How I worked in a Japanese factory. How the Japanese work: an Epson employee tells the length of the working day in Japan

In the West, there are endless stories, articles and books that teach you how to be more productive so you have more time for your family and hobbies.

In Japan, the term work-life balance simply does not exist. But there is a special word for "death from overwork at work" - "karoshi". Karoshi is the inevitable outcome of the exhausting work culture that is at work in Japan.

Every year in the country hundreds, if not thousands, of Japanese literally bring themselves to the grave with backbreaking work.

Such a fate overtook Kyotaka Serizawa.

Last July, this 34-year-old Japanese man committed suicide after a grueling job - in the last week of his life, he worked 90 hours. He was an employee of a residential building maintenance company.

“His colleagues told me they were amazed at how hard he worked,” said the father of the deceased Kiyoshi Serizawa. "They said they never saw a person who doesn't even own the company work so hard."

Long hours of hard work and forced labor after the end of the working day are the norm in Japan. This is the local work culture.

In Japan, there is a special profession of wiping away tears for female employees.

It all started back in the 1970s, when wages were quite low and workers wanted to increase their earnings. This trend continued in the 1980s, when Japan's economy became the second largest in the world, and after the crisis in the late 1990s, when companies began to restructure, and workers tried to make sure that they did not shrink.

In addition, temporary employees appeared, working without any bonuses and guarantees. Because of them, the life of permanent workers turned into an even greater hard labor.

Nowadays, no one is embarrassed by a working day that lasts more than 12 hours.

“In Japan, people always work after the end of the working day. Recycling has become practically part of the working time, says Koji Morioka, a professor at Kansai University who sits on a committee of experts developing methods for karoshi control for the government. "Now no one is forcing anyone to work overtime, but the workers themselves believe they have to do it."

The basic workweek is 40 hours, but many workers do not count overtime because they are afraid they will be thought of as workers who do not have time to get everything done. This is how "overtime" works, and in Japan, "overtime" means "unpaid".

This relentless work schedule has led to karoshi (suicide in the workplace or heart attack due to overwork) now being considered the official cause of death. According to statistics from the Japanese Ministry of Labor, 189 people died in this way last year, but experts believe there are actually thousands of such cases.

For a long time it was believed that karoshi occurs mainly with men, but lawyers have noticed that recently the number of suicides due to overwork among women has increased. Photo: Getty

As Hiroshi Kawahito said, the worst thing is that young people are dying. Most often they are only twenty. Kawahito is a lawyer and secretary general of the State Council for the Protection of Karoshi Victims, which advocates for the rights of families whose relatives have died from overwork.

Kawahito represented the family of a journalist who died of a heart attack, who was just over thirty.

"In Japan, heart attacks are quite common in people in their thirties,"- said the lawyer.

If the cause of death is karoshi, then the families of the deceased are automatically entitled to compensation payments. At the end of March, the number of claims for compensation due to karoshi rose to a record number of 2,310 claims.

But, according to Kawahito, the government approves only less than a third of these applications.

The death of Kyotaka Serizawa was only officially recognized last month. He was responsible for furnishing cleaning facilities in three different buildings in northeast Tokyo.

A year before his death, Kyotaka tried to resign, but his boss refused to sign his application. Fearing that his behavior would cause inconvenience to his subordinates, Kyotaka continued to work.

Sometimes during his trips to offices, he dropped by to visit his parents.

“Sometimes he lay on the couch and slept so soundly that I had to check if he was breathing,”- says the mother of the deceased Mitsuko Serizawa.

The last time she saw Kyotaka was in July last year, when he stopped by to pick up the laundry because he did not have time to wash himself. He dropped in for literally ten minutes, showed his mother some cute videos with cats and left.

On July 26, Kyotaka went missing. Three weeks later, his body was found in a car in Nagano Prefecture, not far from where he spent the weekend with his parents as a child. Kyotaka locked himself in the car, set fire to the compressed coal and died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The karoshi problem has existed for several decades, but the government began to deal with this problem at the legislative level only a year and a half ago.

Japan's population is aging, which means that by 2050 its workforce will have shrunk by at least a quarter. Photo: Getty

The government project includes several goals, including reducing the number of employees working more than 60 hours a week to 5% by 2020. In recent years, about 8-9% of the population has been working this way.

The government is also trying to force workers to take paid leave. In Japan, workers are entitled to 20 days of vacation a year, but few enjoy at least half of that time. The point is, in Japanese culture, taking a day off is a sign of laziness and lack of commitment.

The government hopes to ensure that workers take at least 70% of their vacation time.

"If you know your rights, you can show others that there is nothing wrong with vacation."- said Yasukazu Kurio of the Ministry of Health and Labor.

