12.01.2017 109 904 42 Reading time: 15 min.

Today I decided to collect and publish data on how long it lasts working day, work week And work time V different countries peace, and also analyze how much these indicators influence the level of economic development of countries. This idea was prompted by the recently ended so-called “New Year holidays”, during which many workers rested. There are many others holidays, which are not celebrated in other countries, and I have more than once heard opinions that Russians rest too much, and they should, they say, work. After delving into the statistics, I came to the conclusion that this is all an absolute fallacy: in fact, Russians are among the people who work the hardest in the world! Well, residents of neighboring CIS countries are also not far behind. And now more details...

There is one international organization Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which calculates and compares statistics in a variety of areas. So, among other things, she keeps a tally of actual working hours worked (including official part-time jobs and overtime).

According to OECD data, in 2015 the average resident of Russia spent at work, attention, 1978 hours! This means that he worked 247 8-hour working days, that is, he worked all working days of the year according to the norm, without shortened days and without any vacation at all. And this is only according to official data! Is it worth mentioning how much people recycle unofficially?

According to this indicator, Russia took 6th place in the world in 2015. The top five countries where workers worked the most hours looked like this:

1. Mexico.
2. Costa Rica.
3. South Korea.
4. Greece.
5. Chile.

Please note: these are predominantly “middle-level” and “below-average” countries, not the most developed, but not the most backward either. In general, it is not entirely clear why many Asian countries were not included in this TOP, where working a lot is considered good form, people basically do not rest and do not take vacations. Nevertheless, the report is just that. Do you know which countries, according to OECD data, had the shortest working hours?

1. Germany.
2. Netherlands.
3. Norway.
4. Denmark.
5. France.

In general, the entire top ten is occupied by European countries. For example, the working time of the average resident of Germany in 2015 was 1371 hours, which is a third less than in Russia! In fact, all European countries included in the top 10 countries with minimum working hours are at a very high level of development.

Where did such a difference between the hours worked by Russians and residents come from? Western Europe? There are 3 main reasons:

1. Shorter working hours and working weeks.
2. Longer holidays.
3. A more strict approach to overtime and work outside of school hours.

Moreover, interestingly, the length of the working day and working week does not have the strongest impact on the actual working time worked in the year. Because according to the results of the OECD study, it is clear that countries with approximately the same length of the working day and working week can take diametrically opposed positions in terms of the actual working time of the average worker.

Let's look at the length of the working day and working week in different countries of the world:

• Netherlands- the minimum working week in the world. A working day is on average 7.5 hours, a working week is 27 hours.
• France, Ireland— working week 35 hours.
• Denmark— working day 7.3 hours, working week — 37.5 hours. It is noteworthy that the average hourly salary in Denmark is 30% higher than in the EU as a whole - 37.6 euros per hour.
• Germany— working week 38 hours. Despite the fact that Germans are traditionally considered workaholics, annual working hours are the lowest in the world!
• Russia Ukraine- working day 8 hours, working week - 40 hours. However, due to overtime (even official!) and short, often unobserved vacations, these countries are among the ten countries with the largest working hours per year.
• USA— maximum working week — 40 hours. In fact, in the private sector, workers work an average of 34.6 hours per week.
• Japan— working week 40 hours. Everyone has heard about the workaholism of the Japanese, however, the official working week there is no different from the Russian one. In this country, it is customary to unofficially stay late at work to advance your career; this is not included in official statistics. In fact, the work week often lasts up to 50 hours.
• Great Britain— working week — 43.7 hours.
• Greece— working week — 43.7 hours, actual working time worked — the maximum in Europe.
• Mexico, Thailand, India— working week up to 48 hours, six days.
• China— the average working day is 10 hours, the average working week is 60 hours. Lunch time in China is 20 minutes, and the average vacation length is 10 days.

In addition to the length of the working day and extracurricular work, the duration of vacation also has an impact on the total working time worked; in European countries, things are also better with this than in Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the post-Soviet space.

For example, the average duration of paid leave in different countries of the world is:

• Austria— 6 weeks of vacation (from 25 years old);
• Finland— vacation up to 8 weeks (including “bonuses” up to 18 days for long service at one enterprise);
• France- up to 9.5 weeks of vacation;
• UK, Germany— 4 weeks of vacation;
• Average for Europe— 25 working days of vacation (5 weeks);
• Russia— 4 weeks of vacation (28 days);
• Ukraine— 24 days of vacation;
• USA- No legislative norms the duration of the vacation is at the discretion of the employer;
• Japan- 18 days a year, taking a vacation is considered bad form, on average the Japanese take 8 days a year on vacation;
• India- 12 days a year;
• China- 11 days a year;
• Mexico- 6 days a year;
• Philippines— 5 days a year (minimum).

