Thanks Tokyowart.
With all respect to what Bubblegun posted about bonuses, they actually allow salaries to be higher than they otherwise would be because they fluctuate with company performance and the jobs in Japan which pay bonuses (which are usually paid twice a year but at the very top of the company tend to be paid only once a year) usually provide higher compensation than those that don't. They are important because it is easier to reward outstanding performance by adjusting the bonus than by committing to an increase in yearly compensation. My bonus ranges from 0 (if I or the company do poorly) to 40% (if we both do
I fully understand what you're saying, and i think it depends on the company/job, but to say salaries are higher because they have a bonus, is I think a slight of hand,or how shall i say..................... colourful accounting!
As you rightly said if the company does well, or the worker does well, then a bonus can be given, however this can be rather subjective. I would hate a teachers job/salary/bonus being dependant on a 14 year old really loving the lesson, liking the teacher, or a test result.In my case as a health care worker, I would never get a bonus because everyone dies in the cancer unit, but in the other wards, everyone survives, because its opthalmology.The psychiatric wing really has a problem because nobody gets cured. So somethings are impossible to equate or calculate.
But the OP is trying to decide if they should pay, 270,000 yen per month over a 12 months or to pay 232,000 (14months) and then give the worker the rest of THEIR salary by pretending the rest is a BONUS. From my perspective it was a salary being withheld and then given to the worker in the GUISE of a BONUS.
While I have never worked under the bonus system, mainly due to the sector I worked in above, for some jobs a bonus can be impossible to calculate, and can be subject to relationships, power, and sometimes a persons physical/mental ability, and sometimes you just can't calculate.
Someone who for example, suffers MS/depression, etc may be working much harder physically, mentally but may have had more sick time, worked harder,(resulting in more sick time, or in japans case even suicide) put in more overtime, of even turn up to work when they shouldn't, can end up get a lower bonus.
By pretending that a BONUS is a Salary I believe it is a way for a company to NOT increase the hourly rate, which has to be paid legally, thereby the company don't have to increase the prices and pass this on which results in deflation.Certainly wage deflation! It kind of seems as though Japan is in vicious circle of wage restraint, that japan is trying to dig itself out of.
Bonuses can skew what the real salary is for the majority of the people who do not receive a bonus.
I certainly think a BONUS is great,(depending on the sector) so in this case, I believe the OP should pay 271,000 yen, because that is the "true salary",they can say they can pay over 12 months,( 1 year is 12 months not 14 months as the OP said) and anything over and above that, as you rightly point out is a BONUS, because they did a good job, or the company made a a profit.
So IMHO, pay the 271,000 per month, don't pay a bonus, and let them decide what to do with their salary.
This kinda point out how although we appear to be getting more in a salary, because of the bonus, but real salaries are going down.
With so called difficulties in hiring, and so the theory goes, wages should increase, and sadly that is not happening.
https://tradingeconomics.com/japan/wages
https://tradingeconomics.com/japan/wage ... ufacturing
https://tradingeconomics.com/japan/wagesBaldrick. Trying to save the world.
