@@leehyunsong7001 HAHA, most companies have contracts with "no extra hour salary, you need to take vacation for that". So, extra hours do not bring me any benefit.
"Life is about how you worked your entire life and leaving your legacy behind at the end" What a sad sad statement. This old man has lived his entire life believing this when his company wouldn't bat an eye to fire and replace him. There is no legacy.
That’s just Asian boss’s translation problem. From what I heard, he should mean he is working to contribute to the company/society and leave his print on this world . Nothing about “legacy”
I'm curious if the interviewers mentioned that Microsoft paid their employees for a 5 day work week while requiring them to work only 4 days. This is an important distinction and it doesn't seem as if these people's opinions expressed being aware of that.
fozzibab in the states their are a lot of 4 Day a week jobs. Most of them are12 hr. days, but get paid for 50. Lot of theses jobs in the nursing field or medical. I know lots of people with 4 day jobs, and they love it
Couldn't put it better myself. What people tend to forget is there is already regulations against overworking and long hours on the books already! Not to mention , there have been some people who have decided to sue their company and have been 100% successful in doing so and got compensated for whatever they were owed. The court system and the law is on their side YET people still decide to work stupidly long hours. At first I felt kinda sorry for them but after a while I've come to realize they do have a choice and options (unlike say people in true third world countries like India) and as strange as it sounds, they are ultimately happy working themselves to death. It's sad but reality is complex
As a Japanese descendant I can say I had many good opportunities to join Toyota and Honda in Argentina but I choosed my own path. I'm a mother of a little girl and I always prioritize our time together. I work as an English teacher, 3 days a week 18 hours per week. And I have 1 month and a half for summer vacations and 2 weeks for winter vacations. I can skip work if I'm ill or my daughter or my partner plus a normal salary. I have 4 days off per week I workout I do my hobbies and I keep studying and improving myself. I'm grateful I have this opportunity. If I were in Japan this would be an impossible scenario for my family. I hope one day Japan recognize they need more emotional education rather than money numbers and nonsense stress.
German here, having contact with many japanese people living in our city for more than 30 years. Whenever I had my sparkling eyes and telling them, one day I want to live and work in Japan, they just smiled and told me "WELL, you know, I live here for 30 years for a reason, I do not want to go back". One lady told me that she tried moving back when her son was 10 years old (half-japanese) and she already absorbed german "mom behaviour", so she decided to go back after 5 years in Japan, because they were already "SPECIAL outsiders", badmouthed by others, because they spoke out more often. After all the stories I heard, I really enjoy my life here now.
I want to study in Kyoto University for my graduate school. But my father not give me any approval. The cost of living in Japan is so expensive... Well... Such thing...
@@MiaMizuno yea i know one japanese professor who had a british passport. He hated japan too lol. Didn't even bowed back to any japanese students that greeted him. Oof
Japanese work themselves until there’s nothing of themselves left. They definitely need to ease off on the stress and the workload. We’re all human at the end of the day.
@@hindsightpov4218 From my experience working in japan for 1 year,i think its depend the passion,if u love ur job,no problem working even for 7 day,but mostly the people work for survive( money),so i think work for 5/6 day for 8 hours is enough to handle the stress.😅 So what u think?
ary Six days is still too much. I’ve done that and it took a toll on my health. Five days max and for the Japanese, four days would be better. They’ve been overworked for so long they need some compensation.
I've been working in Japan for almost 3 years now, and while I went in knowing all of this and planned on sticking to my guns regarding taking holidays etc, it actually does change you when you see your coworkers barely take any holidays. You slowly conform. And now I second guess myself and worry whether it's okay to take even one day off. I've never been told no where I work, but the fear of judgement is real.
Josh Hutchinson you put my thoughts into words. You can’t but get accustomed to their way of working culture once you start working with them. Recently, we were given the notice of taking paid leave (minimum of 5 days in 365 days) if not we will be fined 300,000 yen.
This was a really interesting interview, I can see the younger generations are willing to change but the older generations try to stick to their beliefs
@Ja Wi ok, but also, whats the purpose of gaining more money if you don't even have time to spend it. Japaneses need urgently some balance in their lives
Ja Wi except most people of our generation will never make enough money to retire early. So you can work all you want, you minima bills alone will take 90% of your salary and you don’t even have time to spend the 5% to relax and enjoy your personal life.
@Ja Wi (i wrote wrong "spend". Sorry for that) I don't know at what age japanese retire, to me they seem to work their whole life. And when they stop, they feel empty and tend to depress even more ):
Teringventje You’d be shocked at how hard this point is to get across to people in Japan. I have the opportunity to retire in Mexico and live off of my retirement pay at the age of 42. Maximizing the rest of my life is my main motivation, because once I’m dead that’s IT.
Oh the older generation noooo. Life and work are two separate things. Work can be enjoyable but your life shouldn’t revolve around it. As much as you love your job it shouldn’t be the main thing in your life
Detracting the old dude in the video, why should a job not be the main thing in one's life, especially if it's enjoyable and loved? You seem to be talking as if there is a fixed way or method to go about life. What if one dislikes the usual things that majority do in life like for example starting a family or exploring nature etc? If one loves their job as much as they do, then by all means, that should be what they are allowed or even encouraged to pursue.
I don’t have to work overtime but I do sometimes because I just want to work more. People need to stop having this negative connotation about work. Work is not something to feel bad about. If you have to work more, you can feel great that you can do something to help other people. To me, 10 hours is not even worth fussing about. I can work 12 hours or more if I can build my skills from it and eventually become the best in my industry. You see all these CEOs and innovators working day and night, and do you think that they’d rather work less? The truth is that they want to work more to prove themselves and to the world that they are the best. Tell me how you like your life after comparing yourself to these great achievers. You will always envy but you don’t sacrifice your comfort. Normal is a word for mediocrity.
the problem here is not that they are working for 10+ hours, it is that they have to be there and wait until their boss goes home. they may have finished their work after 8 hours and still have to be there for another 4 hours or more.
@@TJsaysHey It's different for people. Working for yourself gives you freedom, but it's more stressful. It's not for everyone. Just do what gives you meaning :)
Idk about in Japan, but I worked in a big Japan multinational automotive company (we report directly to the board of director in Japan headquarter). All my bosses are Japanese (they came directly from the Japan headquarter), but most of them go home really early hahaha. We (almost) always go home few hours after them 😂 idk, maybe they're too happy because they're placed outside Japan and don't have to work late every single day. So they try to go home early every day 😂 Thank God I already resigned 😂
Japanese people need paid overtime, unions, and to stop caring so much about what everyone thinks. They gotta thrive and ENJOY life, there's so much more than the office 😔 i was in japan in the summer and loved it, such a beautiful place and people but they're too overworked, the whole world knows it.
That's so sad. I'm a teacher in elementary school and work from 7.30 a.m to 11.30 a.m in Indonesia and paid well for our standard life. but sometimes i feel tired but when i see overwork japanese, i feel so shame and grateful at same times.
The man at 6:40 had, I believe, one of the best responses to why the Japanese people work so many hours. Same reason given by my friends there. When I asked my roommate Takashi why Japanese businessmen work so many hours if it takes time from his family he said, "I can tell my wife I love her and not mean it, but if I work really hard and make money for her and our family I do mean it." I didn't and still don't agree with this worldview, but I do believe he was being honest about himself.
Agreed! Japanese culture emphasizes so much that all good things require sacrifices. Being earnest expressed through working your ass off is the best thing to strive for. It is a beautiful concept, but I just valued themselves more, and in general valued being human more.
It's going to be amazing news when and IF more Japanese companies implement the four-day work week. I'm excited to see Japan break out of their working norms and having a social life in the future.
Man it made me pretty sad when the older guy said that work is your purpose in life whereas I work so that I can provide for myself while pursuing my purpose. I would love for more companies to get 4-day work weeks, we'll just have to see how things work out.
