Overworked Japanese legally forced to take leave

[webfact]

Overworked Japanese Legally Forced to Take Leave

JAPAN: -- Death is not an occupational hazard that you’d associate with being a bus conductor, tailor, or a bank executive. But in Japan it is, and many instances of sudden death from being overworked have been recorded in Japan, so much that overworked Japanese have a word for such deaths — karoshi.

In 2013, Japanese workers availed less than half the number of days off that they were entitled to. And the economic scenario in Japan is not helping. Employees routinely put in 100 hours of overtime a month, often without pay.

Workers in Japan are entitled to a maximum of 20 days of paid leave in a month. At present, companies are not required to see that workers take paid leave, but a new law, which will most likely be passed this week, will require that companies compulsorily give paid leave to workers.

The law could usher in a cultural shift from the present situation, in which the Japanese traits of hard work and loyalty prevent them from taking leave and burdening their colleagues with work. They would rather court ill health than be perceived as the ones to disrupt productivity. The move could also encourage young Japanese to discover early on the right “work-life balance.”

(source)

Source: http://www.weirdasianews.com/2015/01/22/overworked-japanese-legally-forced-leave/

-- Weird Asia News 2015-01-23

[Costas2008]

"Workers in Japan are entitled to a maximum of 20 days of paid leave in a month."

I hope it meant to say a Year.........

Joking apart, we can see the difference between the working culture in Japan and Thailand.

Both extremes.

In Japan they don't stop working for anything.

In Thailand they don't want to work for anything.

Extremes are never good, but it is about time for Thais to learn that they have to do some effort and contribute to the Thai society.

[impulse]

Kudos to our Greek friends.

They put the Japanese to shame.... at least on paper...

http://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?DataSetCode=ANHRS

[Nemesis7]

So opposite culture from Thailand.

Here any reason or e cause they find not to work or look for holidays.

[timmyp]

I think there are lots of similarities in Japan and Thailand. For one, the supervisors in both Thailand and Japan become intoxicated with their authority, and defecate on those of lower rank just to prove who is on top. This happens everywhere in the world, but I get the impression that in Asia, people feel obliged to put up with it, it is practically written in the employee contract.

About overwork in Japan: I have worked in over ten conservative companies in Japan from 1995 to 2011, and there is alot of pretending to be busy with little work actually getting done. It's like everybody is working at 30% power, which winds up being a pretty good overall pace, I guess, but it's not the ass-busting pace that Japanese people like to claim about themselves. It is alot of running around the office, and loudly opening and closing drawers.

In Japan, every office will have one employee who is being pressured to work ridiculous hours (way more than everyone else), and risks working themselves to death. It is a form of workplace bullying that is so prevalent in Japan. Those bullied employees have been put in a position to prove their worth to the company. They have probably been set up by coworkers or supervisors to fail on a project, then they are forced to redo the project. I have witnessed this in every company I have ever worked with. It's so extreme, and so sad... sometimes it seems like the bullied employee is a bit of an aloof person, and therefore invites the abusive treatment, but not always. Every work place has someone fulfilling the role as the whipping boy. I imagine this is for the sake of group cohesion, but it is painful to watch.

The problem of the karoushi/karoshi is bullying in the workplace. While I think this change requiring workers to take days off is great, and hopefully it will reduce the overall amount of stress of office-life in Japan, it's not the reason people are working themselves to death.

Edited January 23, 2015 by timmyp

[bangon04]

"Workers in Japan are entitled to a maximum of 20 days of paid leave in a month"

So it's the Greek system, then....

[F4UCorsair]

During my time in Japan, I found it to be a country of pretenders, at work for 80 hours a week, productive for about 20, if that.

[2fishin2]

During my time in Japan, I found it to be a country of pretenders, at work for 80 hours a week, productive for about 20, if that.

I dont think "pretenders" is the right word. I think they should be called "doers". The Thais on the other hand should be called pretenders cause they dont do jack crap but play on their phones all day....

[F4UCorsair]

I can't edit my post, so continuing......

There was what I thought a stupid custom of arriving before your immediate boss and leaving after, so the most junior arrived before 6.00 am and left after 8.00pm. The big boss arrived at 11.00 and left at 3.00.

I think the 'legendary' work ethic of the Japanese is a myth, as is so much about Japan, a land of paradoxes.

Edited January 23, 2015 by F4UCorsair

[fgmr]

"Workers in Japan are entitled to a maximum of 20 days of paid leave in a month."

I hope it meant to say a Year.........

Joking apart, we can see the difference between the working culture in Japan and Thailand.

Both extremes.

In Japan they don't stop working for anything.

In Thailand they don't want to work for anything.

Extremes are never good, but it is about time for Thais to learn that they have to do some effort and contribute to the Thai society.

How many Thai manufacturing plants and garment sweatshops have you visited to come to your conclusion regarding Thais not wanting to work? I know plenty of hard working Thais many only get one day a week off. Many are forced to remain as temporary employees on lower wages and few entitlements by their employers. I dont think you have seen the farm hands, men and women who work from dawn to dusk for a pittance, no such thing as a minimum wage or paid sick leave etc.

I do wish some posters seek out the facts before jumping to unwarranted and biased conclusions.

[F4UCorsair]

During my time in Japan, I found it to be a country of pretenders, at work for 80 hours a week, productive for about 20, if that.

I dont think "pretenders" is the right word. I think they should be called "doers". The Thais on the other hand should be called pretenders cause they dont do jack crap but play on their phones all day....

Not much different in Japan, three doing the work of one, hence 100% employment, but they shuffle papers, not play on 'phones to look busy..

There is a lot to admire about Japan, their infrastructure for one (not difficult in a country of 120+ million people but not much bigger than New Zealand), but their work ethic isn't one from my observation.

Edited January 23, 2015 by F4UCorsair

[Scott]

I have not spent much time in Japan, but I have worked with and around Japanese in other countries. I found them to be very hard workers and still very Asian when it came to be deferential to those of higher status. I also noticed that the Japanese could work well independently.

Thais, on the other hand, don't tend to work as well independently, but work better cooperatively. Thais deference to those of a higher status at times means that they will do nothing until told to do it.

These are really big generalizations and I will note that there may be a difference between people who work in their home country and those that work overseas.

I have worked in a number of countries in Asia. How productive people are is questionable, but they do tend to put in long, long hours all over Asia.

There is a difference in my observation between those who live in tropical areas and those who live in temperate climates about how they work.