Romier S Posted June 24, 2003 Report Share Posted June 24, 2003 Quite lovely way to treat folks if this is true. :roll: Microsoft cuts 17 percent of the workforce at the Japan branch. According to a new report in Nikkei BizTech, Microsoft has laid off 34 employees in the Xbox division of its Japanese offices. The layoffs apparently caused a commotion among the workers because of differences in business practices between Japan and the United States. According to the article, the Xbox division staff in Japan, which consists of approximately 200 employees, was called to a meeting at the company's Tokyo office on March 20. The staff was then told by its new division head, Par Singh, that the sales of the Xbox in Japan had been extremely disappointing, and that the company will be forcing early retirement on a number of its workers. The employees were then told to check their e-mail inboxes, in which 34 of the workers received a notice to pack their belongings and go to the conference room. The passageway to the conference room had security guards protecting all the elevators and emergency exits. The terminated employees could use the restroom only if they were accompanied by one of the retained employees. According to one of the employees who was cut, it felt as though they were treated like criminals. Upon reaching the conference room, the terminated employees were told to wait for their turn to meet with their supervisor and the human resources manager. When their turn came, the terminated employees were told that they were being laid off because their positions had been eliminated. While Japanese companies no longer hire employees for life, it is still customary to retain employees as long as they are working hard and the company has the financial resources to support them. The employees naturally reacted badly to the abrupt layoff by Microsoft. But due to the forceful nature of the company's security measures, all 34 terminated employees had no choice but to accept their premium severance pay and leave the company. The Xbox division in Japan has undergone a number of management changes since January, when division head Hirohisa Oura was transferred to Microsoft's headquarters in the US. R&D division head Toshiyuki Miyata--recruited from Sony Computer Entertainment--was also dismissed from his position. The movement toward layoffs and stricter controls of the Xbox division by the US headquarters seems to be connected to the recent declines in Microsoft Japan's business performance. Microsoft Japan will be operating under former vice president Michael Rawding starting in July, which will be the first time since the division was founded in 1986 that a non-Japanese president will be taking the seat. Source: http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/news/news_6030528.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starhawk Posted June 24, 2003 Report Share Posted June 24, 2003 From the article, it sounds like the fired employees would not seek jobs elsewhere. Is this typical for Japanese culture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbert Posted June 24, 2003 Report Share Posted June 24, 2003 Starhawk, "the company will be forcing early retirement on a number of its workers" - might be the reason for the wording. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whooter Posted June 24, 2003 Report Share Posted June 24, 2003 That really doesn't sound any different than any other IT layoff situation. Believe me, I know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted June 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 That really doesn't sound any different than any other IT layoff situation. Its nonetheless inexcusable IMHO to treat people like that regardless of how common place it may be. I speak from experience. Try being severenced by Earthlink :wink:. Treatment wasn't far from the above, even after I decided to stay with the company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Monkey Posted June 25, 2003 Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 I heard that the employees were deemed superfluous by Redmond after hiring the author of 8 Ton to turn around Japanese Xbox sales. -j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelley Posted June 25, 2003 Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 I heard that the employees were deemed superfluous by Redmond after hiring the author of 8 Ton to turn around Japanese Xbox sales. -j Man robot, that PR release doesn't go out until tomorrow. But being that you have already spoiled it: Yes J. Kli, the world famous rapper/actor/gamer/player/pimp has agreed to help MS out with Xbox Japan. First move was to can any game not using the Jedi Knight II engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyN Posted June 25, 2003 Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 Dont eve get me started about him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbert Posted June 25, 2003 Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted June 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 I think Brian takes some strange pleasure in the continuing saga of J-kli... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iainl Posted June 25, 2003 Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 Yes J. Kli, the world famous rapper/actor/gamer/player/pimp has agreed to help MS out with Xbox Japan. First move was to can any game not using the Jedi Knight II engine. Second move is to can any game that is using the JK2 engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark E Posted June 25, 2003 Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 Dont eve get me started about him Oh whine whine whine, how the hell do you think I feel? At least you don't have to put up with him hammering nails into your system's coffin every time anything happens to it. Acclaim lowers its support? Ha that system is doomed, it's a two system market only! The GameCube is available in more than one color? Ha that system is doomed, it's a two system market only! GameCube turned a profit? Ha that system is doomed, it's a two system market only! The second coming occurs and GameCube is pronounced the holiest of systems by a choir of heavenly angels and a slightly religious tortilla? Ha that system is doomed, it's a two system market only! It's like kicking a record player to deliberately cause it to skip and repeat the same damn track ever single time . He is one of two people who preclude me from even bothering to check the Other Forum anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris F Posted June 25, 2003 Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 So after playing RtCW with a certain person last night, I'm starting to see where all this stuff comes from. Also going over certain posts on the HTF as well. I'm starting to get the whole picture now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whooter Posted June 25, 2003 Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 I'm starting to get the whole picture now. In Extra-Widescreen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbert Posted June 25, 2003 Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 He is one of two people who preclude me from even bothering to check the Other Forum anymore. Am I the other? Please say I'm the other. I haven't seemed to piss anyone off in a long time, not even Walter has surfaced recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark E Posted June 25, 2003 Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 Am I the other? Please say I'm the other. Ha, no, I hate to disappoint you Brian, but while you are really blunt at times you're also one of the smartest people I see posting to both this forum and the other one. I don't read a lot of posts where I sense brainpower behind them, but yours are amongst the few. You make sense at times so it can't possibly be you . Also, I like blunt . (waits for Jay & Silent Bob jokes) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted June 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2003 Also, I like blunt I AM THE CLIT COMMANDER! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Monkey Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 Am I the other? Please say I'm the other. God, I hate you. :wink: Actually, I would put money on the other one being the one I lampooned in another thread (copied and pasted below). Post #1: I'm looking for a new car and like the VW Jetta and the Toyota Camry. Anyone know which has better fuel mileage? Post #2: I think the Camry, but you can look it up on car and driver's site. Post #3: Go with the PS2. It has a better library than the Xbox and you have to pay extra for DVD playback on the Xbox. Also, Xbox has nothing of interest to offer any gamer, in any way, at any point in history. If you disagree, I will change my arguement to slightly different and irrelevent points, incorrectly parse English, and generally avoid admitting your point, until you go blind with rage and frustration. Post #4: (my reply) -j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark E Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 Ha, actually, no, it is not the well-documented antics of anybody living above any -plexes. Despite the fact that Morgan still likes to go nowhere with his arguments and use a lot of spurious info backing them up I find him much less annoying now than he was when he first started posting, not that I really read HTF at the moment. I won't ruin this fun guessing game we have going, but the other person is actually the ONLY person on my ignore list at HTF. I'm probably the only person who's found this, but they tend to post 99% negative comments and 1% positive comments, well, ever. I have often wondered MANY times over why the hell this person even bothers playing games to begin with. Heh, that actually might be enough of a clue. It's really more like 99.5% to 0.5% though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whooter Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 Is it Romier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted June 26, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 Is it Romier? Damn, I knew it was me! (PS Joel: I didn't know I was that negative!) Seriously, I'd reckon a guess and say James H. Hes the one human being that I had to put on the ignore list because of the continual EA bitching and all around negativity. Nothing against the guy per se since I make it a point not to detest people Ive never met, but it just got annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark E Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 Romier, old boy, you are in receivership of the proverbial cookie. And you summed up the why and wherefore perfectly too. Prior to his appearance in the forums I had never seen anybody have a hobby yet profess so much vitriolic hatred towards said hobby. I mean, dude, why bother? Actually, to be honest, James is the reason why I left the HTF forums behind me. People with Jeff's mindset didn't help at all, but trying to carry on a rational discussion on the forum became an exercise in frustration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whooter Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 Damn, I knew it was me! (PS Joel: I didn't know I was that negative!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbert Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 Seriously, I'd reckon a guess and say James H. You beat me to it, Romier, that's who my real guess was going to be. Mr.M is annoying at times, but he's far from the worst poster around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iainl Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 Meanwhile, I just stopped posting there because it fell into my work's blocked sites list. Seems rather a dull reason, in comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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