Curio is trying to set an example himself: last year he took 17 of the 20 days of vacation he was entitled to.

Lawyer Kawahito believes that all these efforts of the state may bear some fruit, but they will not solve the main problem.

“There is nothing in the government draft about penalties for companies that break the rules,” explains Kawahito. By the way, he himself cannot serve as an example of a good balance between work and personal life. Even in his youth, he was accustomed to long-term work. He is now 66 and works about 60 hours a week.

Kawahito would like to see in the country something like a Directive of the European Parliament and the Council on certain aspects of the organization of working hours, which obliges to take an 11-hour break between shifts.

“In countries like the United States, it’s much easier for people to switch jobs to more comfortable ones,” says Kenichi Kuroda, a professor at Meiji University in Tokyo and a specialist in work culture. "But the inhabitants of Japan try to work all their lives in the same company and it is not easy for them to change jobs."

Some organizations, in particular from the financial sector, support the government initiative and allow their employees to come or leave work early. So, instead of working from nine to nine, people can work from seven to seven so that when they come home they have time to talk to their children.

“These companies are trying to bring about a change in society. They show that they can create an "ideal lifestyle", thereby trying to influence other organizations, "said Kuroda. But, of course, in other countries, such a change in the 12-hour workday would not be revolutionary.

However, the current problem will still be very difficult to solve.

Japan's population is aging rapidly, which means that by 2050 its workforce will have shrunk by at least a quarter. There will be fewer people able to work, and the size of the workload will increase even more.

Professor Morioka believes that if the Japanese want to get rid of deaths due to overwork at work, they will have to change the whole culture of work in Japan.

“You can't just get rid of karoshi,” Morioka said. “We need to change the whole culture of overtime and set aside time for family and hobbies. Working too long is the root of all evil in Japan. People are so busy they don't even have time to complain. "

So, the eight-hour day has come to an end. The most important work for today is done, and everything else can wait until morning. Almost every employee thinks so when leaving the office in the evening. But not the millions of employees of Japanese corporations, for whom leaving work to be home in time for dinner can lead to serious accusations of lack of loyalty to their company.

As of 2016, almost a quarter of Japanese employers allow their employees to work 80 hours a month. Moreover, these overtime working hours are not paid, because the workers do it of their own accord. In addition to everything, the Japanese do not take the time they are entitled to by law, and if they take their legal paid vacation entirely, they feel guilty.

How many work in different countries of the world?

Recent studies of the labor market by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) cover the number of official working hours per year in 38 countries. It is noteworthy that countries such as Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria and Luxembourg are among the last on the list, with the leaders being Mexico, Costa Rica and South Korea.

Working hours table in some countries of the world

Country	Working hours per year	Country	Working hours per year
Mexico		Spain
Costa Rica		United Kingdom
South Korea		Australia
Greece		Finland
Russia		Sweden
Poland		Austria
Israel		Switzerland
Turkey		Luxembourg
USA		France
Czech		Norway
Italy		Denmark
Japan		Germany
Canada

According to official figures, Japan is not in first place in the world in terms of the number of working hours, but this is official. If you add 80 hours a month overtime to this, you get over 2,500 hours a year. This will leave Japanese employees far behind workers from other countries.

"Death by Recycling"

The term "karoshi" means "sudden death from fatigue in the workplace." "Karoshi" in Japan can be officially documented as the cause of death.

An employee of the largest Japanese advertising holding Dentsu died suddenly at work in 2015. The cause of death was then attributed to depression due to work overload. This incident attracted widespread attention and public condemnation of Japan's usual endless overtime.

Dentsu was fined for gross violations of labor laws, as facts of 100-hour monthly overtime were revealed. Later, Dentsu changed the approach to the working hours of its staff. So, for example, it was introduced a blackout in offices after 22:00 so that employees did not stay late.

Now the Japanese authorities and employers are actively working to combat karoshi. The government has legislatively limited the number of hours spent in offices and introduced mandatory rest between the end of the previous and the beginning of the new working day.

In 2016, a new holiday appeared in Japan - Mountain Day. It is dedicated to the numerous mountains of this country, and by the decision of the authorities it became an annual official holiday. Thus, the number of Japanese public holidays per year will increase to 16. Holidays in Japan are considered a generous gift from the government to loyal workers. In May, for example, the so-called Golden Week celebrates three whole holidays: Greenery Day, Constitution Day and Children's Day. At this time, business life in the country practically freezes.