Their idea about work is toxic :/ it's like they don't care if they suffer from health issues or die from being overworked. Some Japanese people just don't care about their lively hoods, spending time with families and again health, it's very sad.
Chou Chou You’d be the same if you were born and raised there, and especially if you were a man (idk if you are but like yeah just saying the expectations would be harsher)
Yeah. Many of their men just 'dump' everything related to house (even finance management, kids education, etc) to their wives, without much cooperation (except for being the ATM machine). I dunno if it's bad or not. I still feel that wives would be happier if the men cooperate in the household management and their kids education. dunno
When you work for such long hours you don’t get time to reflect on what kind of person you are or what you really want in life. The more out of touch with themselves they become the less they question their working culture. They just get on with it because that’s all they know.
Glad to see these talks happening. The fact that it's been decades of this overworked culture and they only just now start addressing things doesn't make me optimistic for other countries that have this problem though... I'm just imagining being a worker in this environment in the past knowing how real the problem is, and hearing that people want to make changes, having to live years and years expecting change that never comes.
@@vidi. probably because if they were married they would like to spend more time with the kids and partners, and because younger people tend to think different
"Life is about how you worked your entire life and leaving your legacy behind at the end." *Dude, you rent out apartments... What kind of legacy is that?!?* He kind of reminds me of the old guy in the Shawshank Redemption movie. When he gets gets out of prison (his work) he won't be able to cope with the normal world around him.
Stijn de Heus his generation is the type to work until they die. It’s so sad and infuriating at the same time. Older Japanese men have no idea how to enjoy life, because they were raised during a time when Japan was a prosperous country.
"Life is about how you worked your entire life and leaving your legacy behind at the end" If it was for your own benefit I could be persuaded but he's doing it for someone else's exceeding profit. He has a slave mentality. SAF
before i even watch this ill say i believe they should implement a 4 day work week because boy these stories i see about people being depressed, as well as suicide are just sad.
what i missed in this interview: after the question "how many hours do you work in a day?" i would have liked to know "in how many hours do you think you could finish your workload if you worked extremely efficiently?" and "do you have to wait for your boss/superior to leave work and if so for how many hours?"
This is a good question that truly brings up the problem and people's opinions into the limelight. Well said. While the Japanese say there isn't a difference between work and personal life, there clearly is. Work is a communal place to contribute the community/society and the personal time outside of that should be dedicated to enjoying one's life, spending time with friend and family.
It is really worrying the hours they work and the payment they receive in return. Japanese society is very critical of its own citizens. In the Japanese schools themselves children are also very demanding, they are stressed and have no emotional help. I really hope that Japan can be in the future more open to mental health and other social problems.
The thing is that overtime production slows down to the same level as before since their free time is adapted to this type of work schedule. This a fundamental control variable. Of course people are going to be more productive on the first few weeks.
As a foreigner who work in Japan, I always finish my work on time, so basically I don't have much overtime work. As long as you finished your work on that day, that's good. Nowadays, some of the start up company will surely trying to lessen the overwork, but on the other hand it's really hard to do that in the big company.
Not only increasing productivity but also spreading positivity in the work environment. People are more likely to help their coworkers because they don’t want to lose this good rewarding job.
Some of the most productive countries on earth {Most of them Western European} are countries with shortened work weeks as an example my own country has a full time work week at 36 hours(Where as most countries view a full time work week as 40 Hours} So essentially 4 and a half days, my country also ranks in the top 10 of most productive countries on earth, this also includes things like proper vacation hours, childbirth leave and so forth. Also in recent years part time work has become a lot more popular which allows two parents to either both work part time to spend ample of time with their kids/family or for one parent to work full time and the other part time. Less work hours and a good pay essentially equals more productivity, as this Microsoft test run showed, on the essentially 80% workweek productivity was 120%, where as on the 100% workweek productivity was 100% showing essentially a net increase of productivity. This trend is pretty much obvious in a shitton of countries, so it seems quite stupid that companies in Japan don't simply adopt it after all even if you do not count the obvious benefit it has to employees, more productivity = more income as such a capitalistic reason to shorten workweeks. You know instead of falling in to the trap where you have people work 11 hours a day 6 days a week and the employees essentially twiddle their thumbs to appear productive most of that time.
Unchained Irony it’s not about income. It’s about creating a hard working image of yourself. In japan there’s nothing more important than the mask you wear
When that old fella said 'life is about how you worked' and 'leaving your legacy behind'. He is completely stuck in the post-war era. The people who we think of leaving a legacy behind are those who have contributed to humanity, civil rights welfare of others etc....not pencil pushers. Trust me once you die your company is not going to think about how hard you worked. Unfortunately, that is the sad truth about corporations. It's so sad that people think all they are worth is working and not aspiring to their dreams. Another point I wanted to make is. From my experience of traveling and living around Japan is that, sorry to say most Japanese people are not very efficient with their work. They love doing repetitive meaningless tasks and in many cases, there are 4 or 5 people focusing on one task.
As somebody who has experienced working on a 4 day work week, I actually thought this is a good idea. Not only it helps with productivity, but it helps people to destress and recharge themselves better. They can enjoy life more as well.
Not a direct comparison, but I've experimented with semester schedules throughout my time in university. 2, 3, 4, and 6-day schedules with the same amount of credits. The 4-day schedule was the best one. 2-day: Felt lazy on my days off, hated the other 2 days. 6-day: Never noticed how much time was spent getting ready, traveling, and winding down until that semester. Tempted to just stay in bed every morning.
I don't understand why people would feel bad to the old man in the video for saying that work is the purpose of his life. It can mean that He loves working, and believe me when you take that purpose away from him, he would end up stressed up. I have a dad who's just retired 3 years ago and he's kinda suffering post power syndrome because of it. We were a bit late to realize it but now he's getting better as we try to make him busy with some stuff. All that being said, we can't treat everybody the same...each of us has unique needs to be happy in our life.
There’s an ancient proverb that goes “I cannot come and kill myself…” I rebuke working 6.5 days a week completely and wholeheartedly. I never heard such madness. If my legacy is meeee wasting my life away like that, I’d rather go out being called a lazy bum. I don’t get how one could aspire to live their entire life laboriously like this, it really doesn’t sit well with my spirit…
yea precisely! we don't live to work?! we work to live! It's called sustenance. Yea some people love their jobs but more than half the jobs out there are not the most fun thing a person can do? Like travelling, sky diving, swimming, spending an hour on a good show... why would anyone think forsake all these because 'work is life' just amazes me. I feel like there is a whole world of life out there that most Japanese salarymen have yet to experience. They have adapted to minimal enjoyment and take it as the norm because they lived their whole lives this way. It's so sad! ):
I agree.. personally, I'd prefer to be unemployed and stay at home focusing on myself and what's important in life rather than working almost every day. I'm glad that most people agree that working like crazy is just you wasting your own life.
By todays standard a lot of religious figures would be considered "Lazy" or a "bum". The Buddha literally sat under a tree all day and did nothing (In the physical sense) yet he did everything (In the spiritual sense).
I have been working like the young guy, 7 days a week, 14 hours a day, with 1,5 hours of traveling to work. I had absolutely no life exept the work, I barely saw my family, I did ot only for 2 months, I can't imagine doing something like that for a whole life. It's normal that people suicide from overwork. I completely agree with Microsoft, life is 1, if u can improve the productivity and work less hours it's better for everyone, your employees will also love their work more
"Life is about work and what legacy you leave behind".No,life is about family and loved ones and making memories with them and sharing your love with them.
Having worked 4 day weeks for most of this year I can say that not only am I far happier but I feel much much more present in my job and contribute a lot more. I doubt that every line of work could accommodate 4 day weeks but office jobs certainly could especially if they just rotate people. Most city Jobs especially would be unaffected.
