Japan has made headlines a few months back for literally working their employees to death. They even have an official term for it: karoshi or death from overwork.
“Compulsory” Overtime
Japanese has a work culture where spending long hours at the office is considered the norm. In fact, 12-hour work days are hardly out of the ordinary.
In a culture where taking more leave than necessary and leaving office earlier is seen as slacking off, it’s no wonder the Japanese think of OT as necessary.
It doesn’t hurt that the trade unions in the country traditionally focus more on negotiating for higher pay for their members.
Every year, hundreds of Japanese people worked themselves to death according to Washington Post, most of which are young Japanese people in their 20s.
24-year-old Matsuri Takahashi
Young Matsuri Takahashi from advertising company Dentsu Inc is the latest victim of karoshi.
In a single month, she has worked 105 hours overtime. In a country where a basic workweek consists of 40 hours, that means she has worked at least 265 hours that month.
The incident has forced the advertising giant to review its OT regulations. Instead of 70 hours, workers won’t be allowed to clock more than 65 hours of OT per month from November.
Legislation to improve Work-Life Balance of Japanese People
The Japanese government has been working towards improving the work situation of the Japanese people by putting into place regulations that force companies to stop overworking their employees.
More than a quarter of companies reported that their employees logged more than 80 hours overtime per month and about 21% of employees worked more than 49 hours per week.
Japan is looking to change the way its people work through legislations and the cooperation of the companies.
It’s an economical issue as well
“Workplace reform isn’t just a societal issue, it’s an economic one as well,” – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Japan faces an ageing population and a shrinking workforce. It will be seeking to bolster the numbers by bringing in more overseas workers.
Featured Image: straitstimes.com
This article was first published on goodyfeed.com
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