Not so long ago, the government of the country introduced the so-called "Premium Friday", when employees are allowed to leave work at 15:00 on the last Friday of every month. However, according to polls, only 4% of Japanese employees leave their jobs that early. Typically, office workers in Japan arrive half an hour early, at 8:30 am, and finish work late at night. There are special shops for them in this country where you can buy a clean shirt, and capsule hotels where you can spend the night, if it makes no sense to go home after work.

Working people in Japan avoid taking long vacations, in contrast to people in European countries who usually like to go on vacation for several weeks. Some Japanese employees admit to feeling anxious and uneasy when they leave their workplace for a long time. The Japanese do not count their holidays in weeks, but solely in days. In the same way that they try to extend the working day for themselves, staying late at work, so they do with vacations, reducing them to the maximum so that they can return to work as soon as possible.

Instead of a summer vacation, they prefer to take a few days of rest in August during the traditional three-day Obon festival and on New Year's holidays, which in Japan last from December 29 to January 3.

The power of tradition

The main reasons why the inhabitants of the Japanese Isles are workaholics lie in the system of seniority and commitment to the team. The amount of time worked determines the possibility of further promotion and is often more important than the quality of the work performed.

Open offices are insanely popular in Japan, when desktops are grouped in such a way that employees form separate teams. Each such team has a leader who determines the tasks for the day. Each Japanese office has two meetings every day, one by the senior executive and the other by the leader of each group of workers.

The management style in Japan is based on the concept of "group accordion". The main thing is to achieve agreement among employees, in which any idea submitted to senior management first goes through a comprehensive study and discussion in the group. The approval of the proposal by the working group helps to avoid condemnation of the employee from the management, because any even the smallest public condemnation for the Japanese is considered a disaster.

Since the mid-60s of the XX century, the concept of the "Japanese miracle" has entered the economy - those lightning-fast changes that have occurred in the Japanese economy in a relatively short period of time. There are several approaches to explaining this economic phenomenon. The most believable of these is the attitude towards employees. With the right priorities, Japan has a greater degree of labor productivity, loses less time in all kinds of strikes, protests, downtime, can more easily introduce new technologies, and in general produces more and faster high-quality goods than its foreign competitors.

In Japan, there are several laws, a number of regulating labor relations and issues of protecting the interests of workers. They apply in principle to all enterprises operating in the territory of the country, regardless of the nationality of the owner. In addition, they apply to foreign workers, provided that they fall under the definition of an employee.

How to find a job

In Japan, there is a state employment agency that bears the self-explanatory name "Hello, work." There are offices and representative offices of this organization throughout the country. The agency is absolutely free to help people looking for work and companies looking for workers.

Also, employment services are offered free of charge by some regional government organizations and educational institutions. There are also several private employment agencies of various types in the country. Moreover, the majority need to pay only in case of successful employment. Finally, jobs in Japan can be found through numerous newspapers, magazines and Internet sites.

The principle of free contractual relations applies to the process of hiring labor: the employer has the right to decide for himself how many and what kind of employees he wants to hire. At the same time, in Japan there are a number of rules that are unusual for a Russian citizen. For example, employers are not allowed to indicate the gender of an employee in job vacancies.

How to register an employee

By hiring employees, companies enter into labor contracts with them. In this case, the employer is obliged to notify the employee in writing about the following conditions of employment:

1) The duration of the employment contract (or, in the absence of provisions governing the duration of the contract, an indication of this fact)

2) Description of the workplace and the duties to be performed by the employee

3) Start and end times of the working day, overtime, breaks, weekends and vacations

4) Method for determining, calculating and paying wages; the period for which the salary is calculated and the timing of its payment

5) The procedure for leaving and dismissing from work (including a description of all the grounds for dismissal)

Expiration date of documents

As a rule, employment contracts do not indicate their duration. If the period of validity is nevertheless indicated, then, with the exception of a number of special cases, it should not exceed three years. In this case, the employee has the right to quit, provided that a year has passed since the date of commencement of the employment contract.

Probation

Before hiring an employee on a permanent basis, the employer has the right to establish a limited probationary period to determine if the person is suitable for him. Typically, the trial period lasts three months. At the same time, if, after the expiration of the probationary period, the employer does not want to hire an employee on a permanent basis, such a decision qualifies as dismissal. And in order for the dismissal to have legal force, it is necessary that during the probationary period there are good reasons for refusing to hire.

How salaries are paid

Employers are required to pay wages to the employee at least once a month on a pre-agreed date. In this case, the employer can, with the consent of the employee, transfer wages to the bank account indicated by him, taking into account tax deductions

The size of the minimum wage is set in each region and in each industry separately. Moreover, if an employee has two different minimum wages, he has the right to receive more.