The besr schedule for me would be sundays, saturdays and wedensdays off. That way I can really recharge in the middle of the week and be at peak performance during mondays, tuesdays, thursdays and fridays.
I was happy to see that at least two people (women) were able to speak total honestly and clear. The root of over working in japan is social programming and the idea of judgement from others for thinking differently. However, in the near future, human productivity must be more balanced to achieve an efficient yet fast system of production. Japan is beautiful and balanced in so many ways...yet “island mentality” is deeply rooted.
I am a foreigner working in Japan. I do a 9am-6pm work day 5 times a week with a 1 hour lunch break (that is 8 hours per day). I have only been at the company for close to half a year but on average I do around 8 hours of overtime every month. Having said that, I have a manager that works every day from 9am to 9pm, and most weekends/holidays he works too (he gets paid every overtime hour, so I am sure he does it for the money and not for any life purpose or crap like that). He is an exception in the company, but there are a few that often clock long hours. However, over half of them always go home at 6pm. There are Japanese workers that do normal work hours, so I think things are slowly changing. It will take time, but I am sure Japan will fix some of their overworking culture gradually.
It seems they don't even consider another employee covering for them, i mean : " work gonna pile up if i work only 4 days" .Well, if someone else work in the days you're off that wouldnt be a issue(in most cases at least)
I think so. Kill it 4 days out of the week and have 3 days to enjoy other aspects of their life. Or reduce the number of work hours in general. Reducing the work hours can help them feel more accomplished since it'll give them more time for themselves and/or whatever else they want to achieve in life.
It’s sad to hear the older man say that his life is about how hard he works. My father in-law has this same mentality and he plans on working until he dies. What a waste of life.
My mom is Japanese, born and raised, and she now owns a sushi restaurant here in the US. She’s 70 year old and works 7 days a week, most of them day and night. I don’t know how she does it. I can’t ever complain about working too much. I admire her greatly bc she never complains. Instead she just jokes she does it to avoid having to hang out with my dad lol
Yes Harvard just did a study as well I think last year that even 40 hour work is to much. As well as it showed a decrease in productivity, compared to a someone doing a 28-to 30 hour work week
This breaks my heart, my dad isn’t Japanese nor does he live in Japan, but he works so hard. 11 hours a day, I wish I’d get to spend more time with him...
That's what I always say. People can't meet someone let alone have children with them if they are working 12 hours everyday. There is no time or energy.
my ex colleague prove your comment, he quit his job with 12 hours work a day and having no children for 1 year of his marriage. Then he join another company with normal work hour 8 hours/day, and yes his wife got pregnant by just 3 month since he leave his previous job. This is trully evidence of decreased population of Japan.
I used to work four-day week when I lived in San Francisco. The caveat was that I had to work 10, not 8, hours each day. I picked Monday as day off because my office closed on Friday. This gave me more time to focus on my job as IT specialist better without constant interruptions from the colleagues about IT issues.
As a Japanese, I think many young people value their private time these days. However, I think that it is difficult to be resolved long working hours because many old people have different values that working without break is wonderful.
Been working here in Japan for over 16 years. Including my student years I’ve been living here for over 24 years so I know their work ethics and habits before I started to work. Until about 2012 I worked just like them. Back then it was considered normal to work Sat and Sun, in addition to working till midnight Mon-Fri. During peak months my record was 22 consecutive days, everyday from 9am till about 12, sometimes 1am and just 1hr break at lunchtime. Then rest a day and back to the same routine for a couple of weeks again and repeat. The thing is, I wasn’t even the last person at the office! Maybe a few times, but mostly there was always someone else. One day I realized that this just has to stop. I was so irritable, always tired and sleepy, and work just keeps coming in no matter how fast and efficiently I do it. I rarely saw my family. So I started refusing additional tasks unless I was certain that I could accomplish them until 10pm and without working on weekends. Things gradually improved and since about 3 yrs ago until now I only do about 20-30hrs OT during busy months, about 10-15 during regular ones, and rarely work weekends or past 10pm. This is thanks in part to the stricter rules that are now in place at my company, from the effects of the Dentsu woman who committed suicide a few years back due to overwork. About working 4-day weeks, I think it would depend on the industry, the department, as well as on the managers and the employees themselves. For me it could work. I can also just take every Friday off and that would be for about 5 months. But I wouldn’t do it coz I prefer to use my 20-day yearly paid leaves to take longer vacations. If it’s done to our company it may be beneficial for me but not some of my colleagues who can’t say no when their hands are already full.
This video illustrates how young workers and old workers have different perspectives regarding working. The old man is the greatest example of old fashioned people who strongly believe people should work so hard. He has spent decades through the best economic growth period. He also doesn’t accept the result of increasing productivity in working. Since people around the old man’s age hold high position at thier company, it’s so difficult. On the other hand, the guy who immediately answered to want to accept four-days working is considered as typical thought among young workers.
I like that tall, old guy and his way of thinking. He has the right idea. Most people are considering these questions from a place of hating, or, at best, tolerating, their job as something they have to do to get by. That old guy isn't thinking like that.
New manga title: "Japanese boomers call us younger japanese workers having lazy work ethics, therefore i decided to kill myself in order to be reincarnated as a magician in a different world where i will live a quiet peaceful life"
This is difference in opinion between working hard and working efficiently. Personally I agree with this idea. I currently work 5 days a week for 50 hrs a week (at least). Sometimes, I work 7 days in a given week for up to 72 hours (or more). I work all weekends and most holidays though and I haven't had any sick days, personal days, vacation days, etc for the past 8 years. It's tough, but it's work. There is a lot of down time at work and considering that, I sometimes feel like my time would be better spent resting at home for an extra day (at least). Anyway, my belief is that it's better to work less hours and work more efficiently while you're at work. Just because you're at work for x amount of days for y amount of hours, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll be working at your best. I think this old-way of thinking is long overdue for a change. Similarly, I think that (for example), if they adopted a Monday through Thursday work week, giving Friday ~ Sunday to people to do as they want, rest, etc will be beneficial. People would be able to spend more time with family at home, people would have more time to do shopping (i.e. boost economy), and while at work people are more likely to be more alert and efficient. Another thing... I think retail businesses should be opened Monday ~ Saturday (at least). So I guess what I'm saying is like the office/professional career type of occupations should be Monday through Thursday. Retail type businesses (stores, grocery stores, department stores, etc) should be Monday through Saturday. Working is great since you're being a productive member of society and doing something to support yourself and or a family. You pay your taxes to help keep your city running. But people working so much as they have been really makes earning money kind of pointless in the long run considering that you're basically doing a task to earn money to pay for living costs (utilities, insurances, food, rent/mortgage) and then you have little left over to either put some into savings and to use towards buying stuff for yourself (entertainment, clothes, going out to eat, etc). But what's really the purpose of that if so much time is spent working, right? I guess it's the whole work to live versus the live to work debate.
4 day work week would just encourage more overwork on those days due to the lack of time. Better for companies to encourage going home at 6-8 as a preliminary step (and limit social drinking to just once a week).
working 13-14 hours a day, went home and don't have enough time to do any activity, sleep for 4-5 hours, wake up tomorrow and repeat = low productivity. it's not hard to understand this cmon japanese
A 4-day work week is great. I used to work a 4-day work week. I had more time to attend to appointment without having to take time off work to go to and I also had more time to spend with family and friends. Do chores. However, I took a new job and I find that I am always taking time to go to medical appointment and other appointment, which was easier with my other job. Sure you work the longer work hours, but if you are good at time-management, then it work out very well. The atmosphere was more relaxed, plus the way how it was managed, the international clients knew the hours of operations so they would work with the schedule.
I believe so. This should implement not only in Japan but in all countries who has toxic working culture. Study shows that working for long hours decreases productivity of an individual and also decrease the rate of efficiency at work.
