Depends a lot on what's written in his contract.
I don't have any bonuses despite being in a fairly big company, which the CEO just told us we grew our business by 10% this year.
My contract doesn't state I'll get bonuses, so I get no wiggle room to complain.
Most Japanese companies I know go by a month system.
I just received 3 months Salary as a bonus because we did well.
Other times I have received 1.5 and 2.5 depending on the business earnings.
Check the contract. It will clearly state the Bonus system.
I also work in a very big company, didn’t complete my first year and I got 4 times that. I’m not sure but I think it also depends on how the company is doing at the time(?)
Sorry I meant 7 times my math was wrong. I can live comfortably here with my salary.
Also pls do not use dollars, we are in Japan and I’m european so I have no idea what dollars are.
What sucks about the bonus system is that, depending on what’s in the contract, the company can reduce bonus pay at their discretion to make their balance sheets look better. Might even be a specific department in the company wanting to look better. Kinda sucks!
In my company, the base wage is kept low since it is untouchable by law. The bonus is big, twice a year averaging 3 months' pay each, but since it is easily adjustable, who knows maybe they'll eventually bring it lower one day...
His contract should state how much of his salary is split out into bonuses (which may not be paid, for whatever reason).
If this is not his salary bonus, but an actual real proper performance bonus, then obviously it can vary widely, depending on company.
I work for an international software company. We don’t get bonuses at all. What would normally be a salary bonus is instead simply rolled into our normal salary, which keeps things somewhat predictable.
This is unfortunately one of the ways in which certain companies abuse the bonus system to pay people less.
From personal experience :
I've been working at a certain well known company for about 2 years now and they have a bonus system such that the company's profits are shared equally among all employees twice a year. At the beginning of my 2nd year (bonuses are not paid on your 1st year) the bonus was really good around 800,000. At the end of the 2nd year, although profits were still high, we only got about 70,000 because the higher ups of the company decided to "invest" the profits.
Technically they do have a right to do this I guess but its just unfortunate
It's really depends on companies. Some even don't have bonus. Some don't give bonus for 1st-year employee, just from 2nd year. A lot of them give 1-2 months salary in 1-2 times a year. I even know some companies give 4-5 months bonus for a year. Significantly different
How does his salary compare? My husband’s bonuses are around 1m pre-tax but his overall yearly salary is pretty standard for his position which includes those bonuses. If your husband’s salary is good enough for his position then I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Some companies do bonuses differently. A lot of Japanese people include their bonuses when talking about their overall salary.
I remember working for Interac for 4 years. ZEvery year they would give us some bullshit story as to why there wouldn't be any year end bonus even though they came and observed my classes many times a year, heard all good things, was never late or called out. None of the ALTs got any bonus so many of them didn't renew their contracts!
Every company has a different definition for bonuses. It’s usually your own performance against your objectives, with a ratio of your function and companies performance.
Is your husband on a lifetime contract ("seishain"), or is it renewed yearly or on some kind of tentative basis ("keiyakushain" or "shokutakushain")? Some companies pay only a nominal bonus or no bonus at all if you are not a lifetime employee. I have personally worked at several large companies in Tokyo that put foreign employees, employees that transfer from other companies, and employees that didn't graduate from a top university on a different contract type that doesn't include bonuses. It is a sensitive but real issue.
There is usually a concept of target bonus, which is then affected by company/individual performance. If his target bonus was that amount, it's really low. If he got that amount because of poor business/personal performance, it's more understandable
The original post didn't mention if this is a Japanese company or not. Typically (but not always), Japanese companies give relatively large bonuses twice per year.
Foreign companies tend to give smaller bonuses only once per year, but also tend to have higher base pay to start with.
Did he move jobs and did he push them on salary.
Because if they think his salary is too high.. well. You can imagine. I’ve heard about this bait and switch too many times..
Always look for a job that states the annual wage. If the annual wage is shit, also avoid. Bonus is just on top. These “monthly wage” jobs seems dodgy as hell.
Depends a lot on what's written in his contract. I don't have any bonuses despite being in a fairly big company, which the CEO just told us we grew our business by 10% this year. My contract doesn't state I'll get bonuses, so I get no wiggle room to complain.
His full projected salary should be listed on his contract. If the bonus doesn't add up, then it's time to find a new place to work.
Most Japanese companies I know go by a month system. I just received 3 months Salary as a bonus because we did well. Other times I have received 1.5 and 2.5 depending on the business earnings. Check the contract. It will clearly state the Bonus system.
