Japanese are known throughout the world as hard workers. Yes, the Japanese work long hours, but they do not always work in the most efficient way. This way of working worked so well in the 1980s that the phrase "Can you fight 24 hours a day? (24時間戦えますか？)" became a popular phrase. Everyone worked hard and earned a good income in those days, and the economy became richer. Recently, however, the phrase "work-life balance" has emerged, and the government is focusing on reforming the way people work.
Against this backdrop, companies have recently been considering the introduction of a “three-day weekend” system. This system is expected to be introduced this year by Panasonic and Hitachi. However, there are slight differences in what this system entails depending on the company. This is because there are three patterns in the three-day weekend system.
A. Total weekly working hours and workload remain the same (working hours per day increase).
B. Reduce total hours worked per week and payroll.
C. Reduce total hours worked per week, (32 hrs) but your salary will be the same.
A major catalyst for this trend was a large-scale demonstration experiment conducted by the Nordic country of Iceland. A report released in June 2021 by a British think tank and an Icelandic research institute described the trial as an "overwhelming success." The results of the study found that "productivity and service quality was maintained or improved in many workplaces," and that "workers wellbeing improved dramatically across a range of indicators, including stress, burnout, health, and work-life balance."
In Japan, many places are currently introducing patterns A and B. In the case of B, which also reduces salary, there are cases where side jobs are allowed. This is a list of large Japanese companies that have adopted a three-day weekend policy.
Pattern C appears to be ideal from the worker's point of view. In Europe, C is becoming more common, and "innovations" are being developed that reduce working hours but do not reduce the quality of work.
The following opinions about the three-day workweek have been expressed and discussed on Twitter.
I recently saw a news story about companies introducing a three-day workweek.
The company I work for introduced it last year for a limited period of three months, and I personally am in favor of it; however
・The overall workload did not drop even with the 4-day workweek.
・The workload did not drop even with the 4-day workweek.
・I had to respond to calls from clients on weekdays that were treated as holidays.
I have noticed these things.
Response:
When it comes to a 3-day workweek, improving productivity and profitability is a must, but is it possible? By the way, in the IT industry, a labor-intensive business, it is impossible.
I think the criteria for evaluating personnel performance will be stricter than before.
I want a 3 day work week.
I very much hope that the working environment in Japan will improve. So I am in favor of this system. I really hope for a future where more remote work and flextime systems are introduced, and that this will become a reality in small and medium-sized companies.
Japanese
日本人は働き者として世界でも有名です。1980年代には「24時間戦えますか？」といった過激なフレーズが流行するほど人々はよく働き、よく稼ぎ、経済は豊かになりました。しかし、「ワークライフバランス」といった新しい言葉が流行りだした現代において、その働き方は問題視されるようになりました。また、確かに日本人は長時間働きますが、それが必ずしも高い生産性に結びついているわけではないこともわかってきました。そこで、近年いくつかの企業では、週休３日制という新しいシステムの導入が開始されています。週休３日制には次の３つのパターンがあります。A. 給料が変わらず労働時間も変わらないパターン。B. 給料は減るが労働時間も減るパターン。C. 給料は変わらず労働時間が減るパターン。です。日本の多くの企業はAかBのパターンが多いようですが、欧米などではCのパターンもよく検討されているということです。週休３日制には多くの期待が寄せられていますが、これが中小企業などにも広がれば、日本の長時間労働の問題が少し改善されるかもしれませんね。
Words
働き者；hard worker
過激；radical
フレーズ；phrase
流行；trend
経済；economics
ワークライフバランス；work life balance
問題視；regard as a problem
生産性；productivity
結びつく；connect
週休；weekly holidays
導入；introduction
労働時間；working time
欧米；Europe and America
検討；consideration
中小企業；small and medium-sized companies
