Japan has a term for death for overwork and that is Karoshi. Hundreds are reported every year because of this but the real numbers are said to be at least 10 times more for unreported cases.
But why does Japanese work so hard?
Hardworking Japanese
Japan has one of the longest working hours in the world that Japanese people literally die for working too much. As you read further, you will know the reasons and what are the preventive measures being implemented by both the government and their companies itself.
Overtime Work Culture
Japanese are known to work very late so much as often they go home late in the morning but a Japanese being hardworking as such, is not always the case. Japanese are known to not leave the office because their superior hasn’t left yet or their group of colleagues hasn’t. The reason for this is due to group responsibility and peer pressure. No one wants to leave the office first.
Economic Crisis
Another major reason for Japanese working hard is that their work culture that had started way back Japan’s economic miracle in the 1950’s, wherein in that year, their economic growth drastically skyrocketed. And this is thanks to the economic culture of Japanese companies that ‘The success of a company is more important than a single individual.’
Also In 2011, Japan lost its spot as the second-largest economy to China. Because of this Japanese workers feel pressured to work harder.
Not taking Enough Holiday
An average Japanese worker is given at least 20 paid holidays every year but surveys show that Japanese only take 10 days out of these leaves.
Actions taken
In 2015, a young employee from an advertising firm Dentsu committed suicide due to overwork and depression. This caused widespread attention and national uproar to change the work culture.
The government is pressured to do some active actions and to break a decade-long work culture.
So in 2017, the national government launched a “Mountain Day” holiday, on top of 16 annual holidays in Japan. Moreover, Japan implemented Premium Fridays in which companies are encouraged to allow Japanese workers to leave 3pm on the last friday of the month, allowing them to leave earlier and having less time in the office.
Conclusion
What do you think of this list? What do you think Japan should do to avoid Karoshi? Let us know in the comments!
References:
Why does Japan work so hard? | CNBC Explains | Human Engineers
https://www.tofugu.com/japan/japanese-work-ethic/
BY LA