U.S. vs Japan at Work: Evaluation, Pay, Promotion

How Is Working in America Different from Japan?

Hello, this is Suzuki from Eco Drive.

Today I’ll be talking about the differences in work culture between America and Japan.

It’s said that Japan’s employment environment is going to change significantly in the coming years.

Lifetime employment and the seniority system are expected to end, shifting toward a job-based employment model like America’s.

Because of this, I think understanding how Americans work could be a valuable reference for Japan’s future work culture.

I hope you’ll find the information I’m about to share useful.

Watch the video version here!

I’ve Worked in Both Japan and America, Including Management Roles

Regarding my own experience, I worked at a Japanese company in Japan and gained experience both as an employee and in management.

After coming to America, although it was a Japanese-affiliated company, I worked at its U.S. subsidiary under an American boss.

Furthermore, I myself served as a manager with about 10 American employees reporting to me.

Beyond that, I also have 10 years of experience as a business owner in America.

Based on these experiences, I believe I can offer some fairly credible insights.

Now let’s get into the main topic.

1: Different Performance Evaluation Criteria in Japan and America

The first key point is about evaluation criteria.

To put it simply, in America, you get higher evaluations by properly fulfilling your defined job duties.

In America, when you’re hired, you’re first presented with clear job responsibilities.

Employees sign a contract specifying how much the company will pay for those job duties, and then they carry out those responsibilities.

When you consistently fulfill those duties well, you earn the company’s trust.

Once you’ve earned that trust, you may be offered new job responsibilities.

And when your job duties change, your salary changes accordingly.

Think of It Like a Video Game

To me, this system feels like the video game Super Mario.

Super Mario starts at World 1-1, and you have one clear objective.

When you achieve that goal, you advance to the next stage.

In this process of achieving goals, motivation and enthusiasm don’t actually matter that much.

What you need to do is clearly defined, and if you clear it, you get to move on to a different level.

Personally, I feel that’s what working in America is like.

In Japan, Job Duties Are Often Vague

On the flip side, what about Japan?

When I was working in Japan, I recall there being something called job duties written down somewhere.

But it wasn’t very detailed, and as I remember, only sales positions had truly clear job descriptions.

In Japan, job duties tend to be vague, and it’s more about following your boss’s instructions.

What your boss says essentially becomes the company rules, and you’re expected to follow their directions properly.

But just doing what you’re told won’t get you promoted.

To move up, you need to be liked by your boss, consistently exceed their expectations, and only then will you be given a new position—at least that’s how I remember it.

America Expects You to Deliver Exactly What’s Required

Because of this, in Japan, people do unpaid overtime to impress their boss, proactively look for work, and help out colleagues who are struggling.

I think this kind of self-promotion is characteristic of Japanese work culture.

As a result, Japan emphasizes the quantity of work, while America emphasizes the quality of work.

Also, while Japan expects you to exceed expectations, America expects you to reliably deliver exactly what’s required.

I believe this is one of the biggest differences between Japanese and American work culture.

2: Meritocracy and Job Descriptions

The second key point is about meritocracy and job descriptions.

In America, it’s a tough world where you can be fired immediately if you can’t perform your job duties.

Concepts like Japan’s seniority system and lifetime employment don’t exist in America.

Getting paid to work means you’re viewed as a professional.

So you need to be able to contribute immediately.

There’s Little Training for New Employees Like in Japan

There’s hardly any training system—the mentality is “this isn’t a school.”

You’re hired on the assumption that you can do the job, so if you can’t become a productive asset immediately after starting, you’ll get fired.

When you’re hired, there are clear job duties, and you sign a contract specifying how much you’ll be paid for those duties.

So if those job duties aren’t fulfilled, it’s essentially viewed as a breach of contract.

In that case, either your salary gets cut, or you’re told “we no longer need you” and let go.

America Demands Professional-Level Work

This is similar to how professional athletes operate, isn’t it?

Like professional baseball players or tennis players—if you can’t fulfill your given role, you’re told “the company no longer needs you.”

While this may seem harsh, it’s also clear and fair.

Since your role and what’s expected of you are crystal clear, you can give it your all toward those goals.

This meritocratic environment also constantly encourages personal growth.

Because honing your skills and increasing your value directly leads to career advancement and salary increases.

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3: Family-First Work Culture

The third key point is the family-first culture.

In America, people don’t do unpaid overtime—they leave right on time.

When quitting time comes, everyone heads home right away.

It’s also very easy to take time off.

There’s paid leave, of course, but also unpaid leave options.

You need to request it in advance, but you can take time off relatively freely.

Taking Time Off for Family Events Is Normal

When there are family events—like a child’s birthday or a birthday party for a child’s friend—people proactively take time off or leave early to attend.

Usually, parents need to bring their children, so parents handle the drop-off and pick-up.

Speaking of transportation, American school customs are quite distinctive.

Parents drive their kids to school all the way through high school.

Even for high schoolers, parents drive them to school in the morning and pick them up afterward.

The System Is Built Around Parents Driving Their Kids

For dual-income families, it’s quite common to pause work, pick up the kids, come home, and then get back to work.

Also, if a child has a fever or gets a minor injury, when the school calls, the parent goes to pick them up.

Companies are completely fine with this, of course.

Society wouldn’t function otherwise, and bosses are often in the same situation themselves.

If your own child gets a fever, you have to go pick them up—there’s an environment of mutual understanding.

Since family-first is part of the culture throughout society, everyone does this as a matter of course.

Taking Paid Leave Was Difficult in Japan

What about Japan, on the other hand?

When I was working in Japan, there was definitely an atmosphere where leaving early for children’s matters was difficult.

Especially when trying to take paid leave, my boss was very uncooperative.

When I was working at a Japanese company, I never took paid leave.

This was about 20 years ago, so things may have changed now, but I feel like there wasn’t even a good way to check how much paid leave you had remaining.

Of course, I could have contacted HR, but it wasn’t displayed in a visible format, and my boss never brought it up either.

Because of this, I remember there was an atmosphere where taking the initiative to use paid leave for family time wasn’t possible—or at least didn’t feel possible.