As for the “extended” New Year holidays, in Western countries they actually turn out to be even longer. Although there are not many official holidays there, in reality it is already from December 20 business activity there it is practically reduced to zero, from December 25 almost all enterprises close, and open from January 9-10.

In general, if we look at the trend, working hours in most countries of the world are gradually decreasing. In the early 1900s, residents of many countries devoted 3,000 hours to work annually (!), but now the global average is 1,800 hours, and in the most productive and economically developed countries it is even lower.

Back in 1930, economist John Keynes, author of the famous theory of Keynesianism, predicted that in 100 years, in 2030, the working week would last an average of 15 hours. Of course, he was most likely mistaken in the numbers, but not in the trend: working hours have indeed been steadily declining since then.

If you analyze labor data provided by the OECD, you can clearly see that for a strong economy you need to work not hard, but efficiently. They also have such an indicator as productivity of working hours, so, for example, if we compare two European countries with maximum and minimum working hours - Greece and Germany, then in Germany productivity is 70% higher than in Greece. This example perfectly demonstrates the now popular expression: “you need to work not 12 hours a day, but with your head!”

Fans of workaholism often cite Asian countries as an example, for example, China, India, where working hours are very long, and these countries demonstrate high rates economic growth. I propose to look at Asia from a slightly different perspective.

It is in Asia that there is a special term “karoshi”, which means “death from overworking”. Because such cases are far from uncommon there: people literally die at their workplaces, since their body cannot withstand such a heavy load. For example, in Japan, official statistics on karoshi are kept, and many believe that they are underestimated.

In general, I think that in terms of the length of the working day, working week and working time in general, we need to focus on Europe, not Asia. The economies of European countries demonstrate perfectly that labor productivity is much more important than hours worked. Here are just the most important advantages of a shorter working day and working week:

• A person gets less tired at work, which means he can work more efficiently;
• Limited working hours leave no room for so-called distractions. — the employee is fully involved in the work process;
• The shorter the working time, the stronger man can concentrate on work;
• The employee spends more time at home, with his family, with relatives and friends, devotes more time to his hobbies, relaxes, which means he has more energy and strength for work;
• A person who works less has fewer health problems, which means he again has more strength and energy to do work.

To summarize all of the above, I can conclude: you need to take a closer look at positive examples and stay the course towards reducing the working day, working week, and working time in general. To begin with, at least eliminate constant overtime from practice. Because when - this, I assure you, will not lead to anything good, neither for employers nor for employees. Normal civilized labor Relations will definitely contribute to increased labor efficiency, and everyone will be better off.

In conclusion, for convincing purposes, I will cite personal example: I spend less than half my traditional working time working on this site. And it didn’t make him any worse, right? And achieved quite good results. That is, in order to, you don’t have to work a lot. Be sure to work efficiently!

Now you know what the working day, working week and working time are in the countries of the world, what results it brings, you see my conclusions and you can make your own. I hope that this information will be useful to you, perhaps making you look differently at things that seemed obvious.

Take care of your time - it is your limited and exhaustible resource. See you again at !

Estimate:

In the West, there are an endless number of stories, articles and books that teach you to be more productive so that you have more time for your family and favorite activities.

In Japan, the term “work-life balance” simply does not exist. But there is a special word for “death from overwork at work” - “karoshi”. Karoshi is the inevitable result of the grueling work culture that operates in Japan.

Every year in the country hundreds, if not thousands, of Japanese literally drive themselves to the grave with backbreaking labor.

A similar fate befell Kiyotaka Serizawa.

Last July, the 34-year-old Japanese man committed suicide after working 90 hours in the last week of his life. He was an employee of a company that serviced residential buildings.

“His colleagues told me they were amazed at how hard he worked,” said the victim’s father, Kiyoshi Serizawa. “They said they had never seen a person who didn’t even own a company work so hard.”

Long hours of intense work and forced labor after hours are the norm in Japan. This is the local work culture.

In Japan there is special profession wiper of tears for female employees.

It all started back in the 1970s, when wages were quite low and workers wanted to increase their earnings. This trend continued into the 1980s, when Japan became the world's second largest economy, and after the crisis in the late 1990s, as companies began to rebuild and workers tried to avoid being laid off.

In addition, temporary employees appeared, working without any bonuses or guarantees. Because of them, the life of permanent workers turned into even more hard labor.

Nowadays, no one is embarrassed by a working day lasting more than 12 hours.