The monthly salary includes a minimum wage and a range of benefits such as housing allowance, family allowance and travel allowance. Usually, summer and winter bonuses are also paid to workers in Japan.

It should be noted that more and more companies are introducing remuneration systems in which the size of the salary depends on the abilities of the employee. As a consequence of this, the practice of paying salaries based on the results of the year is becoming more and more widespread.

Working hours

By law, working hours in Japan must not exceed 40 hours per week, or eight hours per day, excluding breaks. But some businesses are allowed to set a work week of up to 44 hours. These areas include retailers, beauty salons, cinemas, theaters, health and hygiene facilities, and restaurants and entertainment.

If the working day is six hours, the employer is obliged to give the employee a break of at least 45 minutes. If a person works eight hours, then the break should be at least an hour.

Also, employers are required to give employees at least one day off a week or four days off a month. In this case, the weekend does not have to fall on Sundays.

Any employer requiring his employees to work beyond the statutory hours or on public holidays is obliged to submit to the local Labor Inspectorate an agreement on such conditions of the employee himself.

Those who work overtime or at night are entitled to multiplying factors:

Paid holiday

An employer is obliged to provide 10 days of paid leave to an employee who has worked for at least six consecutive months from the date of employment and worked at least 80% of the planned working days. Paid vacation can be used in whole or in parts. The duration of the vacation increases with the accumulation of seniority:

The entitlement to annual paid leave is valid for two years. In other words, unused paid vacation can only be carried over to the next year.

It should also be noted that in a number of cases (wedding, death of close relatives, birth of a child, etc.), most Japanese companies provide their employees with several extra days of paid leave.

Maternity and parental leave

If a pregnant woman asks for leave six weeks before the expected date of birth of the child, the employer must do so. After the birth of a child, a woman may not work for eight weeks while on maternity leave.

An employer has the right to refuse to grant parental leave (1 year) to an employee who has worked at the enterprise for less than one year or has a spouse who is able to provide constant childcare.

If an employee whose family member needs constant care asks for leave to care for that family member, the employer must grant the request. The maximum duration of such leave is three consecutive months. However, the employer has the right to refuse an employee who has worked at the enterprise for less than one year or whose employment contract expires in the next three months.

Issues reflected in the house rules:

1) Start and end times of work, breaks, days off, vacations (including parental leave and parental leave due to illness), work shifts (when work is organized in two or more shifts).

2) The procedure for determining, calculating and paying wages (not including bonuses and other payments), the period for which wages are calculated and the timing of their payment, as well as issues of increasing wages.

3) The procedure for leaving and dismissing from work (including a description of the grounds for dismissal).

Other points

Employers are obliged to inform employees about the internal rules of the enterprise and about any collective agreements between the management and employees of the enterprise.

Employers are required to ensure that health and safety requirements are met. Before an employee is hired in the state, he is obliged, at the request of the employer, to undergo a medical examination. Then all permanent employees are required to undergo a medical examination once a year at the request of the employer.

Leaving and dismissing from work

If an employee working under an employment contract without specifying a validity period expresses an intention to quit, he has the right to do so by sending a two-week notice.

An employee can be dismissed only if there are objective grounds. Downsizing due to enterprise restructuring can only be considered justified if it meets the following four criteria:

1) Production necessity. The company must prove that, given the prevailing business circumstances, staff reductions are inevitable and necessary.

2) Taking measures to avoid staff reductions. The company must prove that its management has taken all possible measures to prevent downsizing, such as redeployment of labor and offers of voluntary redundancies.

3) Reasonableness of the selection of laid-off workers. The business must demonstrate that the selection of employees for redundancy was made using reasonable criteria and fairness.

4) Compliance with established rules. The enterprise must prove that its management has carried out all the necessary consultations with workers and trade unions.

An employer does not have the right to dismiss an employee if:

1) At the time the employee is on leave, which was granted to him as a result of an occupational disease or occupational injury, as well as within 30 days after the employee leaves such leave.

2) At the time the employee is on pregnancy leave, namely, within six weeks before the birth of the child and within eight weeks after the birth of the child, as well as within 30 days after the employee leaves such leave.

If the employer wants to dismiss the employee, he is obliged to send him the appropriate notification 30 days before the expected date of dismissal. If the employer wishes to dismiss the employee on an expedited basis, he is obliged at the time of dismissal to pay the employee a 30-day salary.

It should be noted, however, that in some cases the employer has the right to fire an employee without giving notice and without paying benefits:

1) The enterprise is unable to continue its economic activities as a result of a natural disaster and in other similar circumstances, the occurrence of which it could not prevent.

