2024-09-01 06:37:32
“Work is a big deal here. It’s not just a way to make money.” This is how Tim Craig, author of Cool Japan: Case Studies from Japan’s Cultural and Creative Industries, described Japan’s workaholic culture, which is credited with its post-World War II economic boom.
But not without cost.
The country that in her language there is a word for working – literally – to death is trying to address the alarming labor shortage by persuading companies to adopt a four-day work week.
Karoshi means “death from overwork” in Japanese and refers to deaths from heart attacks, suicides but also to health problems resulting from the stress and fatigue of working long hours.
The phenomenon was officially recorded in 1988, and has reached alarming proportions.
In 2021, the Japanese government for the first time expressed its support for a shorter work week by passing legislation.
However, the philosophy of reducing working time does not seem to be catching on. According to data cited by CNN, only 8% of companies allow their employees to take three days off per week, while only 7% give their workers the legally guaranteed one day off, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
And subsidies for incentive
Hoping to increase the participation rate of small and medium-sized enterprises in particular, the government has launched a campaign of “working style reform”, which promotes reduced working hours and other flexible arrangements, while also putting limits on permitted overtime. The Ministry of Labor recently started offering grants as an additional incentive.
The business support service says only three companies have come forward so far to ask for advice on making the changes, related regulations and available subsidies, underscoring the challenges the initiative faces.
Refusal from the workers as well
However, not only businesses are resisting, but also employees
Perhaps the most characteristic example is that of Panasonic: Ansof all 63,000 employees at its group companies in Japan eligible for four-day programs only 150 employees decided to follow themn, according to Yohei Mori, who oversees the initiative.
Fear of being accused of indifference
The pressures to make sacrifices for one’s company are strong. Citizens try to go on holiday at the same time of year as their colleagues – so that they are not accused of negligence and indifference.
Proponents of the three-day model say it encourages people raising children, those caring for older relatives, and retirees looking for flexibility or additional income to stay in the workforce longer.
Critics of the government program say that in practice, people on a four-day schedule often end up working just as hard for less pay.
30 different working hours schemes
Kanako Ogino, president of Tokyo-based NS Group, sees the flex-time incentive as necessary to fill jobs in the service sector, where women make up the majority of the workforce. The company, which operates karaoke venues and hotels, offers 30 different working hours, including a four-day week, but also allowing long periods off between jobs.
Disapproval of the assertion of personal desires
To ensure that no NS Group employee feels penalized for choosing an alternative scheduleOgino asks each of its 4,000 employees twice a year how they like to work. Advocating for personal desires is often frowned upon in Japan, where you are expected to sacrifice for the common good.
“The view in Japan was: The more hours you work, the cooler you are,”Ogino stated with a laugh. “But you can’t dream in such a life.”
naftemporiki.gr