“In Japan, people always work after work hours. Recycling has practically become part of the working day, says Koji Morioka, a professor at Kansai University who is on a committee of experts developing karoshi control methods for the government. “Now no one is forcing anyone to work overtime, but the workers themselves believe that they are obliged to do it.”

The basic workweek is 40 hours, but many workers don't count overtime because they're afraid they'll be thought of as overworked workers. This is how “overtime” works, and in Japan “overtime” means “unpaid.”

This relentless work schedule has meant that karoshi (workplace suicide or death from heart attack due to overwork) is now considered the official cause of death. According to statistics from Japan's Ministry of Labor, 189 people died this way last year, but experts believe there are actually thousands of such cases.

For a long time it was believed that karoshi occurs mainly in men, but lawyers have noticed that recently the number of suicides due to overwork among women has been increasing. Photo: Getty

As Hiroshi Kawahito said, the worst thing is that young people die. Most often they are in their twenties. Kawahito is a lawyer and secretary-general of the State Council for the Protection of Victims of Karoshi, which advocates for the rights of families whose relatives have died from overwork.

Kawahito represented the family of a journalist in his early thirties who died of a heart attack.

“In Japan, heart attacks in people in their early thirties are quite common,”- the lawyer noted.

If the cause of death is karoshi, then the families of the deceased are automatically entitled to compensation payments. At the end of March, the number of applications for compensation due to karoshi rose to a record number of 2,310 applications.

But according to Kawahito, the government approves only less than a third of these applications.

Kiyotaka Serizawa's death was officially recognized only last month. He was responsible for setting up cleaning rooms in three different buildings in northeast Tokyo.

A year before his death, Kiyotaka tried to resign, but his boss refused to sign his application. Fearing that his behavior would cause inconvenience to his subordinates, Kiyotaka continued his work.

Sometimes, during trips to offices, he would drop by to visit his parents.

“Sometimes he would lie on the sofa and sleep so soundly that I would have to check if he was breathing,”- says the mother of the deceased Mitsuko Serizawa.

The last time she saw Kiyotaka was last July, when he stopped by to pick up laundry because he didn't have time to do his own laundry. He dropped by for literally ten minutes, showed his mother some cute videos with cats and left.

On July 26, Kiyotaka went missing. Three weeks later, his body was found in a car in Nagano Prefecture, not far from where he spent weekends with his parents as a child. Kiyotaka locked himself in his car, set fire to compressed coal and died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The problem of karoshi has existed for several decades, but the government began to address this problem at the legislative level only a year and a half ago.

Japan's population is aging, meaning its workforce will shrink by at least a quarter by 2050. Photo: Getty

The government project includes several goals, including reducing the number of employees working more than 60 hours a week to 5% by 2020. In recent years, about 8-9% of the population works this way.

The government is also trying to force workers to take paid leave. In Japan, workers are entitled to 20 days of vacation per year, but few take even half of that. The thing is, in Japanese culture, taking a day off is a sign of laziness and lack of commitment.

The government hopes to ensure that workers take at least 70% of their entitlement leave.

“If you know your rights, you can show others that there is nothing wrong with going on vacation.”, says Yasukazu Kurio from the Ministry of Health and Labor.

Curio tries to lead by example: last year he used 17 of the 20 days of vacation he was entitled to.

Lawyer Kawahito believes that all these efforts by the state may bring some fruit, but they will not solve the main problem.

“There is nothing in the government's draft about penalties for companies that break the rules,” explains Kawahito. By the way, he himself cannot serve as an example of a good balance between work and personal life. Even as a young man, he was accustomed to long hours of work. He is now 66 and works about 60 hours a week.

Kawahito would like to see something like a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain aspects of the organization of working time, which would require an 11-hour break between shifts.

“In countries like the United States, it's much easier for people to change jobs to something more comfortable,” says Kenichi Kuroda, a professor at Meiji University in Tokyo and an expert on work culture. “But Japanese people try to work in one company all their lives and it’s not easy for them to change jobs.”

Some organizations, in particular from financial sector, support the government initiative and allow their employees to come or leave work early. So, instead of working from nine to nine, people can work from seven to seven so that when they come home they have time to spend time with their children.

“Companies like this are trying to bring about change in society. They show that they can create an “ideal lifestyle”, thereby trying to influence other organizations,” Kuroda noted. But, of course, in other countries such changes in the 12-hour working day will not be something revolutionary.

However, the current problem will still be very difficult to solve.

Japan's population is rapidly aging, meaning its workforce will shrink by at least a quarter by 2050. There will be even fewer people able to work, and the size of the workload will increase even more.

Professor Morioka believes that if the Japanese want to get rid of deaths due to overwork at work, then the entire work culture in Japan will have to change.

