Tom Nevins has told me he would like a testimonial letter for his new book. He says that for TMT our case was a financial non-event — by far the smallest fee of all his other endorsers. Basically that is his fault. He started with his minimum starting fee for consultation, knowing we were a small entrepreneurial start up. Then he got carried away, helped us out, provided all the answers and the implementation tool (resignation/termination letter) at that first initial session.

But there was not much time. We had been working with an employee who was doing very little for us, but was apparently convinced he was in charge and had us on the run. He had been to the Labor Standards Office, had a lawyer in the wings, and was all pumped up to provide us with major trouble.

Luckily we ran to the right place — TMT. We had been starting to tell him his two or three months as demonstrated during our start-up, was not worth the salary he was getting. He responded by talking the offensive and demanding his right to get a proper written contract.

With the help of Mr. Nevins we drafted a contract that no man or woman should have to sign. It involved a 60% pay cut, but that was the least of it. He had less than 24 hours to sign it if he wanted the equivalent of one month’s pay, as a severance package. Otherwise he could stay with or without signing our contract, at the 60% pay-cut, closely supervised, and work harder than he ever worked in his life.

He signed, on time. It was a strategic, immediate, and overpowering response to his inadequacies, threats and challenge. However, he was well deserving of our response. The other employees were relieved to have the bottleback he posed removed, so we owed our other staff a decisive solution. Our handling of it was quick and painless for this individual, although not self-enriching for him.

With only 12 staff in a start-up fury, we lacked resources to richly pay this person off, and we could not afford to have a poor performing, lazy, undisciplined and self-serving staff in our midst.

Our “www.eigotown.com” web site provides a useful service for all your Japanese employees learning and interested in English, and has value and content for anyone who can read English. We are here to serve that community. If you have any personnel or human resource issues click-on to Mr. Nevins. He will serve you well.

Russell Willis
Managing Director
eigo town
February 2001