As volumes and profits have dropped in many Japan McDonald’s restaurants, managers have tried to switch to cheaper part-time workers, to reduce hours, and generally to increase the stress level on emp

Weren't they doing that already?

The last death throes of an organisation that has already made so many bad choices that they're now in a self-destruct spiral.

"As volumes and profits have dropped...managers have tried to switch to cheaper part-time workers."

The fact is that regardless of whether sales/profits are increasing or decreasing many companies(inside Japan or outside) are adopting the part-time business model. Employees are the easiest way to cut costs and it's all about appeasing shareholders and financial institutions.

Solution: Strikes and unions, the same as generations ago, since made taboo by Milton Friedman's bastard political progeny. Meanwhile, the population is propagandized into an ignorant coma, voting for the very same people intent on making such labor practices permanent.

Businesses will cut costs anyway they can. Or rather they will protect profits any way they can. A lot of people believe that profits are "evil" and companies should give away free stuff out the kindness of their hearts, but it doesn't work like that.

This is economic reality, whether you like it or not. If you can not consistently make profits, you go out of business, plain and simple. Then all workers are fired.

The quickest way protect profits is to cut costs. Hiring part time workers is an easy way to do that.

You don't get paid what you need or what you think you deserve at a job. You get paid whatever they shop owner can afford to pay you, whether you like it or not. If you think you are worth more than what you're getting paid, it's YOUR job to find a higher paying job somewhere else.

The long term solution to this is robots. There's already some pretty good burger making machines that don't require any people. These are cheaper than hiring union workers, or full time workers with all kinds of benefits.

If you don't like working part time at a fast food place, then it's up to you to increase your skills. Businesses don't exist to give people jobs. They exist to make money. If they don't make money, everybody loses their job.

The long term solution to this is robots. There's already some pretty good burger making machines that don't require any people. These are cheaper than hiring union workers, or full time workers with all kinds of benefits.

These part-timers are mostly Robot and that is the problem with these RoboBurger places. =NoBody wants RoboBurgers with the tainted Chinese beef anymore.

Except temp workers actually cost more indirectly. They need training, they make mistakes, these mistakes, lower motivation and slower working speed cost money and customers. They also increase the number of workplace accidents, which has all sorts of negative consequences.

Overall it is a false saving and the rest of idiotic and backward short-term thinking.

Sounds like they are doing really good at meeting the "increasing stress levels" goal.

I am not surprised the golden arches are hurting, VERY deservingly so!

I mean the menu is slow poison, always has been, but the scandal in China was incredibly bad & more people are realizing that all the slow poison chains are basically the same utter contempt for quality they DO ANYTHING to increase profits.

I am not against making a buck but starting about 30yrs ago its gotten more & more nasty what companies worldwide do just to make a buck, many have been making record on top of record profits on employees backs & only those at the top who ""earned"" it reap massive rewards while the rest get tiny winy "raises" or nothing at all & the company inevitably says they are waiting for more stable economy before they can afford raises.

Folks big biz & not so big biz has & will continue to SCREW YOU!

The idiots who are at the top just cant see how they are quickly killing economies worldwide, the %$@# will hit the fan & its going to get ugly as hell & there will be HELL TO PAY.

I feel very sorry for young people today, especially here in Japan because there is a whole lot more crap than corporate greed killing Japan

gaijininfo - now that's a bold statement - "businesses don't exist to give people jobs".

However - "businesses cannot exist without jobs"

Hence "jobs are an integral part of a businesses survival"

And "long term survival is certainly short circuted by panic job decision making".

Scaredy. rabbit-in-the-headlights hiring programs won't cut it in the long run.

Yoshiyona tried that and it's name is mud.

Personally I found working for some one under their conditions, being told what to do and how to do it and being paid what they felt was suitable to be distasteful at best, I am unqualified as in hold no degree so pretty much unemployable in todays corporate world, I have worked 98% of my working life for myself I make my own working conditions, do what I feel I need to do when it needs to be done, pay myself what I can afford or what I think I can and am worth.

Am my own boss, get rewarded for my own efforts. Don't need a piece of paper ( Degree ) to make a living and a good one.

If you don't like working for low wages, or don't like working long hours doing work you don't like, then you have the choice, get off your asses make yourself a job, create your own work, get yourself paid what you think you are worth.

Thing is most of you will soon find you are over paid in your current job, going on generating your own worth ( what you thin you are worth ) , you couldn't make enough..

There are however lots of opportunities for those prepared to get off their asses and think and work, make your own way in life if you don't like making some one else's way.

You think company to worker is tough on the worker, well let me tell you company to company is tougher, every company out there is trying to get one over every other company, it is tough in the real world.

Then you get the companies that fail owing you money, now that's a whole different ball game, so if you cant deal with it then keep your burger flippin day job.

Storm is right, work for yourself if you can. I know a guy in his twenties, computer hacker and he makes very good money. A thriving industry these days amongst young people who have zero chance and motivation in the " conventional" world.

@StormR Well that is great for you, having started your own business and all. This is simply not an option for most people though. These companies pay poverty wages: less than enough for the food and housing needed to survive. And starting your own business requires hundreds of thousands of dollars of your own money most of the time. Where are people with no savings supposed to get that? Banks won't exactly lend that to you with zero collateral. If you are talking about freelancing your own skills, I guess that is one thing, but finding skills people will pay for is not trivial for many people.

One thing I would like to see & that's making it illegal to offer full time work, 40hrs a week & pay poverty wages, simply should be illegal, but its not & it should be a crime!

scipantheist you like many others live in the myth that it takes 100's of 1,000's of $'s to go it alone, that's why you will always work for someone else.

If you have the get go and the right attitude you would be surprised what you can do, but too many people find it easier to put their hand out each month for more money than they are worth.

Some are not even worth the minimum wage, but expect to be paid above minimum wage.

StormR

I also work for myself & you are right you can start with next to no money, I did also but you have to turn a profit FAST!

If you can do that you can start small & build, true, but you need a good idea, good connections & kiss free time good bye certainly in the first few years but agreed it is MUCH better than working for Japan Inc, that's pretty much a guaranteed dead end from the get go for the vast majority