“You can’t get rid of just karoshi,” Morioka said. - We need to change the whole culture overtime and make time for family and hobbies. Working too long is the root of all the evil that happens in Japan. People are so busy that they don’t even have time to complain.”

DATA The Japanese are famous for spending a lot of time on work and dedication to the company. They say that they can work for a very long time. In Japan there is even a special term Karoshi (過労死 ) - it means death from overwork. Deaths at work are not uncommon in Japan.

Japanese companies have two facts at work:

1. Loyalty to the company. Compared to the West, where people usually move to other companies to improve their wages and conditions. In Japan, the so-called “lifetime employment” is well known, which is created through a serious loyalty program in the company. This is done not only by psychologists, but also, for example, by pensions that are paid to employees who have worked in the company for more than 20 years. The Japanese love to be proud of their affiliation with the companies in which they work.

2.Low performance. This actually comes out when you try to work with Japanese companies. The Japanese waste a lot of time on meaningless reports and procedures. Really on regular work Westerners have to spend more hours.

Most Japanese go on their own workplace using public transport. Since car maintenance in Japan costs on average $1000 per month. Although now public transport(especially trains) are 150% loaded during rush hour. Which creates huge crowds. But the Japanese don't complain.

When you do get to your workplace, the first thing you will need to do is not only greet your bosses and colleagues, but also chant various slogans and inspiring statements with the rest of the workers. After this small morning ritual, it’s time to get down to work. Many Japanese work several times more hours than their Western counterparts, despite the existence of laws that limit the amount of overtime. Many companies officially work from 9.00 to 18.00. But no one will be surprised by the fact that many employees in serious companies come to work at least half an hour earlier and remain at work for several hours after working hours. Moreover, they do this only on their own initiative. When solving a certain problem, each Japanese, as mentioned above, acts as a main link in one huge chain. The main thing for him is to work in such a way that the task facing the working group of which he is a member is completed in an optimal manner and in the shortest possible time. And because this is so, any individual is rooting for the highest quality and fastest solution to the task assigned to a group of workers, and, due to solidarity with colleagues, always strives to provide maximum help and support to all members of the group, which they clearly need. It is for this reason that most Japanese rarely take full advantage of their vacation. The Japanese know that they bear full responsibility for other people and that is the only reason why they do not allow themselves to relax for a long time. Finally - a comparison of the working day in different countries

Japan is one of the most highly developed countries. It is not rich in resources; its territory occupies only two islands in the Pacific Ocean. But why does this country have a high standard of living? modern technologies and people live peacefully until they are 80? Perhaps they have special conditions work? Or do they work every day, without breaks? And why are so many of our compatriots so stubbornly eager to go to the Land of the Rising Sun?

History of the labor process

The history of the peculiarities of the labor process dates back to the 70s of the twentieth century, as people actively tried to increase their earnings. Then, in the 80s, the features were preserved, and already at that time Japan rose to second place in the world economy. The crisis and the end of the 90s led to perestroika large companies and the active work of employees, as everyone fought for the vacant position.

About foreigners in Japan

Many people think this island nation is a great place to work. This opinion comes primarily from those who work in foreign companies, where employers try to create the most comfortable conditions for foreigners. However, in ordinary factories or local firms, the labor process is organized in a very specific way, and working productively is quite problematic. It is for this reason that you are unlikely to see a foreign careerist in a traditional (for a Japanese) workplace.

Appearance requirements

If you are from Russian Federation, then you will have to get used to more stringent dress code requirements. Undoubtedly, everything here depends on the company itself, but in general the rules of appearance are stricter. Violation of them will entail serious consequences, which does not exclude immediate dismissal.

In ordinary companies, a mandatory element of the dress code is a black suit. You should wear it in any weather, be it hot summer or cold winter. For us this seems wild, but the Japanese begin to harden themselves very carefully in childhood. Not long ago, a decree appeared allowing people to wear short-sleeved shirts on a working day. Japan decided to take pity on the workers? No, this is how energy is saved: air conditioners are not turned on even in the hottest heat.

There are companies where female representatives are prohibited from wearing fitted and tight outfits. Straight cut only. And the skirt should cover the knees.

In addition, any jewelry is prohibited - only wedding rings.

There is a minimum of cosmetics on the face, although Japanese women themselves love bright makeup: pink blush and false eyelashes. In the labor process, a girl should become neutral, so as not to attract male attention.

There is also a rule: girls should have a short hairstyle that does not cover their ears. But hair color should always be black. If you have gorgeous blonde hair, prepare black dye.

