Last Updated on 2020-12-03 , 6:38 pm
Work-life balance and adequate rest are fast becoming a myth in fast-paced societies.
I mean, the topic’s gaining so much attention a Facebook song parody about the hardship of working life got viral.
Well, a boss in Japan believed in investing in well-rested workers and decided to put money where his mouth is.
How many bosses have promised work-life balance for their employees but couldn’t deliver on what he promised?
Not Mr Kazuhiko Moriyama, boss of Crazy Inc.
(That’s really the name of the company, and it’s so totally not crazy)
Sleep More To Earn Points
Crazy Inc., a wedding organiser in Japan decided to reward their employees for sleeping at least 6 hours per night.
If the employees are able to do that, they’ll earn points.
These points can be used to exchange for food at the company’s cafeteria worth up to 64,000 yen (S$783) per year.
Not a big amount, but considering how food’s pretty expensive in Japan, it’s huge savings for the employees.
The company will track their employees’ sleep hours through an app created by Airweave, a mattress company.
And That’s Not All This Japanese Company is Doing
Sleeping is just one small part that the company is dealing with.
They are also promoting more exercise and better nutrition among their employees, as well as providing a more positive office environment.
For parents, there is child support and employees are given the chance to take company vacations on regular business days.
According to Mr Moriyama, if you don’t protect the workers’ rights, the entire country will weaken.
Japan, The Land of Sushi And Karoshi
Japan’s like the “20-years-later” version of Singapore.
Similar to us, Japan is facing the problem of having an ageing population for the longest time.
In fact, they seemed to have an advanced version of what’s happening in Singapore when it comes to work-life balance.
Japan high living costs are no secret to most people, and to keep up with their lifestyle, the only way is to work hard.
And people in Japan are literally dying from overworking.
They call it Karoshi.
Karoshi is typically divided into 2 different categories: death from cardiovascular illness linked to overworked or suicide following work-related mental stress.
A 31-year-old journalist for Japan’s state-run broadcaster (NHK), Miwa Sado, died of congestive heart failure.
It was found that prior to her collapse, she had worked a total of 159 hours overtime covering two local elections in Tokyo.
More than 92% of Japanese people over the age of 20 said they’re not getting enough sleep in a survey.
But Here’s Something Every Boss Should Know, Even S’porean Bosses
Well-rested workers are more productive. It’s been proven that if your workers aren’t well-rested, it’ll result in at least 11.3 days of lost productivity.
In the US, US$411 billion were lost due to insufficient sleep and in Japan, the loss is estimated to be US$138 billion.
So no matter whether the team is lean, or there’s just too much work to pass around, your boss should implement a no OT policy at the workplace like Goody Feed does.
But, of course lah, if you take the rest time and stay on Instagram or play games all night long, then it’s not your boss’s fault liao.
It’s yours.
Featured Image: releon8211 / Shutterstock.com
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