2) The dismissal of an employee becomes inevitable due to the employee's fault:

- an employee, while at the workplace, commits an act that, in accordance with the Criminal Code, qualifies as a crime, including theft, embezzlement or bodily harm

- the employee violates the rules or generally accepted standards of conduct in the workplace or has a negative impact on other employees

- the employee provides information about himself that does not correspond to reality, and which could affect the decision on his employment

- an employee commits absenteeism for two weeks or more without permission and without a valid reason

- the employee is constantly late for work, leaves work earlier than the set time, is absent from the workplace without permission and without a valid reason

Japanese social security system

Japan has a universal insurance system, under which all people living in the country are required to participate in the public health insurance system and in the pension system.

There are four different types of insurance systems in Japan, which are mandatory for all companies:

1) Insurance against industrial accidents. This insurance covers occupational diseases and accidents that occur at the workplace or on the way to or from work.

2) Insurance of workplaces. It allows you to pay unemployment benefits and ensure the stability of employment through the provision of financial assistance and the payment of various subsidies.

3) Health insurance and medical care insurance. Covers medical and nursing expenses incurred by employees.

4) Pension insurance. This insurance provides workers with an old-age pension, as well as survivor's benefits or disability benefits.

Insurance premiums are paid by the company by deducting the corresponding amounts from the wages paid to employees and transferring these amounts to the accounts of the relevant government agencies, together with the contributions payable by the company itself.

Who will help

Social and labor insurance consultants are experts in the field of human resources management. At the request of the heads of companies, they are entitled to provide the following services:

- execution of contracts of labor and social insurance and the performance on behalf of companies of other administrative functions related to employment

- advising on compliance with safety and industrial hygiene requirements and human resources management

- performing mediation functions in the course of resolving labor disputes in accordance with the provisions of the Law "On Resolution of Individual Labor Disputes"

- advising on pension issues and handling related complaints and claims

- solving other issues related to the application of labor legislation


An employee of the Epson company speaks. There is a stereotype that it is good to work in Japan. This stereotype comes from our compatriots who work by invitation in foreign companies, where the Japanese try to adapt to the level and style of foreigners. Meanwhile, the traditional working system of Japan is arranged in a peculiar way, and it is rather difficult to exist in it. That is why there are not so many foreigners building a career in classic Japanese companies. Marina Matsumoto, an Epson employee, talks about how the average office worker exists in Japan

Dress code

Of course, the conditions depend on the specific company, but in principle the dress code in Japan is much stricter than in Russia. Failure to comply with its rules has serious consequences for the employee, up to and including instant dismissal.

In a traditional Japanese company, they always wear a black suit, regardless of the weather, even if it's +40 ° C outside. The Japanese tolerate both heat and cold calmly, as they go through a very harsh school of hardening the body in childhood. Recently, a new law was passed allowing short-sleeved shirts to be worn to work. This is due to the forced saving of electricity, in which even in extreme heat, air conditioners are not always used in offices now.

In some companies, women are prohibited from wearing fitted suits - they must be absolutely straight. The skirt must cover the knees.

Women's accessories are also prohibited. I have a big, serious company, it is known internationally. But I work where mostly Japanese work. At my workplace, I was only allowed to wear a cross - under my clothes so that it would not be visible, and a wedding ring.

Makeup should be invisible. Japanese women love to paint brightly, their cheeks are very blush, almost all have false eyelashes. But at work, a woman should be as less attractive to men as possible.

In some places, women should only wear short hair that does not cover their ears. Hair color is necessarily black. If you are naturally blonde, for example, you will have to dye yourself.

Men, except for long hair, cannot wear a beard and mustache. This is an unspoken rule that everyone knows. The persistent image of the Yakuza (a traditional form of organized crime in Japan) interferes.

Subordination

When I got a job, I signed a bunch of documents, where I assured me that I would not discuss anything with clients and colleagues except work: neither the weather nor the nature. At work, I have no right to share my "personal data" - who is my husband, how am I doing ... At home, I have no right to talk about my work. I do not have a secret job, but it is accepted and stipulated in my contract.

At work only work

Only what is needed for work is taken to the workplace: for me, these are documents and a pen. I can't take my bag, wallet and phone, it remains at the checkpoint.

In Russia there is a favorite saying: "If you have done a job, walk boldly." At the workplace in Russia, the main thing is that you fulfill the plan for today. In Japan, "plans for today" are of no interest to anyone. You have come to work and you have to work there.

How the Japanese slow down the workflow

In Russia, we all know that wages depend on the results of your work. If you work badly, you get nothing. You do a good job - you get bonuses and promotions. I did everything, you can leave early or ask for an additional task to earn more.

