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In the video titled ‘A Day in the Life: Salaryman at a Black Company’, a Japanese worker documents his normal working day, which spans from 7 AM to 11:50 PM.
Video spotlights on how tiring life can be for some workers in Japan. (Photo Credit: YouTube)
Many people dream of moving to another country to find better jobs and leave tough working conditions behind. But working abroad could be very hard. Recently, a Japanese corporate employee showed what his day looks like and it surprised many around the world. In a video titled ‘A Day in the Life: Salaryman at a Black Company’, he shows his daily routine from waking up at 7 AM to eating dinner late at around 11:50 PM.
In Japan, a black company means a workplace where workers are treated poorly. The video highlights how tiring life can be for some workers, different from the relaxed and fun image many tourists have of Japan.
Even though he says he doesn’t feel like working, the man still leaves home by 7:16 AM and travels for 90 minutes to reach his office. He starts working at 9 AM and continues until around 1 PM, with a short coffee break at 11:35 AM. During this break, he shares that many black companies prefer hiring fresh graduates because they don’t have much experience and won’t question unfair treatment. After taking lunch at 1:10 PM, he gets back to work at 2 PM and continues for another six hours.
He finally leaves the office at 8:15 PM, feeling extremely tired. He says that working such long hours isn’t productive.
Referring to Japan’s four-day workweek, he claims it to be just a rumour and nothing has changed in his own job. After stopping at some shops and taking another 90-minute journey home, he reaches his house at 10:45 PM. He then cooks dinner at 11:30 PM and only gets to bed by 1:15 AM.
Japan’s long working hours have been a concern for years. It’s so common that people call it karoshi, which means death by overwork. This can happen due to stress from the job, which may lead to serious health problems like heart attacks, strokes or even suicide.
Speaking about it, Hitotsubashi University professor of human resources management, Hiroshi Ono, in an interview with the BBC, said, “While Western society is individualistic and non-hierarchical, Japanese society is collectivist and hierarchical. Thus, many people refrain from taking a holiday because their bosses do not take a holiday, or they are afraid that it will disrupt the group harmony.”
Another worker added, “It’s natural not to take holiday leave. I’ve never thought about the impact on my family, health, or well-being. There are about 30 employees in our company. One colleague is already taking a long leave due to mental illness and we are short-staffed. So if one person takes a day off, it will be a burden to the other staff. The managers don’t take any holidays and they usually work late. None of the others are taking days off, I cannot be the only person taking time off work.”
Reportedly, Japan’s tough work culture has become a serious concern and the government has started taking steps to improve it. In 2018, a new law was passed to change how people work in the country. It came into effect in April 2019. The goal was to make work life healthier and more balanced. This law included several changes, such as putting limits on how many hours a person can work, allowing more flexible work options and making it compulsory for companies to give at least five days off to workers who have unused leave.
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Delhi, India, India
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