Introduction
I joined a new company in November and started working as an embedded engineer on an indefinite-term dispatch contract.
In my previous article, I shared my impressions of my first day, including the good points and the things that concerned me about the work environment.
And then, on my second day assigned to the site.
I am already starting to think about quitting.
That said, it is not because something unbearable happened like when I quit a previous company after just two days.
The work environment itself is by no means bad, and I intend to continue commuting for the time being.
However, there is something I felt again on my second day.
Remote work is truly justice after all.
In this post, I will write about what I learned on my second day and the reasons why I have started thinking about changing jobs again.
Remote work ended in 2023
On my second day, I was checking past posts left in the Teams channel.
That was when I learned a certain fact.
In this workplace, remote work was introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it ended in 2023.
In other words, despite having utilized remote work in the past, the current policy is to work from the office in principle.
I initially thought that coming into the office was required for security reasons.
In embedded development, there are many tasks that involve verification using actual hardware or handling highly confidential information.
Therefore, I fully understand that there are situations where coming into the office is necessary.
However, what I learned this time is the fact that they were at least implementing remote work in the past.
Of course, it is possible that the work content and security requirements are different now compared to back then.
Even so, I felt skeptical about the circumstances where workplaces that had implemented remote work returned to a mandatory in-office policy as the COVID-19 pandemic subsided.
I don’t think it’s rare for companies to have introduced remote work due to the pandemic and then returned to a five-day in-office work week.
However, I cannot agree with this trend.
If the environment allows for remote work, shouldn’t we be actively utilizing it?
I believe we should judge based on which work style is better suited for the tasks, rather than assuming there is inherent value in coming to the office itself.
I am more productive when working remotely
Previously, I also wrote about remote work in the following article.
I have personally experienced both in-office work and remote work.
Based on that, I feel that I am overwhelmingly more productive when working remotely.
There are several reasons for this.
First, it eliminates the need for commuting.
Daily commuting not only consumes time but also drains physical energy.
Just being able to dedicate that time to sleep, housework, or study can significantly change one’s quality of life.
Also, at home, I can set up a work environment that suits me.
In the office, I sometimes find myself distracted by surrounding conversations, phone calls, or meetings.
On the other hand, at home, I can concentrate on my work without being disturbed by ambient noise.
Of course, there are situations where face-to-face communication is necessary.
However, does that justify coming into the office every day?
There should be options like coming to the office only when necessary, or only a few days a week.
I am not saying that remote work should be unconditionally approved.
I believe that coming into the office is necessary for tasks that require physical equipment or have security constraints.
However, I believe that there is no need to make coming into the office a prerequisite for work that can be done without it.
For me, remote work is not just a benefit.
It is an essential condition for increasing productivity and continuing to work for a long time.
Forced to listen to someone being scolded for over an hour
On my second day, there was another incident that bothered me.
It concerns the people sitting across from me.
I am not directly involved in their work, but we are technically on the same team.
Two of them seemed to be conducting some kind of review via a web conference.
However, the exchange was extremely unpleasant.
One person was being reprimanded in a harsh tone by the other, point by point.
I don’t know the specific details of the work, but it sounded like they were being spoken to in a harsh tone every time they received feedback.
I was forced to listen to that exchange for over an hour.
Of course, I understand that there are times when work-related feedback is necessary.
However, shouldn’t there be some consideration for how that feedback is delivered?
I cannot judge whether this exchange constitutes power harassment.
But it is a fact that the tone was at least harsh enough to make me, an unrelated party, feel uncomfortable listening to it.
What bothered me even more was that they were using a web conference to communicate despite sitting right next to each other.
Perhaps there were other participants, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with using web conferencing itself.
However, if they were going to have such a harsh exchange for such a long time, wouldn’t it have been better to show some consideration for those around them, such as by using a meeting room?
Even though I was not participating in that meeting, I ended up working for over an hour while listening to others being blamed.
Naturally, this also affects my concentration.
And here, I thought once again.
Remote work is truly justice.
If I were at home, at least I wouldn’t be forced to listen endlessly to the contents of a meeting I’m not even part of.
As long as you work in an office, it is unavoidable to hear the conversations around you.
However, if that causes productivity to drop, then what is the point of coming into the office?
There are benefits to working face-to-face, but I felt once again that coming to the office does not necessarily increase productivity.
Even a major group company is not necessarily the prime contractor
There is one more thing that bothered me at this current site.
That is regarding the business flow.
The current site is a project involving a group company of a major corporation.
I initially thought that the group company was in the position of the prime contractor.
However, I had the opportunity to fill out an application form on the second day, and that perception changed.
The application form had a section to list the current assigned company as a partner company to the final client company.
In other words, I realized that at the very least, the client company and the assigned company are in different positions.
Since I work under an indefinite-term dispatch contract, strictly speaking, terms like primary contractor or secondary contractor in a service agreement do not apply directly.
Also, I cannot judge the entire picture of the contractual relationship just from the entry on the application form.
Even so, I realized that just because it is a major group company, it does not necessarily mean they are in the position of the prime contractor.
Honestly, I was a little disappointed.
I have been involved in automotive embedded development until now, and I feel that this industry tends to have deep commercial distribution channels.
It is a structure where multiple companies are involved, such as prime contractors, partner companies, and their subcontractors.
Of course, just because the commercial distribution is deep does not necessarily mean the work content will be bad.