In Japan, you pay for the watch. Almost all Japanese take overtime. But often this translates into the fact that they stretch out one task, which can be done in two hours - for a week. The deadlines set by the company also do not always correspond to the level of complexity of the work. The Japanese will poke around for hours, it seems to us that they work like sleepy flies, and they think that they do the job "carefully". They slow down the work process incredibly, so it's hard for us to work with them.

And this, by the way, is one of the main reasons why their economy was not in the best condition. With this pay by the hour system, they have trapped themselves. Indeed, in fact, the work is not designed for quality, but for the number of hours spent in the office.

Long lengthy conversations

We all know that "brevity is the sister of talent," but in Japan, brevity is a dim-wittedness. The Japanese cannot speak briefly and to the point. They embark on long and lengthy explanations that are aimed at making even a narrow-minded person understand what they are talking about. Meetings can take an incredible amount of hours. The Japanese believe that if they talk about the same thing for a long time and in excessive detail, they thereby respect the interlocutor.

Stratification of society

It takes a lot of work and organization to grow rice. Therefore, historically, Japan has developed a system with a very narrow specialization of labor and a rigid stratification of society. Everyone has their own duty and their place in the life and production process.

Japanese communities have always been well organized. For example, a samurai never cooked food for himself, he could easily die of hunger if the peasantry had not rescued him.

As a consequence of this mentality, it is very difficult for any Japanese to make that independent decision that is not inherent in his status. They cannot take on elementary responsibility that somehow goes beyond the scope of their daily routine. To put a comma or not to put it is a half-day problem. Preparation of elementary documents is a series of endless, very slow consultations. Moreover, the obligatory nature of such consultations is striking. If the employee still takes the liberty of making a decision not based on status, then everyone in the hierarchical chain associated with him will be reprimanded. This is an oriental despotism in action: "I am a small man, I am a simple peasant, and I should only do what I have to do."

Again, everything is understandable: Japan is a small country with a large overpopulation, it needs strict frameworks and rules. To survive in Japan, one must clearly know: my border is here, and this is another person's border, I must respect it. Nobody goes beyond their limits. If a Japanese man marries them, he will literally be lost.

Russia has a huge territory, breadth, open spaces. We are not constrained. We are free. A Russian person can do anything. And the Swiss, and the reaper, and the player on the tune ... - this is primarily about us, Russians!

The same as everyone

Interestingly, in Japan you don't have to show your difference or superiority in your mind. You cannot show your uniqueness, peculiarity. This is discouraged. Everyone should be the same. Since childhood, uniqueness is burned out there with a hot iron, so Japan will not give the world either Einstein or Mendeleev.

Famous Japanese technology is a myth. As a rule, these are ideas that were not created by the Japanese. What they do well is to pick up and improve on time. And we, on the contrary, can create genius and forget ...

To survive in Japanese society, you have to be like everyone else. In Russia, on the contrary, if you are the same as everyone else, you will be lost. New ideas are constantly needed to master and fill a large space.

Career.

The classic Japanese campaign takes a long time to build a career. Career growth depends on age, not merit. A young specialist, even a very talented one, will occupy an insignificant position, work a lot and for a low salary, because he just came. This organization of the workflow makes it increasingly difficult for Japanese companies to compete in the international market. Yes, there is a concept of Japanese quality, but this does not save them any more, because the business is conducted too Japanese.

The salary

Officially, salaries in Japan are high. But with the deduction of all taxes, which are almost 60%, they receive an average of a thousand dollars on their hands. Young people get even less. At 60, the salary is already a very decent amount.

Vacation and weekend

There are no vacations in Japan. The weekend is Saturday or Sunday. And depending on the company, you are entitled to a few extra days off a year. Let's say you have 10 days, but you can't take them right away. They need to be broken. It so happens that you need to take one day off a week - and go somewhere on business. In my campaign, I am obliged to give a month's notice of this so that everyone can cooperate and replace me. In some companies, these terms are even longer. Absent from work in the event of an unexpected incident is problematic.

If you get sick on Monday and think not to go to work, then you will not be understood. All with a temperature go to work.

Holidays can be days off: the day of remembrance of the dead - Obon, in mid-August. But a young specialist does not have such an opportunity, he will work for the first two years without extra days off.

For the new year, 1-3 days are given. If they fall on Saturday-Sunday, then no one like in Russia will postpone them to Monday-Tuesday.

There is also a "golden week" in May, when there are several state and religious holidays in a row. My husband worked all days, I had 3 days off.

Working day

A standard working day is from 9 am to 7 pm. But most importantly, you must keep in mind, if it is indicated that the working day is from nine, then you cannot come directly to this time. Even if you arrived at 8.45, it is considered that you are late. You have to come to work at least half an hour in advance, some come in an hour. It is believed that a person needs time to tune in to a working mood, to get ready for work.

