If you were the PM of Japan, how would you positively change work-life balance here?

6 Answers

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  TonetoEdo

  19 hours ago

  Since 2019, employers must confirm that employees take at least five of their paid leave days each year. It's still not enough. I'd raise it one year at a time to 10 compulsory paid leave days.

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  genkidesu

  17 hours ago

  @TonetoEdo I definitely agree that five isn't enough! Love your approach though to raise it incrementally to help the adjustment.

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  BigfamJapan

  12 hours ago

  The laws and the reality are two completely different things. On paper it looks like Japan protects its employees, but how many of us know people who stay in the office to 11 pm at night without getting overtime because they aren't legally supposed to be there that long and they don't want to rock the boat so they don't complain. The work ethic is so deeply rooted, I really don't know what could improve it. Enacted laws haven't done much. I always think of the truck drivers in these incidents. Despite laws and wrist slaps, penalties etc there are companies who still exploit truck drivers which leads to so many accidents from the drivers being overtired. It has to come from the top down. And with the leader of the country's 'promise', it really is going to make things worse. It has endorsed working without pay essentially. Work before everything else. Tonetoedo's idea is a good one. I suppose as a twist on that; introducing another annual holiday, in one of the months that has none - either June or December.

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  TonetoEdo

  11 hours ago

  @BigfamJapan I'm with you. The impulse must be top-down, as most institutions are entrenched in attitudes that perpetuate the Japanese status quo. And status quo is generally to work harder rather than work smarter.

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  BigfamJapan

  about an hour ago

  Coincidentally today is "Let's take paid holidays and go on a trip day"! And while researching the post I wrote about it, I came across information that October is the "promotion period for taking annual paid leave" set by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Is Japan the only country in the world where they have to encourage people to take paid leave!?

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  genkidesu

  about an hour ago

  @BigfamJapan In Australia it's not like here at all, there's no encouragement needed to take leave, and really no guilt at all when you do! People can also "purchase" additional leave -- for instance, I was able to have them deduct a bit out of my pay each fortnight to "buy" two additional weeks leave on top of the usual four so I could take a longer overseas trip!

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