When it comes to overworking, it's not just the amount of days you work, but the hours a day you work. There should be a limit to how many hours you can work in a day/week.
Asian culture is about showing face. Putting in those extra hours is a cultural thing. If there’s a slight shift in culture then I can see the leading asian countries be way more prosperous. Just don’t fall into the sjw meta lol
Thanks for the video. It appears that more youngsters would appreciate shorter work days, but in a society where (presumably) the top positions are held by more senior staff that believe in long work hours, it would be socially easier to spend as many hours at work as them to avoid judgment and gossip. If a senior can work 6.5 days, what grounds do youngsters have to complain about 5 day work week? But it is good to see how attitudes about work is slowly changing, and I hope Japan will be able to figure out a compatible work - life balance soon.
I live in SF and work in CS in tech. I worked 5 days from 7am 10am then I went into the office worked from 11 to 4 then went home and worked from 5-7 M-F Sat and Sun. I would be out with my friends while constantly checking my phone to see if any clients are in need of my immediate attention. So it's not just a Japan problem. Edit: my pay was somewhere between 40k-55k a year. I know it's broad but also don't want to give you the exact amount either.
I live in Japan and work at a school in a pretty major city, so I understand the Japanese perspective on overtime work. That said, there are some industries (as the logistics guy said) that wouldn’t benefit from having a 4-day work week. My job back home in the US was completing background screenings, and if I was only able to work 4 days a week, I’d need to work at least 12 hours a day to keep up with the workload. So, there will always be some instances where the amount of days you spend at work doesn’t change, but your productivity can. I think in that case, Japanese companies should think of new strategies to increase employee productivity to reduce the need to stay at work past normal hours. There is still a whole life you can lead working 5 days a week, and overtime should be what it is, a rare situation where you are working past the time you are supposed to be at work. No amount of overtime bonuses can suffice for the life that’s lost sitting at your desk slaving away.
Why on earth should worker productivity be the measure for making decisions? People live for leisure - they should do less work because they'll be happier, not so that company execs etc. can make more profits. Screw that framing.
It's terrible framing but it'd be the only way to get companies to agree to a policy like that. They company only cares about the business not the people working there. It's sad and it's wrong but it's true.
@@roguechevelle well yes, under ghe current political economic system it is the main factor, but framing is also about expanding people's imaginations for a better world. Start with the end goal and work your way there. Reinforcing this kind of framing only reinforces rather than undermines its legitimacy
I've always supported that a three days week-end is a lot more beneficial. Also, making through a four days week seems very easy and stimulating. Even if you work 10 hours a day (especially since Japanese people already work 10 hours a day for 5 days...).
Look at different way. I totally agree with the old guy. This is why people nowadays think work is a burden. Spend your time doing something you like even though stressfull sometime. It's a life/test you have to overcome. Every life exist to serve at least a purpose but we Human have a choice.
Yes! Studies show all those extra hours dont increase productivity anyway. People are dying for nothing
And wasting alot of Time!
They don’t increase productivity but they increase income.
@@leehyunsong7001 if u dont increase productivity u cant increase income. The hourly wages will drop.
@@leehyunsong7001 HAHA, most companies have contracts with "no extra hour salary, you need to take vacation for that". So, extra hours do not bring me any benefit.
Arthur C except it doesn’t
"Life is about how you worked your entire life and leaving your legacy behind at the end"
What a sad sad statement. This old man has lived his entire life believing this when his company wouldn't bat an eye to fire and replace him. There is no legacy.
Legacy my a** they're working to make another man rich S.A.F
You are assuming that his company will get rid of him. He's doing alright. I do agree that such opportunities are not available to you or me.
The interviewer forget to ask : have you been married? Do you have children?
That’s just Asian boss’s translation problem. From what I heard, he should mean he is working to contribute to the company/society and leave his print on this world . Nothing about “legacy”
@@oborotsuki6sai if he leave his 'print' then that's a legacy.
I'm curious if the interviewers mentioned that Microsoft paid their employees for a 5 day work week while requiring them to work only 4 days. This is an important distinction and it doesn't seem as if these people's opinions expressed being aware of that.
fozzibab they prob worked 4 ten hour days
Sure, however the point is that productivity still increased while making them work less days/hours.
it doesnt matter if they know that or not. even the thought of not working 5 or 6 days is shocking enough to them. it is not about pay.
fozzibab in the states their are a lot of 4 Day a week jobs. Most of them are12 hr. days, but get paid for 50. Lot of theses jobs in the nursing field or medical. I know lots of people with 4 day jobs, and they love it
They seem aware of it, especially the last interviewee
When a change is needed, the mindset of the people is usually the hardest to change.
that is a choice , some people choose it, some people not !!
Couldn't put it better myself. What people tend to forget is there is already regulations against overworking and long hours on the books already! Not to mention , there have been some people who have decided to sue their company and have been 100% successful in doing so and got compensated for whatever they were owed. The court system and the law is on their side YET people still decide to work stupidly long hours. At first I felt kinda sorry for them but after a while I've come to realize they do have a choice and options (unlike say people in true third world countries like India) and as strange as it sounds, they are ultimately happy working themselves to death. It's sad but reality is complex
@@NihongaDaisuki7 Japanese people are not very smart in their choices
truth
@@Visualmetal indeed!
As a Japanese descendant I can say I had many good opportunities to join Toyota and Honda in Argentina but I choosed my own path.
I'm a mother of a little girl and I always prioritize our time together.
I work as an English teacher, 3 days a week 18 hours per week.
And I have 1 month and a half for summer vacations and 2 weeks for winter vacations. I can skip work if I'm ill or my daughter or my partner plus a normal salary. I have 4 days off per week I workout I do my hobbies and I keep studying and improving myself. I'm grateful I have this opportunity. If I were in Japan this would be an impossible scenario for my family.
I hope one day Japan recognize they need more emotional education rather than money numbers and nonsense stress.
Your life is amazing, a bit working, more for family, and still enjoying life.
German here, having contact with many japanese people living in our city for more than 30 years. Whenever I had my sparkling eyes and telling them, one day I want to live and work in Japan, they just smiled and told me "WELL, you know, I live here for 30 years for a reason, I do not want to go back". One lady told me that she tried moving back when her son was 10 years old (half-japanese) and she already absorbed german "mom behaviour", so she decided to go back after 5 years in Japan, because they were already "SPECIAL outsiders", badmouthed by others, because they spoke out more often. After all the stories I heard, I really enjoy my life here now.
I want to study in Kyoto University for my graduate school. But my father not give me any approval. The cost of living in Japan is so expensive... Well... Such thing...
@@MiaMizuno yea i know one japanese professor who had a british passport. He hated japan too lol. Didn't even bowed back to any japanese students that greeted him. Oof
Are you implying that the cost of living in Japan would be too high for your current lifestyle?
Or are you implying you have a rich husband?
Japanese work themselves until there’s nothing of themselves left. They definitely need to ease off on the stress and the workload. We’re all human at the end of the day.
Yeah..but its their culture
ary
Culture changes all the time, hopefully for the better. Do you think the Japanese like being burned out to death?
@@mrizky5653 every 100 years culture changes
@@hindsightpov4218 From my experience working in japan for 1 year,i think its depend the passion,if u love ur job,no problem working even for 7 day,but mostly the people work for survive( money),so i think work for 5/6 day for 8 hours is enough to handle the stress.😅
So what u think?
ary
Six days is still too much. I’ve done that and it took a toll on my health. Five days max and for the Japanese, four days would be better. They’ve been overworked for so long they need some compensation.
I've been working in Japan for almost 3 years now, and while I went in knowing all of this and planned on sticking to my guns regarding taking holidays etc, it actually does change you when you see your coworkers barely take any holidays. You slowly conform. And now I second guess myself and worry whether it's okay to take even one day off. I've never been told no where I work, but the fear of judgement is real.
