OK To Call Your Boss "Baka"

[Mulboyne]

Mainichi: Court invalidates sacking of Japanese-Brazilian who called boss 'idiot'
The Nagoya District Court on Wednesday invalidated a company's sacking of a third-generation Japanese-Brazilian who called his boss an idiot [bakayaro], saying the company had abused its right of dismissal. Ruling in favor of the 35-year-old worker, the court said sacking the worker for calling his boss an idiot was unacceptable. "The firing is not acceptable under current social standards, and it was an abuse of the right of dismissal," Judge Toshiro Tamiya said as the ruling was handed down...He had been working as an interpreter from the job placement firm's Toyohashi business office, but in June last year, he got into an argument with his boss over the procedures for acquiring paid holidays, and called his boss an idiot. In response, the company sacked him in July saying he had "disrupted order in the workplace." In giving a reason for invalidating the dismissal, Tamiya said, "The defendant also worked outside normal hours at the company, and considering that there were no problems with his work attitude, it cannot be said that there were rational grounds for the dismissal, such as the comment he made preventing work from being carried out smoothly"...more...

[omae mona]

I will leave the "wow, they ruled in favor of a gaijin???" commentary to others, but what fascinates me here is the question about labor law in Japan. Is this judge interpreting the law correctly? Can an employee say anything he wants in the workplace as long as he works enough hours and completes his work?

[dimwit]

Since I am my own employer, my underlings otherwise known as my wife and son are always calling me Baka, so I can't have much sympathy for the boss.

[Socratesabroad]

[amdg]

I will leave the "wow, they ruled in favor of a gaijin???" commentary to others, but what fascinates me here is the question about labor law in Japan. Is this judge interpreting the law correctly? Can an employee say anything he wants in the workplace as long as he works enough hours and completes his work?

I don't think that's a conclusion we can draw. Surely there is a spectrum of insults and insulting behavior that, at a certain threshold level and above, would constitute a serious disruption in the workplace and would trigger the requirements for dismissal for cause. It just seems like in this case the employee's actions didn't cross that threshold.

[Charles]

Since I am my own employer, my underlings otherwise known as my wife and son are always calling me Baka, so I can't have much sympathy for the boss.

With a wife and kids, I figured you'd have a better handle on the concept of "who's the boss."

[Samurai_Jerk]

I will leave the "wow, they ruled in favor of a gaijin???" commentary to others, but what fascinates me here is the question about labor law in Japan. Is this judge interpreting the law correctly? Can an employee say anything he wants in the workplace as long as he works enough hours and completes his work?

Labor laws when it comes to firing people are actually pretty strict in Japan. It ain't that easy to do.

[GomiGirl]

Since I am my own employer, my underlings otherwise known as my wife and son are always calling me Baka, so I can't have much sympathy for the boss.

Shhhh don't mention this around my staff.. I am sure my staff call me Baka often, just not within my earshot. But then I can freeze water at 20 paces with a stare so they are kinda afraid of me at times.

[Greji]

Shhhh don't mention this around my staff.. I am sure my staff call me Baka often, just not within my earshot. But then I can freeze water at 20 paces with a stare so they are kinda afraid of me at times.

[color="Red"][SIZE="5"]BAKA![/SIZE][/color] [color="Blue"]Brrrr, damn it sure got cold here all of a sudden![/color]