Chapter 562: A Woman’s Mercy

At noon, Masayoshi Kishimoto went to Natsui Makoto’s place for lunch as usual. After he entered, it was his habit to go straight to the nursery to see his pair of children. He would have fun with the children for a while, and only then would he sit down at the table to eat.

Natsui Makoto purposely opened a bottle of champagne King Don Perignon, smiling like a flower, said: ”I just watched the Tokyo TV financial news report today, the Hard Gold Group successfully acquired the Literary Spring and Autumn Publishing House. Congratulations on your career is toward the front of another new development.”

“Thanks. However, I did hear that Inoue Kamiji and the others were arguing endlessly again this morning. In the end, I personally gave them their respective cakes, that is, the Literary Spring and Autumn Publishing Society was divided into three by me and merged into Hard Gold Bank, Hard Gold Media, and Hard Gold Construction respectively.” Justice Kishimoto truthfully said.

“Hearing you say that, wouldn’t that mean that many people would lose their jobs?” Natsui Makoto asked seriously.

“Layoffs are an inevitable thing. The main targets of this layoff should be focused on the administrative, logistical clerical staff of the Literary Spring and Autumn Publishing House.

Of course, the Literary Spring and Autumn Publishing House’s personnel department will likewise suffer layoffs. If they wanted to keep themselves from being laid off, then they would have to find ways and means to fulfill the tasks that Takayuki Nanno had assigned to each and every one of them.

On top of that, regardless of that department, those who perform poorly and are older will also be laid off. One of the plans that Takayuki Minamino gave me was to lay off nearly one-third of the staff of Literary Spring and Autumn Publishing.

This was a massive layoff plan. For that reason, both Takahashi and Yuya have started working on the necessary countermeasures.” Masayoshi Kishimoto picked up a champagne glass and took a sip, saying.

“Isn’t it possible to not lay off so many people?” Natsui Makoto asked innocently.

“One carrot, one pit, no home company would keep idle people for nothing. The purpose of paying them a salary is to let them work and make money for the company.

They only get paid one yen for every five they earn. That doesn’t mean the company takes four yen outright. There are taxes, utilities, and other costs consumed that have to be deducted from it.” Masayoshi Kishimoto hit the nail on the head.

Having been unemployed, Natsui Makoto naturally understood that the pain caused by unemployment was having no money. If one had some savings, one would not be so anxious.

If one had no savings but still had debts, one would be especially anxious. Not only in Japan, but in any country, unemployment benefits are not easy to get.

Even if an individual is fully qualified to be able to get unemployment benefits, you don’t just lose your job and get it the next day or in a short period of time.

You need to go through a long process of submitting your documents to the relevant authorities, and then waiting for quite some time before you can get the unemployment benefits that won’t make you hungry.

During this process, it is inevitable that you will not encounter humiliation and stares. Unemployment benefits don’t last forever. One or two years is the most common, and the U.S. is supposed to be the best in the world, with a maximum of five years.

After that, you are basically left to fend for yourself. Even in the advanced capitalist countries of Europe and America, it’s actually not as good as it’s labeled.

If you can’t make it, you might be able to get some food relief or something like that. Otherwise, it’s just a case of queuing up for food at the dragon-ridden soup kitchens.

There are only a very limited number of places in the soup kitchens every day. If this were not the case, there would not be so many street people in Europe and America. Even if you are able to collect unemployment benefits for five years, it does not mean that you will necessarily be able to get back to work.

Often, once you lose your job, the average administrative, logistical type, older …… person will become quite difficult to reenter the workforce. They will start out actively looking for work until they have to give up.

Masayoshi Kishimoto looked at her worried look on behalf of others and said, “Do you know that there is such a saying, women’s benevolence. If you don’t make the necessary layoffs, it will make the company’s operating costs go up, and profits will go down with it.

Once there is a change in the general environment, it can jeopardize the company. The biggest victims of these layoffs are generally the general employees.

The reason why any company keeps young people and fires middle-aged and old people is that young people are more motivated and are paid less. In the long run, it will be more cost effective to keep the young.

The middle-aged and the elderly are just rusty screws that can be replaced at any time, as long as they do not possess important skills or core competencies.

But there is no way around it. Shareholders, especially the major shareholders of the company are looking at performance reports, which means that the money they invest in is not for charity, but rather to make money.”

“You alone are in charge of the Hard Gold Group. Even if there are some shareholders around, they are all small shareholders. Their combined shares don’t exceed 5%.

Those 95% of shares are firmly in your hands.” Natsui Makoto spoke the words she heard from the financial program on TV.

“You’re pleading in front of me on behalf of some insignificant people?” Justice Kishimoto asked calmly.

“Personally, I feel that it’s not easy for everyone. Without a job, they are not starving to death on the streets, but they certainly have mental anguish. You should also properly sympathize with the difficulties of the ordinary employees.” Natsui Makoto griped.

“Then who will sympathize with my difficulties? It’s not just the ordinary employees who will be laid off, but the management will be laid off even more. In terms of their respective proportions, the former is considered small, while the latter is considered big.” Masayoshi Kishimoto said bluntly.

“Why are you only laying off the staff on the Literary Spring Publishing House side, but not the staff on your side?” Natsui Makoto was a little confused.

She felt that since Literary Spring and Autumn Publishing House had been acquired by the Hard Gold Group, it meant that we were all one company.

“Get it straight, I’m the one who ate it, not it eating me. If Literary Spring and Autumn Publishing acquired Hard Gold Group, do you think the other side would lay off its own people?

At that time, not only me, but also a large number of people below me will either be laid off by the other party or undergo a marginalization by the other party.

What does this mean? It shows once again that following the right person and following the wrong person will result in completely different situations. Not to mention that if I don’t vacate my position from the Literary Spring and Autumn Publishing House side, then how can those capable, competent, and meritorious people on my side get to the top?

They don’t follow me to get promoted and get a raise, is it hard to believe that they will try to do something else? The so-called ideal, only at the same time have the strength of people can say reality. The so-called weakness is a sin.” Masayoshi Kishimoto said in a serious manner.

Natsui Makoto said with emotion, “The feeling you give me is getting more and more terrifying, no longer the man I initially knew who was able to stand in line with me to buy snapper yaki in the middle of winter.”