Clear HR processes for businesses in Japan, built remotely from India
GullyHR helps businesses in Japan audit, design and document their HR processes. We work remotely from Bengaluru in English and leave legal questions to your Japanese adviser, then build the confirmed rules into your process.
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Share your requirementsIn brief
GullyHR, based in Bengaluru, helps businesses in Japan with HR audits, hiring and onboarding processes, handbooks, evaluation and promotion workflows, and manager training. We work remotely by video call and shared documents, drafting in English. We do not give legal advice or run payroll. Your local adviser confirms the rules and we build them into your HR system.
Time zone. Japan is on UTC+9 all year and does not change its clocks. India is 3 hours 30 minutes behind Japan throughout the year. Indian morning meets Japanese midday and afternoon, so calls work best between 9:30 and 13:30 India time.
Who this suits in Japan
- A Japanese company with a long-established way of working, where HR practices live in habit and in the heads of senior managers rather than in written documents.
- A Japanese subsidiary of a foreign group that must follow head-office policy while still working in a way local staff understand.
- A growing company, such as a software, services or manufacturing firm, that is hiring mid-career staff and needs clear role descriptions and review steps.
- A company that employs people from many countries and needs onboarding and handbook material in English alongside the Japanese documents.
What we do for businesses in Japan
HR audit
We review work rules, contracts, staff files, onboarding steps and management practice against a clear checklist. You receive a written report in English, with questions for your Japanese adviser marked separately.
Read more →HR process design
We map and redesign hiring, onboarding, evaluation, promotion and leave workflows. Each step has an owner and a record, so managers act consistently and decisions are easy to explain.
Read more →Employee handbook in English
We draft an English handbook and core policies for international staff. Japanese-language rules and legal wording stay open until your adviser or translator confirms them.
Read more →Performance management process
We design goal setting, review cycles, feedback conversations and rating guides. The process suits both traditional seniority-minded teams and newer role-based ones.
Read more →Manager training
We train managers online in feedback, delegation and difficult conversations, using examples that fit a hierarchical, consensus-minded workplace.
Read more →HR situations we help with in Japan
Unwritten expectations.
Many roles rely on shared understanding rather than written scope. New or non-Japanese staff then struggle to know what is expected, and managers struggle to explain it.
Foreign head office, Japanese workplace.
Policies written elsewhere often assume direct feedback and individual decision-making. They need adapting so Japanese teams and the head office share one workable process.
Consensus-based decisions.
Approvals may pass through several people before a decision is made. A written approval path for hiring, pay changes and promotions saves time and avoids confusion.
Mixed employment types.
Many workplaces combine permanent staff, fixed-term staff, part-timers and dispatched workers. Each group needs clear onboarding and communication, even where the rules differ.
Overtime and workload culture.
Long hours can become normal without anyone deciding it. Managers benefit from a simple way to see workload, record time and raise concerns early.
Mid-career and international hiring.
Companies hiring experienced people from other firms or countries need structured interviews and a clear first-ninety-days plan, so that new staff settle in and managers share the same expectations.
Local rules your adviser confirms
These are Japanese regimes an employer should confirm with a qualified local adviser, such as a labour and social security attorney. We do not state rates, limits or notice periods. We design the process around each point once your adviser confirms it.
| Topic | What we do about it |
|---|---|
| Work rules | Written rules of employment that many employers must keep and register with the authorities. We draft the HR process and an English reference version. Your adviser confirms the Japanese rules. |
| Employment contracts and conditions | The written statement of terms given at hiring. We create contract and onboarding templates. Your adviser confirms the required content and the Japanese wording. |
| Working hours and overtime agreements | Hours, overtime and the labour-management agreements that allow it. We design the recording and approval steps. Your adviser confirms what applies to your roles. |
| Leave and absence | Annual paid leave, family and care leave, and sick absence. We draft the policy structure and request flow. Entitlements go in only after your adviser confirms them. |
| Social insurance and labour insurance | Health, pension and employment-related insurance enrolment. Your adviser or payroll provider handles these. We add the joiner and leaver steps that feed them. |
| Dismissal and employment ending | Rules on ending employment are taken seriously and are a matter for your adviser. We design the documented performance and conduct steps that come before any such decision. |
| Harassment prevention | Employers have duties to prevent workplace harassment and provide a way to raise concerns. We design the reporting route and manager guide. Your adviser reviews the wording. |
| Foreign worker status | Work status for non-Japanese staff is handled by your adviser and the authorities. We build a status check into your offer and onboarding flow. |
GullyHR does not give legal advice. We design the HR process around a rule once your qualified local adviser has confirmed it.
How remote delivery works
- 1
Scoping call
A video call in the overlap hours to understand your business, team size, managers and the issues you want solved. We agree scope in writing, in English.
- 2
Document review
You share work rules, contracts, forms and sample records in a shared folder. Where documents are in Japanese, you or your translator summarise them for us. We list gaps and questions for your adviser.
- 3
Written findings
We send a written report in plain English with priorities, then go through it on a call so you can ask questions before design starts.
- 4
Design and drafting
We draft process maps, policies, templates and checklists in English in shared documents. You comment, we revise, and legal points stay marked for your adviser.
- 5
Handover and support
We hand over final documents with a short guide for managers. Your translator prepares Japanese versions where needed. We can support the process remotely afterwards.
What we do not do
- We do not give legal advice or opinions on Japanese labour law.
- We do not run payroll or make social insurance or tax filings.
- We do not handle visa, residence or work status applications.
- We do not supply contract staff or run background verification.
- We do not claim a Japanese office, registration or past Japanese clients.
Questions from businesses in Japan
GullyHR does. We are based in Bengaluru and work remotely with businesses in Japan on audits, process design, documents and training. We do not give legal advice and we work alongside your Japanese adviser.
No. We have no Japanese office or registration and we do not claim Japanese clients. This page describes the remote service we offer and how it fits with your local adviser.
Our work is done in English. Japanese-language documents, such as work rules, need a qualified translator or your adviser. We write the English process and templates so a translator can follow them exactly.
No. We name areas to check, such as work rules and working hours agreements, but your qualified adviser confirms the rules. We then build the confirmed requirement into your processes.
No. We do not compute payroll or make filings. We can design the joiner, leaver and change steps that feed your payroll provider, so the right information arrives on time.
Book a first conversation, which is free. We listen to your situation and, if useful, send a written scope and timeline. A paid HR audit is usually the first piece of work.