Gov't picks 10 model companies to improve work-life balance in Japan

Saturday 12th April, 05:26 AM JST

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8 Comments

thepro at 09:15 AM JST - 12th April

Less overtime? Taking holidays?? Does this mean salarymen will have to spend time with their..gasp.families???
thepossum at 09:57 AM JST - 12th April

But... What about Japan's most notorious company, known for it's cases of "karoshi" (being worked to death) and overall "the worker is a slave" mentality ?

That's right... what about Toyota ???
fireant at 11:08 AM JST - 12th April

This is an interesting idea: mandating free time from above. It just might work. Except for those poor workers in the Balance Life Committee that have to work overtime insuring that all the other workers take their vacation days and stop working at 5:00. (unless it's easier to change the definition of 'overtime.')
Scrote at 12:02 PM JST - 12th April

Let's see if this is more than just empty words. I know people working in some of these "model" companies, and they currently work the same ridiculous hours as everyone else.
notimpressed at 12:39 PM JST - 12th April

As much as we may want to criticize this, its definately a good initiative. Its not a minute too soon for the government and companies to recognise the problem, and any action taken has to be seen as positive. Having model companies is a good idea, as its hard to get the other companies to listen to reason, without an example of how something can be done. At the very least lets hope the employees at these companies can get a break right? I hope its successful. I still think maybe there should be a limit on overtime to be enforced, or maybe if someone really wants to or needs to do that much overtime, tier a rise in hourly bonus in accordance with the amount of overtime, that would put the brakes on companies exploiting it...maybe.
thepro at 01:02 PM JST - 12th April

The only way this kind of thing can work with Japanese people is if everybody goes home at the same time
ADK99 at 03:23 PM JST - 12th April

The government could go a long way towards fixing this problem if they reversed the well-intentioned but flawed law that forbids companies for paying cash for unused paid holidays. It ought to be the opposite - if companies were forced to pay out for unused holidays at least some of them would force staff to take them to keep costs down.
Ultradude at 09:07 AM JST - 15th April

I have a neighbor who works at Dentsu and is never home before 10pm, never. Often coming in at 1 or 2AM. Good luck changing that type of attitude/work culture.