#Japenese work timer full

Highlighting the government’s goal of boosting rates of taken annual leave to 70% in 2020, Susumu Oda, director of the Work and Life Harmonisation Division at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, explains: “It has been recognised that gaining time off work is important to refresh employees both mentally and physically.” Initiatives range from caps on excessive working hours to increased flexibility, as well as a requirement for employees to designate at least five days off work for staff with at least 10 days of unused leave. The bill is a cornerstone of his attempts to modernise Japan’s way of working – known as hataraki-kata kaikaku in Japanese – with amendments to eight key labour laws. The issue of Japan’s working culture is high on the agenda of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as reflected in the government’s new Work Style Reform Bill, which was passed by Japan’s national legislature in 2018 and went into effect the following April.

People think taking days off is a bad thing.” There is a culture where you would be evaluated higher if you are not taking days off and working harder. I have never seen any colleague taking all of their paid holidays. They will not say anything directly to that person but they will speak ill of that person behind their back. When asked about colleagues’ reactions to taking time off, he adds: “They would react negatively. “The most recent was August – I was sick in bed and had to take a day off.” (In general, there is no sick leave in Japan.)

#Japenese work timer full

“I take zero to two days off per year,” says Tsuyoshi, who also asked not to reveal his full name, reflecting how difficult it is for many Japanese workers to speak openly about workplace issues. His outlook is echoed by Tsuyoshi, 38, a front desk chief in a restaurant business in Gunma prefecture, who “has not checked” his leave entitlement, despite working there for over four years. His wife Sayaka adds: “He never takes any days off, even if he is sick.” None of the others are taking days off – I cannot be the only person taking time off work.” The managers don’t take any holidays and they usually work late. So if one person takes a day off, it will be burden to other staff. One colleague is already taking a long leave due to mental illness and we are short-staffed. “There are about 30 employees in our company. “I’ve never thought about the impact to my family, health or wellbeing. “It’s natural not taking holiday leave,” he says. “Thus, many people refrain from taking holiday because their bosses do not take holiday, or they are afraid that it will disrupt the group harmony.”įor tech worker Hideyuki – like many Japanese workers – not taking holiday leave is a normalised part of working life. “While Western society is individualistic and non-hierarchical, Japanese society is collectivist and hierarchical,” explains Hiroshi Ono, professor of human resources management at Hitotsubashi University, who specialises in Japan’s work culture. Unfortunately, it’s still a regular fixture in Japan’s lexicon today. Japan is also the birthplace of karoshi – “ death from overwork” – a word invented in the 1970s to describe deaths caused by work-related stresses and pressures. The nation has long been famed for an intense work culture defined by arduously long hours – it’s normal for workers to take the last train home every night.

It’s perhaps unsurprising that the words “Japan” and “holiday” rarely feature in the same sentence. ‘I cannot be the only person taking time off work’

The average worker still has dozens of untaken vacation days every year. The main reason is guilt – a reflection of the pressures and expectations that weigh heavily on a workaholic society. Japan is facing something of an epidemic in unused annual holiday leave among its famously conscientious workforce – with workers taking only 52.4% of the paid leave to which they were entitled in 2018, according to the most recent government figures.