Ya i know that feel,im was work too at japan 6 day each week.
The nail that sticking out needed to be hammered down. IKR I've been there.
It’s fine as long as you have passion for your work. Otherwise, depression will swallow you up eventually.
Josh Hutchinson you put my thoughts into words. You can’t but get accustomed to their way of working culture once you start working with them. Recently, we were given the notice of taking paid leave (minimum of 5 days in 365 days) if not we will be fined 300,000 yen.
Don't live your life in fear and don't let judgement rule over your life.
This was a really interesting interview, I can see the younger generations are willing to change but the older generations try to stick to their beliefs
Like anywhere else in the world regarding progressive ideas
Boomer vs Millennial/Zoomer 🙄
@Ja Wi ok, but also, whats the purpose of gaining more money if you don't even have time to spend it. Japaneses need urgently some balance in their lives
Ja Wi except most people of our generation will never make enough money to retire early. So you can work all you want, you minima bills alone will take 90% of your salary and you don’t even have time to spend the 5% to relax and enjoy your personal life.
@Ja Wi (i wrote wrong "spend". Sorry for that)
I don't know at what age japanese retire, to me they seem to work their whole life. And when they stop, they feel empty and tend to depress even more ):
Japan is one of the most advanced countries on so many levels yet has one of the worst working culture/practices.
Elias J. sadly, i think that’s exactly how they have an advanced country though
If I would live in Japan, i'd rather be a freelancer only. But I will never work in any company there!
Mostafa Mohy if you work here, I guess they don’t expect the same from foreigners.
@@TheDxbrown I know they expect the worst from foreigners cause they're not basically Japanese in everything
Teringventje You’d be shocked at how hard this point is to get across to people in Japan. I have the opportunity to retire in Mexico and live off of my retirement pay at the age of 42. Maximizing the rest of my life is my main motivation, because once I’m dead that’s IT.
Oh the older generation noooo. Life and work are two separate things. Work can be enjoyable but your life shouldn’t revolve around it. As much as you love your job it shouldn’t be the main thing in your life
Yup, your job funds your life because after you retire there is a lot of life left after work.
Yeah i kinda felt bad for the older guy when he said that. He should take a break from work or even retire cause he looks old
Soo what the main thing?
mubasora I wouldn’t be surprised if that old guy was actually in his 40s but looked old because of the amount of stress his overworking causes him
Detracting the old dude in the video, why should a job not be the main thing in one's life, especially if it's enjoyable and loved? You seem to be talking as if there is a fixed way or method to go about life. What if one dislikes the usual things that majority do in life like for example starting a family or exploring nature etc? If one loves their job as much as they do, then by all means, that should be what they are allowed or even encouraged to pursue.
"How many days do you work?"
Japanese man: "6.5"
Literally me: (Surprised Pikachu face)
HAAHA WE MEET AGAIN
@@muq1049 This ain't the real one
I bet you work 24 hours a day on TH-cam in every comment section.
Would the 6.5 hours include socialising with clients / co workers? I wonder... relationships in Asian culture is very important I find
He said he had his own company , that's how that works you´re always at work
"No in my opinion this just proves japanese have lazy work ethics."
Ok boomer
Every boomer says that. It seems like lol
That actually my exact thought! No seriously dude you read my mind
Lmao, well said mate!
Definite boomer mentality.
byproduct of imperial japan’s brainwashing propaganda
God, no wonder suicide rates are so high, it's actually crazy how they think working 10+ hours everyday is normal
abnormal in western society but the norm in their society
USA is only 3 places behind them on the list of suicide rates so take what u will
I work at korea for 12hours a day
I don’t have to work overtime but I do sometimes because I just want to work more. People need to stop having this negative connotation about work. Work is not something to feel bad about. If you have to work more, you can feel great that you can do something to help other people. To me, 10 hours is not even worth fussing about. I can work 12 hours or more if I can build my skills from it and eventually become the best in my industry. You see all these CEOs and innovators working day and night, and do you think that they’d rather work less? The truth is that they want to work more to prove themselves and to the world that they are the best. Tell me how you like your life after comparing yourself to these great achievers. You will always envy but you don’t sacrifice your comfort. Normal is a word for mediocrity.
the problem here is not that they are working for 10+ hours, it is that they have to be there and wait until their boss goes home. they may have finished their work after 8 hours and still have to be there for another 4 hours or more.
"work is the purpose of your life" damn....
Than my life has no purpose
Ikigai bro
That is so sad that basically he said work is the purpose of your life.
It's true, but not just work for a company. Work for yourself, your family, your friends, your community. It makes life better 😀
@@TJsaysHey It's different for people. Working for yourself gives you freedom, but it's more stressful. It's not for everyone. Just do what gives you meaning :)
"this really proves that Japanese workers have lazy work ethics"
This is the sort of thinking that will lead to the downfall of the country.
they stay overtime just because some higher in hierarchy does, they just sit there for 11 hours and do nothing
its like who can hold the breath longer challenge, the one suffer the most win.
i dont think that's the majority case in japan. their workload must be so high that they need to work overtime.
I thought they still seriously work for another extra 11 hours!
@@second_second_ no, it is exactly like that.
Idk about in Japan, but I worked in a big Japan multinational automotive company (we report directly to the board of director in Japan headquarter).
All my bosses are Japanese (they came directly from the Japan headquarter), but most of them go home really early hahaha. We (almost) always go home few hours after them 😂
idk, maybe they're too happy because they're placed outside Japan and don't have to work late every single day. So they try to go home early every day 😂
Thank God I already resigned 😂
Japanese people need paid overtime, unions, and to stop caring so much about what everyone thinks. They gotta thrive and ENJOY life, there's so much more than the office 😔 i was in japan in the summer and loved it, such a beautiful place and people but they're too overworked, the whole world knows it.
Ja Wi unions made the weekend, the 8h work day, overtime pay, minimum wage, forced holiday paid time off and much much more.
@Blackpilled Saint lol🤣
In the morning, people look so sad to go to work in Tokyo...
That's so sad. I'm a teacher in elementary school and work from 7.30 a.m to 11.30 a.m in Indonesia and paid well for our standard life. but sometimes i feel tired but when i see overwork japanese, i feel so shame and grateful at same times.
@@ikapuchino what you only work 4 hours per day?
i wake up at 4:30 am to go to work here in california.....im sad too.....work is something everyone needs to do but doesnt want.
Yeah.. And at friday and Saturday i only work for 2,5 hours. It's exclude 2 months full of holydays in one year.
Hi... I am Indonesian. I work for 15 hours a week😉 and i get enough money to life.... And i still can saving enough money for my future....😃
The man at 6:40 had, I believe, one of the best responses to why the Japanese people work so many hours. Same reason given by my friends there. When I asked my roommate Takashi why Japanese businessmen work so many hours if it takes time from his family he said, "I can tell my wife I love her and not mean it, but if I work really hard and make money for her and our family I do mean it." I didn't and still don't agree with this worldview, but I do believe he was being honest about himself.
Agreed! Japanese culture emphasizes so much that all good things require sacrifices. Being earnest expressed through working your ass off is the best thing to strive for. It is a beautiful concept, but I just valued themselves more, and in general valued being human more.
@akshay Viswambharan ok gaijin
It's going to be amazing news when and IF more Japanese companies implement the four-day work week. I'm excited to see Japan break out of their working norms and having a social life in the future.
No , hope they never become like Western people
I hope we get the four day work week too in america.
Man it made me pretty sad when the older guy said that work is your purpose in life whereas I work so that I can provide for myself while pursuing my purpose. I would love for more companies to get 4-day work weeks, we'll just have to see how things work out.
Their idea about work is toxic :/ it's like they don't care if they suffer from health issues or die from being overworked. Some Japanese people just don't care about their lively hoods, spending time with families and again health, it's very sad.
