Overtime work in Japanese companies
The problem of overtime in Japanese companies is one of social problem. Recently, a matter in which a woman who was an employee of Dentsu Inc. committed suicide by overwork was broadcast on the news day after day (Kaneko, 1). Overtime work is a highly interested topic in Japan. According to Vorkers Inc., the average overtime hours of Japanese companies are 47 hours (n.a). I have worked in a Japanese company for three years. I worked overtime on three to four hours, and was tired every day. Overtime was depriving me of the richness of my life. From my own experience, I suggest that Japanese companies should eliminate overtime work. There are three reasons: a risk of employees, a risk of enterprises, and benefits …show more content…
For example, it increases the risk of mental illness and brain and heart disease (the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health,Japan, n.a). According to Ishii, who is an industry doctor, accumulation of stress and fatigue caused by long working hours will increase the risk of developing depression and anxiety disorder (2). In addition, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan reported that there will be 1.9 times higher risk of myocardial infarction in working over 61 hours comparing less than 40 work hours (4). If the sleeping time on the working day in the past year was less than 5 hours a day, the risk of myocardial infarction will rise 2.5 times compared to 6 to 8 hours (4). The accumulation of overtime hours may cause the worst result of death from overwork. Recently, a case where a female employee of Dentsu Inc. committed suicide by overwork was through media sources with news (Kaneko, 1). According to Kaneko who is a labor journalist, she has done overwork over 100 hours per month (1). In other words, overtime work causes sleep deprivation, accumulates stress and fatigue. As a result, it brings serious damage to the …show more content…
That is the realization of work-life balance. Overtime work exhausts mind and body, and deprives time of employees, and is one of the factors hindering harmony between work and life. According to Cabinet Office in the Government of Japan, “Improve long working hours and protect employee 's health. Enriching lives other than work enhances employee satisfaction and motivation for work. Prevent the separation of knowledgeable, technical and experienced personnel, leading to securing competent human resources. Improvement in work efficiency by trying to carry out work in a limited time. Through experiences of living other than work, people 's viewpoints and creativity are cultivated, qualifications are acquired, etc., which leads to improvement of employee 's abilities. Improve the image of the company and lead to PR effect” (n.a). It is said that the advantage as described above can be obtained by eliminating overtime work. In other words, eliminating overtime work and realizing work-life balance mean that it is beneficial for both employees and companies
The problem of overtime in Japanese companies is one of social problem. Recently, a matter in which a woman who was an employee of Dentsu Inc. committed suicide by overwork was broadcast on the news day after day (Kaneko, 1). Overtime work is a highly interested topic in Japan. According to Vorkers Inc., the average overtime hours of Japanese companies are 47 hours (n.a). I have worked in a Japanese company for three years. I worked overtime on three to four hours, and was tired every day. Overtime was depriving me of the richness of my life. From my own experience, I suggest that Japanese companies should eliminate overtime work. There are three reasons: a risk of employees, a risk of enterprises, and benefits …show more content…
For example, it increases the risk of mental illness and brain and heart disease (the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health,Japan, n.a). According to Ishii, who is an industry doctor, accumulation of stress and fatigue caused by long working hours will increase the risk of developing depression and anxiety disorder (2). In addition, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan reported that there will be 1.9 times higher risk of myocardial infarction in working over 61 hours comparing less than 40 work hours (4). If the sleeping time on the working day in the past year was less than 5 hours a day, the risk of myocardial infarction will rise 2.5 times compared to 6 to 8 hours (4). The accumulation of overtime hours may cause the worst result of death from overwork. Recently, a case where a female employee of Dentsu Inc. committed suicide by overwork was through media sources with news (Kaneko, 1). According to Kaneko who is a labor journalist, she has done overwork over 100 hours per month (1). In other words, overtime work causes sleep deprivation, accumulates stress and fatigue. As a result, it brings serious damage to the …show more content…
That is the realization of work-life balance. Overtime work exhausts mind and body, and deprives time of employees, and is one of the factors hindering harmony between work and life. According to Cabinet Office in the Government of Japan, “Improve long working hours and protect employee 's health. Enriching lives other than work enhances employee satisfaction and motivation for work. Prevent the separation of knowledgeable, technical and experienced personnel, leading to securing competent human resources. Improvement in work efficiency by trying to carry out work in a limited time. Through experiences of living other than work, people 's viewpoints and creativity are cultivated, qualifications are acquired, etc., which leads to improvement of employee 's abilities. Improve the image of the company and lead to PR effect” (n.a). It is said that the advantage as described above can be obtained by eliminating overtime work. In other words, eliminating overtime work and realizing work-life balance mean that it is beneficial for both employees and companies