However, not only women, but also men have their limitations. For example, they are prohibited from having a beard and mustache.

Behavior at work

How do the Japanese work and how do they behave at work?

• Before starting work, the Japanese sign many papers, where they undertake not to discuss the work process with their family or colleagues. You can't even discuss the weather, let alone personal matters.

And after all, the work is not secret, but they still force you to keep the secret: that’s the agreement.

The working process

Before entering your office, you will need to hand over your personal belongings to the checkpoint and take only what is useful for work. For example, a pen and necessary papers.

In addition, if in Russia we are always given instructions for the day, then in the Land of the Rising Sun there is no such thing. We can finish work earlier and go home, but here, if you work 8 hours, work 8 hours and do what you are told.

How do the Japanese work? How many hours? Indeed, the Japanese work hard. However, their principle of organizing the work process is different. For example, in the Russian Federation they pay for quality. If you don't work hard enough, you get paid accordingly. And you did everything - you have the opportunity to leave early or receive an additional task, and future career growth is ensured.

But how do they work in Japan? They pay by the hour, so almost everyone in the country takes on overtime assignments. However, they often stretch out one two-hour assignment over an entire week. The companies themselves set deadlines that do not correspond to the degree of complexity of the task. Russians regard this type of work as slowness, and the Japanese, in turn, believe that they carry out orders very carefully and attentively. And that is why it is very difficult for our compatriots to work in ordinary Japanese companies.

This phenomenon of inhibition is driving Japan into a trap. After all, in essence, work is designed not for quality, but for the amount of time spent in the office.

This is how we explained why the Japanese work a lot.

Conversations are irrelevant

Russians working for the Japanese note in their reviews that residents of the Land of the Rising Sun do not know how to speak briefly and to the point. For them, laconic speech is a sign of low intelligence. They can explain in such a way that even the most dim-witted person understands what they mean. we're talking about during conversation. Such a dialogue can drag on for an indefinite number of hours. Japanese people believe that their detailed and long conversations are a sign of respect for the interlocutor.

Division of labor and stratification of society

In order to grow a seed, you need a lot of work and clear organization of your actions. For this reason, a concept with a very strict stratification of people was formed in Japan. Each person has his own direct responsibilities and his own role in the production process.

Communities in Japan have always been well organized. For example, a samurai never prepared food for himself and could easily die of hunger if the peasants did not feed him.

Because of this mentality, it is very difficult for every Japanese to make independent and independent decisions that are not characteristic of his social status. They cannot take on any responsibility that is in any way outside the scope of their “normal” life. To put or not to put a comma - difficult decision for the Japanese, it lasts for half a day. Preparing ordinary papers is a process of endlessly long, slow consultations and negotiations. It is worth noting that if an employee has the courage to make a decision that does not correspond to his status, then everyone without exception in the hierarchical chain will receive a reprimand. The principle of the system is this: “I am a simple person and I am obliged to do only what I am supposed to do.”

However, such a rigid system is understandable: Japan is a small country with a large overpopulation. To best support people, strict boundaries and rules are needed. It is necessary to clearly understand: here is my territory, and there is the territory of another. And respecting the boundaries of another is simply necessary.

The Russian Federation has a huge territory, so we are not so constrained in our actions.

Why are the Japanese less reserved?

In Japan, it is not particularly appreciated when a person shows off his achievements or advantages. The Japanese can perfectly pick up any idea and improve it several times so that the whole world will admire it. And they really succeed! But creating something of your own is very problematic. Creativity is not the most main feature Japanese The ability to improve is especially valued here.

In Russia, without a creative approach, you can simply get lost in the crowd, so a creative mindset is very important for us.

Career ladder

In an ordinary Japanese company, a career is created over a long period of time. Here, promotion depends not on your merits and awards, but on your age. A young and talented specialist will always work in low positions with low salaries. Because of this organization of the labor process, Japan becomes less competitive in the world market. Although this type of business maintains “Japanese quality,” it greatly slows down progress.

Wage

We figured out how the Japanese work, and it’s time to raise the topic that interests people the most—salary. Compared to the world, wages in Japan are quite high. However, its size is reduced by 30 percent due to the current tax system. Young staff receive low wages. But the older the person, the higher his salary. And pensions in Japan are very decent.

How are salaries calculated in Japan? Each employee of a certain company has his own “time ka-do”. These are special forms on which the time of your arrival at work and the time of leaving it are manually noted. There are also special cards. When you swipe this card required device Your arrival and departure are automatically entered into the electronic database.

At the end of the month, your salary will be calculated using these cards. They will also go out here as the main one wage, and overtime.