Chou Chou You’d be the same if you were born and raised there, and especially if you were a man (idk if you are but like yeah just saying the expectations would be harsher)
Yeah. Many of their men just 'dump' everything related to house (even finance management, kids education, etc) to their wives, without much cooperation (except for being the ATM machine). I dunno if it's bad or not. I still feel that wives would be happier if the men cooperate in the household management and their kids education. dunno
Second it’s slowly becoming like that.
Yet they are the healthiest and live longest.
Ok gaijin
How about they implement 5 days a week 8hrs a day. That would already be revolutionary
Right lol, they work like 6 days 14 hours a day. I honestly can’t live like that
When you work for such long hours you don’t get time to reflect on what kind of person you are or what you really want in life. The more out of touch with themselves they become the less they question their working culture. They just get on with it because that’s all they know.
Glad to see these talks happening. The fact that it's been decades of this overworked culture and they only just now start addressing things doesn't make me optimistic for other countries that have this problem though... I'm just imagining being a worker in this environment in the past knowing how real the problem is, and hearing that people want to make changes, having to live years and years expecting change that never comes.
It's sad. Either you're smart enough to work for MS or have a in demand skill set that allows you the freedom to work how you want.
Which country are you from?
The interviewer forgot to ask like this : " how old are you? have you been married? Do you have a children?"
For what reason?
@@vidi. to see how they feel not been able to spend time with their family because of their ridiculous work time
@@vidi. probably because if they were married they would like to spend more time with the kids and partners, and because younger people tend to think different
More like how many friends do you have or if you died how many people would come to your funeral
@@lazyvessel8632 that will not mean anything. They do attend funerals for formality. Again, the herd mentality.
They need this bad... if not their society/population will collapse due to this torture of decades..
It's already collapsing
"Life is about how you worked your entire life and leaving your legacy behind at the end."
*Dude, you rent out apartments... What kind of legacy is that?!?*
He kind of reminds me of the old guy in the Shawshank Redemption movie. When he gets gets out of prison (his work) he won't be able to cope with the normal world around him.
Stijn de Heus his generation is the type to work until they die. It’s so sad and infuriating at the same time. Older Japanese men have no idea how to enjoy life, because they were raised during a time when Japan was a prosperous country.
@@TheDxbrown he lives a great life
There is NO life outside work ,period
YES DEFINITELY!
5-2 is not even fair nor balanced, 4-3 will definitly increase productivity and decrease slacking time
@Dark of the knight your kind is exaclty what's wrong with this world.
"Life is about how you worked your entire life and leaving your legacy behind at the end" If it was for your own benefit I could be persuaded but he's doing it for someone else's exceeding profit. He has a slave mentality. SAF
He is doing it for his FAMILY
... If it was for your own benefit....
Try run your own business then, it's for your own benefit and the 6 day/week 14 hours/day work is fun.
before i even watch this ill say i believe they should implement a 4 day work week because boy these stories i see about people being depressed, as well as suicide are just sad.
what i missed in this interview: after the question "how many hours do you work in a day?" i would have liked to know "in how many hours do you think you could finish your workload if you worked extremely efficiently?" and "do you have to wait for your boss/superior to leave work and if so for how many hours?"
This is a good question that truly brings up the problem and people's opinions into the limelight. Well said. While the Japanese say there isn't a difference between work and personal life, there clearly is. Work is a communal place to contribute the community/society and the personal time outside of that should be dedicated to enjoying one's life, spending time with friend and family.
Robopecha nobody would ever answer the truth so there’s no point in asking
they wouldnt answer
It is really worrying the hours they work and the payment they receive in return. Japanese society is very critical of its own citizens. In the Japanese schools themselves children are also very demanding, they are stressed and have no emotional help. I really hope that Japan can be in the future more open to mental health and other social problems.
The thing is that overtime production slows down to the same level as before since their free time is adapted to this type of work schedule. This a fundamental control variable. Of course people are going to be more productive on the first few weeks.
I really want to say "Ok, boomer" to that old man
😂😂😂😂
Lmao
「OK, ブーマー。」
Taupiq Nasution Indonesian
Ok gaijin
As a foreigner who work in Japan, I always finish my work on time, so basically I don't have much overtime work. As long as you finished your work on that day, that's good.
Nowadays, some of the start up company will surely trying to lessen the overwork, but on the other hand it's really hard to do that in the big company.
Not only increasing productivity but also spreading positivity in the work environment. People are more likely to help their coworkers because they don’t want to lose this good rewarding job.
Some of the most productive countries on earth {Most of them Western European} are countries with shortened work weeks as an example my own country has a full time work week at 36 hours(Where as most countries view a full time work week as 40 Hours} So essentially 4 and a half days, my country also ranks in the top 10 of most productive countries on earth, this also includes things like proper vacation hours, childbirth leave and so forth. Also in recent years part time work has become a lot more popular which allows two parents to either both work part time to spend ample of time with their kids/family or for one parent to work full time and the other part time.
Less work hours and a good pay essentially equals more productivity, as this Microsoft test run showed, on the essentially 80% workweek productivity was 120%, where as on the 100% workweek productivity was 100% showing essentially a net increase of productivity.
This trend is pretty much obvious in a shitton of countries, so it seems quite stupid that companies in Japan don't simply adopt it after all even if you do not count the obvious benefit it has to employees, more productivity = more income as such a capitalistic reason to shorten workweeks. You know instead of falling in to the trap where you have people work 11 hours a day 6 days a week and the employees essentially twiddle their thumbs to appear productive most of that time.
Where are you from if i may ask?
Northern Europeans are rich ,you can afford to work less ,other countries can NEVER do that
Unchained Irony it’s not about income. It’s about creating a hard working image of yourself. In japan there’s nothing more important than the mask you wear
Except that they DO NOT make more money for working longer hours. They’re processes are just archaic, labor-intensive, and analog.
When that old fella said 'life is about how you worked' and 'leaving your legacy behind'. He is completely stuck in the post-war era. The people who we think of leaving a legacy behind are those who have contributed to humanity, civil rights welfare of others etc....not pencil pushers. Trust me once you die your company is not going to think about how hard you worked. Unfortunately, that is the sad truth about corporations. It's so sad that people think all they are worth is working and not aspiring to their dreams.
Another point I wanted to make is. From my experience of traveling and living around Japan is that, sorry to say most Japanese people are not very efficient with their work. They love doing repetitive meaningless tasks and in many cases, there are 4 or 5 people focusing on one task.
As somebody who has experienced working on a 4 day work week, I actually thought this is a good idea. Not only it helps with productivity, but it helps people to destress and recharge themselves better. They can enjoy life more as well.
Not a direct comparison, but I've experimented with semester schedules throughout my time in university. 2, 3, 4, and 6-day schedules with the same amount of credits. The 4-day schedule was the best one.
2-day: Felt lazy on my days off, hated the other 2 days.
6-day: Never noticed how much time was spent getting ready, traveling, and winding down until that semester. Tempted to just stay in bed every morning.
In this interview, you can really see the difference in the outlook of the older and younger generations working in Japan.
I hope students there don't have school hours like working hours of elders in Japan .
@juamnji yes I don't think they go to school 6 days a week, school hours in Japan is actually not that long compare to korea,china,taiwan.
students go to school for like 12 hours a day tho
@@fragileword6189 Which country are you living in ?
👀
juamnji yes They go to school 5 days a week* yes
@@fragileword6189 jesus..
I don't understand why people would feel bad to the old man in the video for saying that work is the purpose of his life. It can mean that He loves working, and believe me when you take that purpose away from him, he would end up stressed up. I have a dad who's just retired 3 years ago and he's kinda suffering post power syndrome because of it. We were a bit late to realize it but now he's getting better as we try to make him busy with some stuff. All that being said, we can't treat everybody the same...each of us has unique needs to be happy in our life.