However, when thinking about working as an engineer for a long time, I have a desire to place myself in an environment where I can proceed with development proactively within my own company as much as possible.
Through this incident, it became an opportunity for me to rethink my future way of working.
Actually, I am moving forward with discussions again with a company that previously offered me a job
I have written this far, but actually, I am currently considering changing jobs to another company.
It is the company I introduced in the following article before.
It is the company ⑧ introduced in this article.
This company is an enterprise that had offered me a job during my previous job-hunting activities.
Unlike my current company, it is not an SES company, and it is an environment where full remote work is possible.
Moreover, they said that full remote work is possible even during the training period.
For me, these are very attractive conditions.
On the other hand, my current company requires coming to the office in principle.
Although I knew this before joining, once I actually started working, I strongly feel the disadvantages of not being able to work remotely.
And this incident on the second day became a major trigger for me to consider changing jobs.
Condition presentation interview on November 9th. Will the desired annual salary of 6 million yen be realized?
With company ⑧, I have a condition presentation interview scheduled after work on November 9th.
In the previous interview, I had conveyed 6 million yen as my desired annual salary.
The reaction of the person in charge at that time still remains in my memory.
That is quite high. You must have been that talented.
It was an indescribable reaction.
I was a bit unsure whether I was being complimented or being told that my requested salary was too high.
However, I intended to convey my requested salary based on my experience to date.
I have experience in automotive embedded development, ranging from design to implementation and testing.
If that experience is valued, I do not think a requested annual salary of 6 million yen is reckless at all.
That said, I still do not know what kind of conditions will ultimately be offered.
My current company has offered conditions that exceed my expectations in terms of salary.
Therefore, just because full remote work is possible, I do not intend to change jobs if it means a significant pay cut.
For me, a monthly salary of 350,000 yen or more is one benchmark.
Since the bonus is said to be about 4 months’ worth, a monthly salary of 350,000 yen would result in an annual income of 5.6 million yen.
It does not reach my desired annual income of 6 million yen, but considering the full remote work style, it is a condition I can fully consider.
Conversely, if it is less than a monthly salary of 350,000 yen, I would like to take it home and think about it carefully.
If the conditions meet my expectations, I am also considering accepting on the spot.
I am looking forward to the interview a little now.
Should I quit at the end of November, or at the end of December?
Assuming I decide to join company ⑧, the next issue will be the timing of my resignation.
My current project has an initial dispatch contract that runs until the end of December.
Therefore, I think quitting at the end of December is the most natural way to do it.
On the other hand, if possible, I am also thinking about quitting at the end of November and joining the new company in December.
At company ⑧, a training period is scheduled to be provided after joining.
Also, it was mentioned that participation in the project site would depend on the timing of the project.
Considering that contracts are generally in three-month increments, it is possible that the flow could be joining in December, undergoing training, and then participating in a project starting in January.
Of course, this is just my speculation.
I would like to confirm with company ⑧ when it would be desirable to actually join.
At my current company, the policy is that resignation must be notified at least one month in advance.
Therefore, if I wish to resign at the end of November after the interview on November 9th, I will need to coordinate with the company.
Also, there is a possibility that this will cause trouble for my current project site.
I fully understand that point.
However, since I have only just joined, I also feel that it might be better to decide on a direction now.
On the other hand, if I work until the end of December, I can use the end of the initial contract as a natural stopping point.
Therefore, I am thinking of keeping both a November-end resignation and a December-end resignation in view, and making a decision based on the results of the conditional offer interview accordingly.
I am not quitting after two days this time
Reading this far, you might think I am going to have another short-term resignation.
In fact, I have previously had the experience of resigning just two days after joining a company.
However, the situation this time is different from that time.
My current workplace also has its good points.
In terms of equipment, a brand-new PC and headset are provided, and I can also use two 27-inch 4K monitors.
Regarding the work content, I have not yet been involved in it in earnest, so I cannot make a judgment at this point.
Above all, it is not that I cannot bear the act of commuting itself like I did before.
Therefore, I intend to continue commuting for the time being.
Of course, if the conditions at the new company do not meet my expectations, I am also considering continuing to work at my current company.
However, if a position allows for full remote work and offers satisfactory salary conditions, there is sufficient reason to change jobs.
I understand that repeatedly leaving jobs after a short period is not ideal.
Even so, when I think about working for a long time in the future, I believe it is important to choose a work style that suits me.
Conclusion | Remote work is truly the best
Only two days since joining the company.
Although I am still at a stage where I do not fully understand the job content, I have already started thinking about changing jobs.
What I felt once again this time is just how important remote work is to me.
I do not want to deny the act of commuting itself.
I believe there is meaning in commuting for tasks that require using actual equipment or situations where face-to-face communication is necessary.
However, is it necessary to force employees to commute for tasks that can be carried out without any issues through remote work?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies introduced remote work.
Even after that experience, I feel skeptical about returning to the previous work style centered on commuting.
Isn’t what matters not whether you are commuting, but how much you can achieve?
At the very least, for me, an environment where I can work with focus at home is more attractive than commuting to the office every day.
And I believe that it is in such an environment that I can maximize my abilities.
Remote work is truly the best.
What kind of conditions will be presented at the condition negotiation meeting on November 9th?
I am actually looking forward to it a little now.
Depending on the conditions, I might end up changing jobs again after just one or two months.
I will write another article about what happens next.