Weekend

In the Land of the Rising Sun, people work without vacations. The only rest days are Saturday and Sunday. Various companies provide the opportunity to take additional days off. For example, a company gives 8 days off. They need to be divided into parts, that is, you won’t be able to take 8 days off at once. You must give 1 month notice of your intention to take a mini-vacation. This is due to the fact that employees must have time to cooperate so that your absence does not cause any damage to the company. In some companies, you need to warn about a day off even earlier. Therefore, if you have an unforeseen situation, you will not be able to leave work.

Another feature of working in Japan: if your temperature rises in the morning, no one will consider this a good reason for missing work. In Japan, people go to work even if the thermometer shows “38”.

The days off are official holidays and Obon (the day when the dead are remembered). However, a young specialist does not have the opportunity to get an extra day off in the first two years.

On the main holiday, New Year, 1-3 days are allotted. But if these additional days off fall on Saturday and Sunday, then no one will reschedule them.

In addition, there is also a “golden week”, which consists entirely of holidays. Whether or not to arrange a day off is up to the company. How long do Japanese people work per week? All 5 working days.

Working day

How long do Japanese people work? Japanese people are doing labor activity about 10 o'clock. Therefore, the statement that the Japanese work 18 hours is a myth. The working day starts at 9 am and ends at 7 pm. However, there is a rule: you cannot arrive exactly at the appointed time. You are required to be at your workplace half an hour beforehand, as Japanese companies believe that the remaining 30 minutes are necessary for mental and physical preparation for work.

You already know how many hours a day the Japanese work. Another one interesting feature: You cannot go home until your boss leaves his place. As long as he works, everyone else should work too. And it doesn’t matter how long you are delayed - 15 minutes or 2 hours: no one will pay for this time. Thus, we have dispelled the myths about how much the Japanese work.

Communication with colleagues

In Japan there is a special tradition called "nomikai". Translated: "to drink together." Most often, this concept refers to companies and firms where employees must drink with their colleagues every day (or less often). For us, this seems wild, since in Russia there is a rather negative attitude towards alcohol, but in Japan such drinks are welcome. Even doctors recommend using them, but they are silent about the quantity and frequency of use.

Residents of the country don’t know how to drink, so they get drunk very quickly. Alcohol will not cost you anything, since it is paid for by the boss or the company itself.

Some companies have even introduced payment for “nomikai”. If you work together, then you drink together - this is the Japanese tradition. In the end, it turns out that a Japanese person spends almost his entire life in the office, surrounded by his colleagues.

Conclusion

In this article you got acquainted with how the Japanese work. That is, we practically learned their ordinary way of life.

Nobody argues: working in Japan is difficult. There are situations when people develop health problems due to stress, and often such illnesses lead to death. There are also those who mentally cannot cope with the load and drive themselves to suicide. Moreover, this will not surprise anyone, and everyone around them will only think about going to work as soon as possible.

How long do Japanese people work per day? Let's generalize a little and create a rough daily routine. For example, a Japanese resident wakes up at 6 am and leaves his apartment at 7 am. The road to work, the work day (the boss was late for one hour) and “nominkai”. That is, an ordinary worker returns home late at night, and he spends the weekend on sleep and simple human rest. There is practically no time for family.

How do the Japanese work in this mode? They just endure. After all, all these rules were not invented by someone, but developed over the course of centuries, under the influence of geographical and historical changes. From the cradle, people are instilled with such qualities as mobility and readiness for any circumstances, because Japan is not at all protected. A small territory, constant natural disasters and a large population only aggravate the people's condition. They must always survive on their small piece of land and be competitive in Japanese society.

There is no doubt that for foreign citizens they are satisfied with more comfortable working conditions, but the usual Japanese way of life cannot be avoided. Therefore, when going to work in the Land of the Rising Sun, think carefully.

Undoubtedly, this mode of work will instill in you discipline and the ability to work competently in society. But sometimes health and free life much more important than money.

29.08.2018

7-hour working day in France and 5 days of vacation in Japan - how they work in different countries

Alina Dorofeeva, 28 years old, hometown - Yaroslavl, Russia, linguist-translator, teacher

@alinadorof

About France

I was born in Russia, where I lived for 26 years. During this time I graduated from university, learned three foreign languages and managed to change seven jobs.

I moved to France in June 2016. I moved to France “for love”. France is a dream country for many of my compatriots. It is surrounded by a mass of stereotypes that do not always have the right to exist. The first thing that surprised me was appearance French women: he is more casual than elegant. And regardless of what she is wearing, the French woman always feels confident and relaxed.