There’s an ancient proverb that goes “I cannot come and kill myself…” I rebuke working 6.5 days a week completely and wholeheartedly. I never heard such madness. If my legacy is meeee wasting my life away like that, I’d rather go out being called a lazy bum. I don’t get how one could aspire to live their entire life laboriously like this, it really doesn’t sit well with my spirit…
yea precisely! we don't live to work?! we work to live! It's called sustenance. Yea some people love their jobs but more than half the jobs out there are not the most fun thing a person can do? Like travelling, sky diving, swimming, spending an hour on a good show... why would anyone think forsake all these because 'work is life' just amazes me. I feel like there is a whole world of life out there that most Japanese salarymen have yet to experience. They have adapted to minimal enjoyment and take it as the norm because they lived their whole lives this way. It's so sad! ):
I agree.. personally, I'd prefer to be unemployed and stay at home focusing on myself and what's important in life rather than working almost every day. I'm glad that most people agree that working like crazy is just you wasting your own life.
By todays standard a lot of religious figures would be considered "Lazy" or a "bum". The Buddha literally sat under a tree all day and did nothing (In the physical sense) yet he did everything (In the spiritual sense).
that is you not them
I have been working like the young guy, 7 days a week, 14 hours a day, with 1,5 hours of traveling to work.
I had absolutely no life exept the work, I barely saw my family, I did ot only for 2 months, I can't imagine doing something like that for a whole life. It's normal that people suicide from overwork.
I completely agree with Microsoft, life is 1, if u can improve the productivity and work less hours it's better for everyone, your employees will also love their work more
In Italy they would think of it as hell because nobody wants to work there
Sounds like I would fit right in into Italy as a German with that same mindset. Lol
"Life is about work and what legacy you leave behind".No,life is about family and loved ones and making memories with them and sharing your love with them.
Having worked 4 day weeks for most of this year I can say that not only am I far happier but I feel much much more present in my job and contribute a lot more. I doubt that every line of work could accommodate 4 day weeks but office jobs certainly could especially if they just rotate people. Most city Jobs especially would be unaffected.
The besr schedule for me would be sundays, saturdays and wedensdays off.
That way I can really recharge in the middle of the week and be at peak performance during mondays, tuesdays, thursdays and fridays.
The guy near the end in the white tshirt and blue jacket is cute ^.^
I was happy to see that at least two people (women) were able to speak total honestly and clear. The root of over working in japan is social programming and the idea of judgement from others for thinking differently. However, in the near future, human productivity must be more balanced to achieve an efficient yet fast system of production. Japan is beautiful and balanced in so many ways...yet “island mentality” is deeply rooted.
4 days a week... Damn every morning I'd be a happy potato off to work.
Everyone would be
@IntrovertedGucci is that your real photo in the profile pic?
@@originalm3233 yeah?
@@thv1330 You are so beautiful. Are you Japanese?
@@originalm3233 oh thank you!
I am a foreigner working in Japan. I do a 9am-6pm work day 5 times a week with a 1 hour lunch break (that is 8 hours per day).
I have only been at the company for close to half a year but on average I do around 8 hours of overtime every month.
Having said that, I have a manager that works every day from 9am to 9pm, and most weekends/holidays he works too (he gets paid every overtime hour, so I am sure he does it for the money and not for any life purpose or crap like that). He is an exception in the company, but there are a few that often clock long hours. However, over half of them always go home at 6pm.
There are Japanese workers that do normal work hours, so I think things are slowly changing. It will take time, but I am sure Japan will fix some of their overworking culture gradually.
Most definitely because the rumors out here in the west, how jobs are basically torture in Japan is big.
It's slavery
The key to a happy life is balance. Balance for work, play, rest and recreation.
It seems they don't even consider another employee covering for them, i mean : " work gonna pile up if i work only 4 days" .Well, if someone else work in the days you're off that wouldnt be a issue(in most cases at least)
I must say, this channel is one of the best out there!❤
Japan, the country where its famous for its entertainment yet no one has the time to enjoy them.
I think so. Kill it 4 days out of the week and have 3 days to enjoy other aspects of their life. Or reduce the number of work hours in general.
Reducing the work hours can help them feel more accomplished since it'll give them more time for themselves and/or whatever else they want to achieve in life.
It’s sad to hear the older man say that his life is about how hard he works. My father in-law has this same mentality and he plans on working until he dies. What a waste of life.
My mom is Japanese, born and raised, and she now owns a sushi restaurant here in the US. She’s 70 year old and works 7 days a week, most of them day and night. I don’t know how she does it. I can’t ever complain about working too much. I admire her greatly bc she never complains. Instead she just jokes she does it to avoid having to hang out with my dad lol
Less work , more hoochie-koochie, less anxiety, more fun.
5:04 Wow, I love how honest the old man is.
Yes Harvard just did a study as well I think last year that even 40 hour work is to much. As well as it showed a decrease in productivity, compared to a someone doing a 28-to 30 hour work week
It's waaay too much ,but it won't change any time soon
This breaks my heart, my dad isn’t Japanese nor does he live in Japan, but he works so hard. 11 hours a day, I wish I’d get to spend more time with him...
and this may be the solution to low Japanese birthrate :) less work means more energy to make babies lol
That's what I always say. People can't meet someone let alone have children with them if they are working 12 hours everyday. There is no time or energy.
Nah... they just spend the time for watch JAV since it keep them curious what exactly those mosaic thing.
vivoslibertos wkwkwk
my ex colleague prove your comment, he quit his job with 12 hours work a day and having no children for 1 year of his marriage.
Then he join another company with normal work hour 8 hours/day, and yes his wife got pregnant by just 3 month since he leave his previous job.
This is trully evidence of decreased population of Japan.
I used to work four-day week when I lived in San Francisco. The caveat was that I had to work 10, not 8, hours each day. I picked Monday as day off because my office closed on Friday. This gave me more time to focus on my job as IT specialist better without constant interruptions from the colleagues about IT issues.
Productivity certainly has better chances of increasing if people don't die ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
As a Japanese, I think many young people value their private time these days. However, I think that it is difficult to be resolved long working hours because many old people have different values that working without break is wonderful.
Korean language: everything is so cute
Japanese:everything is so surprising
Indonesian:everything is so chill
Anything with other Asian countries? OuO
KOTheWorld Malay does sound friendly
KOTheWorld ㅋ ㅋ ㅋ 笑 笑 笑
Been working here in Japan for over 16 years. Including my student years I’ve been living here for over 24 years so I know their work ethics and habits before I started to work. Until about 2012 I worked just like them. Back then it was considered normal to work Sat and Sun, in addition to working till midnight Mon-Fri. During peak months my record was 22 consecutive days, everyday from 9am till about 12, sometimes 1am and just 1hr break at lunchtime. Then rest a day and back to the same routine for a couple of weeks again and repeat. The thing is, I wasn’t even the last person at the office! Maybe a few times, but mostly there was always someone else.
One day I realized that this just has to stop. I was so irritable, always tired and sleepy, and work just keeps coming in no matter how fast and efficiently I do it. I rarely saw my family. So I started refusing additional tasks unless I was certain that I could accomplish them until 10pm and without working on weekends. Things gradually improved and since about 3 yrs ago until now I only do about 20-30hrs OT during busy months, about 10-15 during regular ones, and rarely work weekends or past 10pm. This is thanks in part to the stricter rules that are now in place at my company, from the effects of the Dentsu woman who committed suicide a few years back due to overwork.
About working 4-day weeks, I think it would depend on the industry, the department, as well as on the managers and the employees themselves. For me it could work. I can also just take every Friday off and that would be for about 5 months. But I wouldn’t do it coz I prefer to use my 20-day yearly paid leaves to take longer vacations. If it’s done to our company it may be beneficial for me but not some of my colleagues who can’t say no when their hands are already full.