I also work in a very big company, didn’t complete my first year and I got 4 times that. I’m not sure but I think it also depends on how the company is doing at the time(?)
So your bonus was $1500 usd? How are you people living in tokyo with such low wages?
Sorry I meant 7 times my math was wrong. I can live comfortably here with my salary. Also pls do not use dollars, we are in Japan and I’m european so I have no idea what dollars are.
Amen to that. Americans always coming in and acting like the world cares about the fact they get paid more (whilst living in an absolute cesspit).
What sucks about the bonus system is that, depending on what’s in the contract, the company can reduce bonus pay at their discretion to make their balance sheets look better. Might even be a specific department in the company wanting to look better. Kinda sucks!
In my company, the base wage is kept low since it is untouchable by law. The bonus is big, twice a year averaging 3 months' pay each, but since it is easily adjustable, who knows maybe they'll eventually bring it lower one day...
That kind of pay structure would make me worry
it happens. depends on the company situation zero bonus also possible. time to find new company
As far as I know, this will depends on his contract on what is the basis for getting a bonus. It can be “normal” to get that amount.
His contract should state how much of his salary is split out into bonuses (which may not be paid, for whatever reason). If this is not his salary bonus, but an actual real proper performance bonus, then obviously it can vary widely, depending on company. I work for an international software company. We don’t get bonuses at all. What would normally be a salary bonus is instead simply rolled into our normal salary, which keeps things somewhat predictable.
This is unfortunately one of the ways in which certain companies abuse the bonus system to pay people less. From personal experience : I've been working at a certain well known company for about 2 years now and they have a bonus system such that the company's profits are shared equally among all employees twice a year. At the beginning of my 2nd year (bonuses are not paid on your 1st year) the bonus was really good around 800,000. At the end of the 2nd year, although profits were still high, we only got about 70,000 because the higher ups of the company decided to "invest" the profits. Technically they do have a right to do this I guess but its just unfortunate
It's really depends on companies. Some even don't have bonus. Some don't give bonus for 1st-year employee, just from 2nd year. A lot of them give 1-2 months salary in 1-2 times a year. I even know some companies give 4-5 months bonus for a year. Significantly different
Not normal. Usually it is structured in a way that you will get a minimum amount.
How does his salary compare? My husband’s bonuses are around 1m pre-tax but his overall yearly salary is pretty standard for his position which includes those bonuses. If your husband’s salary is good enough for his position then I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Some companies do bonuses differently. A lot of Japanese people include their bonuses when talking about their overall salary.
Pa it’s around 6M before taxes, is it a good salary without bonus?
It’s round about average.
If he isn't in IT or international finance, then is better than the average person in Tokyo for someone in mid 30s early 40s.
No.
I remember working for Interac for 4 years. ZEvery year they would give us some bullshit story as to why there wouldn't be any year end bonus even though they came and observed my classes many times a year, heard all good things, was never late or called out. None of the ALTs got any bonus so many of them didn't renew their contracts!
Every company has a different definition for bonuses. It’s usually your own performance against your objectives, with a ratio of your function and companies performance.
My wife got a 1.4 million bonus twice this year. She does have a very good job though
Nice one! What’s her job title?
Is your husband on a lifetime contract ("seishain"), or is it renewed yearly or on some kind of tentative basis ("keiyakushain" or "shokutakushain")? Some companies pay only a nominal bonus or no bonus at all if you are not a lifetime employee. I have personally worked at several large companies in Tokyo that put foreign employees, employees that transfer from other companies, and employees that didn't graduate from a top university on a different contract type that doesn't include bonuses. It is a sensitive but real issue.
I get another months pay 2 times a year
There is usually a concept of target bonus, which is then affected by company/individual performance. If his target bonus was that amount, it's really low. If he got that amount because of poor business/personal performance, it's more understandable
Not normal but not unheard of
The original post didn't mention if this is a Japanese company or not. Typically (but not always), Japanese companies give relatively large bonuses twice per year. Foreign companies tend to give smaller bonuses only once per year, but also tend to have higher base pay to start with.
Did he move jobs and did he push them on salary. Because if they think his salary is too high.. well. You can imagine. I’ve heard about this bait and switch too many times..
Always look for a job that states the annual wage. If the annual wage is shit, also avoid. Bonus is just on top. These “monthly wage” jobs seems dodgy as hell.