About the peculiarities of working in France

In France, I work as an English teacher in language courses for French adults. Despite all the scary stories about how difficult it is to find a job in France, I found a suitable vacancy after a couple of weeks of searching - it was a vacancy for an English-speaking nanny. And to get a teaching position, I just randomly brought my resume to the company.

In France, working conditions, working hours, vacation - everything depends on the specific place of work. The classic work week is only 35 hours. Everything also depends on the type of contract. I am familiar with three: permanent, temporary and permanent “seasonal”. The contract specifies the number of paid working hours per year, conditions for taking leave and other important details.

The biggest difference was that notice of resignation must be submitted two months before leaving, rather than two weeks before leaving.

Interestingly, in France it is customary to greet acquaintances with kisses on the cheek, and the same rule applies at work. Therefore, any working day begins with kisses. Bosses are different, so in this case kisses can be replaced with a handshake. In any case, physical contact must be established. Just coming and saying “Hello” from afar will not work. A Frenchman at work always tries to be polite and remain calm. If this is your colleague, he will always say hello, shake your hand, ask how you are, and talk about the weather.

The attitude towards working time depends on the person himself, but most likely you will not see a Frenchman often late at work, especially if these additional hours are not paid. Most often, the French go home as soon as they have worked the allotted time.

In business relationships, the French can be responsible and scrupulous, but often their attitude to work is quite even, without fanaticism or excess. Everyone here understands that work is part of life.

About plans

Now I only teach English language in language courses, but in the future I plan to teach other languages. I also have some ideas regarding the tourism sector.

Anastasia Pripoltseva, 22 years old, hometown - Vidnoye, Russia, reception worker

About Japan

I graduated from college with a degree in hotel management and work at a chain hotel in Kyoto at the reception desk. I am a permanent employee with a work visa valid for five years and renewable. Besides work, I regularly go to the gym, work part-time as a model, enjoy cooking, and study Japanese home cooking.

Since I was ten years old, I dreamed of moving to Japan. And I knew for sure that a simple tourist trip would not satisfy me. I was looking for different ways, but the chance presented itself. I attended free Japanese language courses at Moscow State University. And on the website I saw an advertisement that a Japanese company was looking for employees for a hotel chain. I came to a seminar where we were first told about the company and then had a group interview. After that, I went through two more interviews via Skype and was hired.

I came to Japan about a year ago, in September 2017. My first vivid impressions were the excellent service at Japan Airlines and the heat upon arrival in Tokyo, clean trains, lack of garbage, polite people. On the way to Kashihara, for the first time in my life I saw mountains, real thickets of bamboo, rice fields and fell in love with this country.

About the peculiarities of working in Japan

The hiring process was quite stressful. The procedure was unusual and lasted a whole year. Even when I was accepted, I still had to obtain a visa, but I had a certificate from my employer, so everything went quickly.

In my position, I have to work 160 working hours a month, and every minute worked is paid. Evening and night shifts are also paid at the top. The company itself selects housing for each employee who comes from afar.

As a rule, this is a small apartment within walking distance from the place of work. The employee pays only 10,000 for renting an apartment, the rest is paid by the company. There is also a cash bonus for employees twice a year. For employees there is a bonus for knowing Japanese. With a score above 900 on the exam English employee

receives a bonus of 100,000 yen. After that, he can pass the interview in English and receive another 15,000 yen every month. Cash bonuses are also provided for knowledge of other languages ​​and other qualifications. The working day usually lasts nine hours, with an hour break. There is also a double night shift, which lasts from 15:00 to 09:00 the next day. I also worked such shifts in the first six months. If night shifts are contraindicated for you due to your health, your boss will try to accommodate you and make your working conditions easier. There are only five paid vacation days per year, and there are no sick days.

If you get sick, you need to take one of five vacation days or an unpaid day off.

In our hotel the overwhelming number of employees are foreigners. And although we generally work according to Japanese rules, everyone still has their own characteristics. For example, Italians talk loudly while working, while the French often complain and protest. The typical Japanese principles of “boss - subordinate” do not work in our relationships. But he is superior to us in position, status and age, and this quite naturally forces us to give in and indulge him.We leave work on time only if there is really no work that needs to be done here and now. Even when there is no work, they are frantically looking for something to do. The boss sometimes stays to work another five or six hours after the end of his shift. He has a job that only he can do, but he never trusts us even with small things, he works seven days a week from morning to night.

The Japanese never complain or pass their work onto others, and are always ready to help. They are patient and do not give up work, they do everything efficiently and to the end. At work, they do everything to the benefit of others and to their disadvantage, especially if it concerns a guest or client.