I am definitely down for the 4 hour work week to be the new norm.
Arthur Vincent Simon 4 daY
This video illustrates how young workers and old workers have different perspectives regarding working. The old man is the greatest example of old fashioned people who strongly believe people should work so hard. He has spent decades through the best economic growth period. He also doesn’t accept the result of increasing productivity in working. Since people around the old man’s age hold high position at thier company, it’s so difficult. On the other hand, the guy who immediately answered to want to accept four-days working is considered as typical thought among young workers.
Philippines is implementing this because of traffic
haha that's kind of funny but it's a creative idea.
Wait really? Havent seen that news pa, maybe soon?
I would want to know if there is still the provincial rate going on there. It's hard commuting from cavite to Makati (I'm an ofw though*)
Martina Martins wah
I like that tall, old guy and his way of thinking. He has the right idea. Most people are considering these questions from a place of hating, or, at best, tolerating, their job as something they have to do to get by. That old guy isn't thinking like that.
This karoshi is the reason why there's a lot of isekai manga
New manga title:
"Japanese boomers call us younger japanese workers having lazy work ethics, therefore i decided to kill myself in order to be reincarnated as a magician in a different world where i will live a quiet peaceful life"
This is difference in opinion between working hard and working efficiently.
Personally I agree with this idea.
I currently work 5 days a week for 50 hrs a week (at least).
Sometimes, I work 7 days in a given week for up to 72 hours (or more).
I work all weekends and most holidays though and I haven't had any sick days, personal days, vacation days, etc for the past 8 years.
It's tough, but it's work.
There is a lot of down time at work and considering that, I sometimes feel like my time would be better spent resting at home for an extra day (at least).
Anyway, my belief is that it's better to work less hours and work more efficiently while you're at work.
Just because you're at work for x amount of days for y amount of hours, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll be working at your best.
I think this old-way of thinking is long overdue for a change.
Similarly, I think that (for example), if they adopted a Monday through Thursday work week, giving Friday ~ Sunday to people to do as they want, rest, etc will be beneficial.
People would be able to spend more time with family at home, people would have more time to do shopping (i.e. boost economy), and while at work people are more likely to be more alert and efficient.
Another thing...
I think retail businesses should be opened Monday ~ Saturday (at least).
So I guess what I'm saying is like the office/professional career type of occupations should be Monday through Thursday.
Retail type businesses (stores, grocery stores, department stores, etc) should be Monday through Saturday.
Working is great since you're being a productive member of society and doing something to support yourself and or a family.
You pay your taxes to help keep your city running.
But people working so much as they have been really makes earning money kind of pointless in the long run considering that you're basically doing a task to earn money to pay for living costs (utilities, insurances, food, rent/mortgage) and then you have little left over to either put some into savings and to use towards buying stuff for yourself (entertainment, clothes, going out to eat, etc).
But what's really the purpose of that if so much time is spent working, right?
I guess it's the whole work to live versus the live to work debate.
Frankly, I'd like a month-long vacation instead of a four-day work week.
Ikr? I don't get any paid vacation time where I work. If I take off it's all unpaid so I don't take off.
4 day work week would just encourage more overwork on those days due to the lack of time. Better for companies to encourage going home at 6-8 as a preliminary step (and limit social drinking to just once a week).
working 13-14 hours a day, went home and don't have enough time to do any activity, sleep for 4-5 hours, wake up tomorrow and repeat = low productivity. it's not hard to understand this cmon japanese
A 4-day work week is great. I used to work a 4-day work week. I had more time to attend to appointment without having to take time off work to go to and I also had more time to spend with family and friends. Do chores. However, I took a new job and I find that I am always taking time to go to medical appointment and other appointment, which was easier with my other job. Sure you work the longer work hours, but if you are good at time-management, then it work out very well. The atmosphere was more relaxed, plus the way how it was managed, the international clients knew the hours of operations so they would work with the schedule.
Damn that old guy has worked so hard his entire life he can't imagine the benefits of not doing that
I believe so. This should implement not only in Japan but in all countries who has toxic working culture. Study shows that working for long hours decreases productivity of an individual and also decrease the rate of efficiency at work.
Gin, I'm curious how do you maintain that beautiful hair?
When it comes to overworking, it's not just the amount of days you work, but the hours a day you work. There should be a limit to how many hours you can work in a day/week.
What exactly are all of these business men and women producing in their offices?
The reason why Hiroko isnt here because they were in Kusatsu eating sushi. Not a joke i saw them with my own 2 eyes.
Asian culture is about showing face. Putting in those extra hours is a cultural thing. If there’s a slight shift in culture then I can see the leading asian countries be way more prosperous. Just don’t fall into the sjw meta lol
It's depend on the type of the jobs. For regular routine jobs, it does not affect. But for creative jobs, it could affect to productivity.
I think All Country should Implement 5 Day work Monday - Friday..
Thanks for the video. It appears that more youngsters would appreciate shorter work days, but in a society where (presumably) the top positions are held by more senior staff that believe in long work hours, it would be socially easier to spend as many hours at work as them to avoid judgment and gossip. If a senior can work 6.5 days, what grounds do youngsters have to complain about 5 day work week? But it is good to see how attitudes about work is slowly changing, and I hope Japan will be able to figure out a compatible work - life balance soon.
Are there no working hour regulations in Japan??
No not really, it's all up to the boss
I live in SF and work in CS in tech. I worked 5 days from 7am 10am then I went into the office worked from 11 to 4 then went home and worked from 5-7 M-F
Sat and Sun. I would be out with my friends while constantly checking my phone to see if any clients are in need of my immediate attention.
So it's not just a Japan problem.
Edit: my pay was somewhere between 40k-55k a year. I know it's broad but also don't want to give you the exact amount either.
I live in Japan and work at a school in a pretty major city, so I understand the Japanese perspective on overtime work. That said, there are some industries (as the logistics guy said) that wouldn’t benefit from having a 4-day work week. My job back home in the US was completing background screenings, and if I was only able to work 4 days a week, I’d need to work at least 12 hours a day to keep up with the workload. So, there will always be some instances where the amount of days you spend at work doesn’t change, but your productivity can. I think in that case, Japanese companies should think of new strategies to increase employee productivity to reduce the need to stay at work past normal hours. There is still a whole life you can lead working 5 days a week, and overtime should be what it is, a rare situation where you are working past the time you are supposed to be at work. No amount of overtime bonuses can suffice for the life that’s lost sitting at your desk slaving away.
Why on earth should worker productivity be the measure for making decisions? People live for leisure - they should do less work because they'll be happier, not so that company execs etc. can make more profits. Screw that framing.
It's terrible framing but it'd be the only way to get companies to agree to a policy like that. They company only cares about the business not the people working there. It's sad and it's wrong but it's true.
@@roguechevelle well yes, under ghe current political economic system it is the main factor, but framing is also about expanding people's imaginations for a better world. Start with the end goal and work your way there. Reinforcing this kind of framing only reinforces rather than undermines its legitimacy
I get what you mean but japanese culture doesnt value living for leisure at all lol. It would probably land even worse if it was framed that way.
I've always supported that a three days week-end is a lot more beneficial. Also, making through a four days week seems very easy and stimulating. Even if you work 10 hours a day (especially since Japanese people already work 10 hours a day for 5 days...).
weird ego.. i work longer hrs so i m better. lol work smarter n faster is better.
Look at different way. I totally agree with the old guy. This is why people nowadays think work is a burden. Spend your time doing something you like even though stressfull sometime. It's a life/test you have to overcome. Every life exist to serve at least a purpose but we Human have a choice.
There is a word for the people of Japan: workaholic.
I work 3 days a week. 12 hour each shift as a nurse. It's a great life work balance and pay.