The end of the official work day does not mean you can go home. Previously, it was not customary to leave your boss. If he stays in the office for two hours, then you will be late, and this will not be considered overtime. Your personal circumstances are your personal problems, which, as I have already mentioned, are not discussed with my colleagues according to the agreement I signed.

Informal communication

In Japan, there is such a concept - "nomikai" - "drinking together", reminds a Russian corporate party. Somewhere "nomikay" takes place every day, in my campaign - twice a week. Of course, you can refuse, but they will "look askance" at you. Why exactly drink? - because in Japan there is a positive attitude towards alcohol. Shinto is supposed to make an offering to some gods in the form of alcohol. Japanese doctors believe that drinking alcohol on a daily basis is beneficial. Nobody talks about doses.

The Japanese do not know how to drink, and, as a rule, they get very drunk. The booze itself will cost you nothing; either the boss or the company always pays for it.

Now, in order to further stimulate visiting bars with colleagues, employees have even been paid for “nomikai”. It's part of Japanese culture to work together and drink together. It turns out that you spend almost 24 hours a day, 365 days a year only with your work colleagues.

In addition to "nomikai", you need to drink with clients, with partners, with officials with whom the company is connected.

Yes, there is something similar in Russia, but it is completely incomparable with the Japanese alcoholic scale. And then in Russia, the attitude towards alcohol is much more negative.

Now you can imagine the whole picture. The Japanese leaves the house at 7 am. At work, he exists within the strict framework of his status. After the end of the official working day, he takes extra hours because he needs to feed his family. He then goes out drinking with his colleagues and returns home from there at 2 am, most likely drunk. He works on Saturdays. He only sees his family on Sundays. Moreover, until the evening the whole weekend he can either sleep or drink, because he is in terrible stress from such a cruel regime.

In Japan, there is a separate concept - "death from processing". This is a very common case when people die at their desk or, unable to withstand the load, commit suicide. For Japan, this is in the order of things, an event to which there is practically no reaction. People will even resent if someone's suicide interfered with their work. Everyone thinks: “Why didn’t you do it somewhere in a quiet inconspicuous place, because of you I won’t come to work on time !!”.

It must be understood that Japanese society did not sit and invent these rules for itself. Everything took shape over the centuries due to the geographical and historical originality of Japan. Probably everyone will agree that they had good reasons for such a mobilization of society, constant readiness for something. A small area, a lot of people, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis - everything can collapse at any moment. Therefore, from childhood, the Japanese learn to work in a group, learn to survive on their piece of land. In fact, all Japanese education is not built on teaching a person something, developing him, it teaches him to be a real Japanese, to be competitive in Japanese society ... Not everyone can endure such a life, because it is really hard.

The eight-hour working day was legally established in Russia not so long ago - the decree of the Council of People's Commissars approved it in 1917, simultaneously limiting the working week at enterprises to 48 hours. Prior to that, activists of the labor movement in 1897 achieved a reduction in the working day to 11.5 hours for men and 10 hours for women and children. And even earlier, the working week, as you know, was not regulated by anything, which forced workers to work 14-16 hours a day and did not guarantee them days off or holidays.

the site tells what schedule is customary to work today in the USA, Japan, China, the Netherlands and what is the strength of the Israeli trade unions.

In Russia - 40 hours

In the early 1930s, the labor movement celebrated its triumph - the transition to a 7-hour working day was completed, and the number of days off increased to two. But the situation was changed by the outbreak of World War II - the 8-hour working day and the only day off per week were again established. In the late 1950s, the country began to recover after the war, and Soviet citizens were given back a 7-hour working day. The working week was 42 hours. In 1977, the Constitution of the USSR fixed 41 hour working weeks, and the RSFSR law of April 19, 1991 "On increasing social guarantees for workers" reduced it by another hour.

This norm is enshrined to this day in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. The working week is shortened for workers under the age of 18; for the disabled and for workers in hazardous and hazardous industries.

In America - up to 40 hours

The United States moved towards regulating the length of the work week at almost the same pace as the Russian Empire and the USSR. At the beginning of the 19th century, industrial workers worked here an average of 14 hours a day, but already in 1840, by presidential decree, the working day was reduced to 10 hours (although this only concerned federal public works).

In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act was signed, setting the work week at 44 hours and requiring employers to pay overtime. Later, the law was amended to reduce the working week to 40 hours. However, the employer could set any length of the working week if he regularly paid employees for overtime work in the amount of one and a half times.