About plans

They say that after a year in Japan you begin to notice significant disadvantages. But on this moment I don't want to go back to Russia. For me, life here seems simpler. The only difficulty of living in Japan is imperfect knowledge of the Japanese language. But this problem will go away over time.

Yana Bubley, 25 years old, hometown - Kyiv, Ukraine

About Denmark

I was born and lived all my life in Kyiv. I am a lawyer by training, but I have never worked in this field. My work has always been related to organization and leadership.

My husband and I moved to Denmark about a year ago because we both love to travel. The winter before last we lived in Thailand for three months. We heard about Denmark in May 2017, when my friend started processing documents for a work visa. We became interested, and already in July all our documents were ready.

We live and work in the north of Denmark. Here beautiful nature, two seas, and the nearest town from the house is four kilometers away. All of Denmark is a huge field where houses are scattered at a distance from each other. This is interesting. We liked the local architecture, cleanliness and neatness. We were also surprised that Denmark has a well-developed postal system, and people still receive paper letters, although every important letter is duplicated by email.

About the peculiarities of working in Denmark

If you do not have an EU passport, you can legally work in Denmark only as a student in the agricultural sector. These are all types of animal farms, greenhouses and fields. I work on a chicken farm, and my husband works on a cow farm. My schedule is 12 working days and two days off.

I work from six in the morning until two in the afternoon. My responsibilities include collecting eggs, washing, cleaning, sorting, and working on the conveyor. You need to make sure that everything works and control the entire process. Your conditions, schedule and salary depend on the contract. Different farms have different work schedules. There is a certain standard - 37 working hours per week, for overtime they must either be paid extra or given additional days off. Each year, 10% of the annual salary is allocated for vacation and four or five weeks are given for rest. There is also compulsory health insurance and free healthcare for everyone. But taxes must also be paid on an equal basis with the Danes - from 38%.

The Danes have a completely different mentality, they think differently. Therefore, in relations with superiors, everything depends on the employer. There are those who are adequate and respect the law, and there are those who don’t care. In general, Ukrainians are hardworking, and it happens that we are used and not paid for overtime. But my farmer is a great person, we don't have any problems.

The Danes, especially farmers, are accustomed to difficult physical work. They have no division between men's and women's work. They still don’t get sick and don’t understand what it means to be sick. For them, a temperature of minus 38 is not a problem, and they can go to work.

About plans

My contract ends in December. And if my husband’s contract is extended, then I would like to quit my job and just be a housewife here in Denmark. And if there is no work here, we are planning to move to Finland, I have always dreamed of seeing the northern lights.

Nastya Nemtsova, 23 years old, PR manager of the Chocofamily project “Rakhmet”

About the features of working in Kazakhstan

I live and work in Almaty, in the Chocofamily holding. In the company I am involved in PR - I am responsible for PR in the holding and for the promotion of individual projects of the company. I am the only PR manager, so I work on those projects that need it most. This is ours at the moment new project - mobile app"Rakhmet." In addition, there are tasks that are related to building the image of the holding as a whole, and this too separate work. The responsibilities of a PR manager also include communicating with journalists, publications, bloggers, organizing and holding events.

When you really want to get a job in a certain company, everything is not so difficult. The specifics of the selection stages and interviews depend on the position for which you are applying. Each employee in our company goes through at least two stages - an interview with an HR manager and a project manager. Personally, I first had to write a series of materials, and later there was an interview with an HR manager who checks whether the person fits the company’s values. And if the person is suitable, then the next stage comes - I had an interview with the marketing director, as well as with the project director. And the last interview was with the founder of the holding, Ramil Mukhoryapov.

If we talk about working conditions, it is worth highlighting that last year we moved to new office, which is located in SmartPoint. SmartPoint is a hotspot for cool Internet companies; parties, meetings, and seminars constantly take place here. And when you are in this atmosphere, you have a constant motivation to create something new. We have lounges, a large kitchen, and plenty of workspaces and spaces.

The working day lasts from nine in the morning to six in the evening - nine hours, but in fact we work more. This suits everyone, because we all understand that we are going to common goal. Our vacation is also standard - two weeks twice a year.

We also have our own internal motivation program. Each season, each employee is prescribed a plan for his professional and personal development. And at the end of the season, we see which employee scored the most points and reward the best. In addition, each department also has its own motivational program.

I had experience working in different companies. And there is a certain stereotype that we, Kazakhstanis, can afford to miss deadlines and be late. And indeed there are companies that allow themselves to work at such a rhythm. But at the same time, many companies are emerging that have a philosophy corporate culture , a certain rhythm.

About plans

And this is the peculiarity of our country, we have different companies and different approaches to work.

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