the company has a bunch of rules and guidelines but nobody bother to follow. -> if you want to leave positive impact and contribution, this company is not the right place.