In the mid-2000s, the workweek in the United States was reduced to 35 hours - a five-day week and a short day on Friday. This was partly due to the economic crisis and budget cuts in many companies. Today, according to the US Department of Labor and Employment, the work week should not exceed 40 hours (but may be less). Remaining one and a half times the rate for overtime payments - when they are paid, there is no working time limit for employees over 16 years old.

In Israel - 42 hours

In Israel, the Law "On Working Hours and Rest" was passed in 1951 and determined the length of the working week at 45 hours. The law allows workers to choose a day off: for Jews it is Saturday (with the work week starting on Sunday), for non-Jews it is Saturday, Sunday or Friday.

For Israel, it is characteristic that the rights of workers are determined not so much by law as by collective agreements, which are concluded either in a separate area, or as a general agreement between the General Organization of Trade Unions (Ha-Histadrut) and the organization of industrialists in Israel. The authorities, in turn, can by a special order ("tsav kharhava") extend the effect of such an agreement to all workers in Israel.

Thus, in 2000, by order of the Minister of Labor and Social Security, the general collective agreement of 1995 on a 43-hour work week was extended to all workers and employers in Israel. The employer decides whether to establish a 5 or 6 day work week.

In March 2017, the chairman of Ha-Histadrut, Avi Nisankoren, and the president of the Association of Industrialists, Shraga Brosh, signed a collective agreement to reduce the working week in Israel from 43 to 42 hours. The treaty was supposed to come into force in July.

In Japan - 50 hours

The Japanese, known for their hard work, of course, devote more time to work than people in other countries. There is a statutory 40-hour work week with mandatory overtime pay, but if you try to work with these rules, you will most likely find yourself a “black sheep”. It is perfectly normal for the Japanese to come to work before the start of the working day and stay on their own initiative for several hours. In addition, companies have the right to conclude agreements with their employees for processing, which can be up to 80 hours per month. According to statistics, less than half of Japanese people took advantage of their full vacation in 2013. The typical worker took nine vacation days instead of 18.5 days. Every sixth did not take a single day.

At least 22% of employees work more than 49 hours a week. Overwork of the population is a big problem for the country. Back in the 70s, the term "karoshi" appeared in Japan, meaning painful workaholism. According to 2011 data, 10,000 of the 30,000 suicides committed in a year were caused by karoshi. Statistics for 2012 say that karoshi was responsible for 5% of all strokes and heart attacks in citizens under 60 years of age. While in other countries employees are fighting for the right to rest, in Japan, on the contrary, the government at the legislative level requires workers to take at least a few days of vacation a year.

In China - 40 hours

In the PRC, the current Labor Code was adopted in 1994 and entered into force on January 1, 1995. The state established an 8-hour working day, and the Chinese were supposed to work no more than 44 hours a week. Also, employers are required to guarantee employees at least one day off per week. By agreement with the trade union, the working day at the enterprise can be extended by no more than 1 hour, and overworking must not be more than 36 hours per month. Meanwhile, back in the 70s in the PRC, a 6-day working week was practiced with an average working day of 10 hours.

In a country where a colossal number of industries are concentrated and about a billion people are officially employed, it is difficult to talk about the average working day and compliance with labor laws. But the increased number of Chinese tourists around the world (and, in particular, in Russia), suggests that employees in the PRC really have more free time.

In 2016, the Chinese government started talking about the transition to a 4-day work week by 2030 - for the season from April 1 to October 31, on an experimental basis, two municipalities in Shanxi province and civil servants in Jinzhong and Jian cities switched to a 4.5-day work week.

In the Netherlands - 34 hours

The Dutch have the shortest working week in the world. Here the situation is the opposite of the Japanese one: the country has legally established a five-day week, but in many industries, for example, in the civil service and in the financial sector, workers can agree with the employer on a schedule and have the right to work 4 days a week for 9 hours - thus, the working week is 36 hours and contains three days off.

According to statistics, in 2012, about 86% of working mothers worked 34 hours a week or less, 12% of fathers also chose a shorter working week. A law giving workers the right to choose part-time employment without losing health insurance, maternity leave and paid leave was passed in the Netherlands in 2000. This country among all European states is considered the most loyal to workers - the average working week here is steadily striving for 25 hours.

The length of the average working week in different countries:

France - 35 hours;
Ireland - 35.3 hours;
Denmark - 37 hours;
Germany - 38 hours;
Norway - 39 hours;
Bulgaria, Estonia, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania - 40 hours;
Greece, Austria, Israel - 43 hours;
Great Britain - 43.7 hours;
Argentina - 44 hours;
Mexico, Peru, India, Colombia, Nepal, Thailand - 48 hours.

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