Admittedly this is an extreme case, but from what I’ve seen myself, unpaid overtime is very common and generally unchallenged. Plus with the economy still in a slump, and the Japanese tradition of a job for life becoming a thing of the past, it isn’t going to go away any time soon.
Now whilst I haven’t really suffered culture shock in my time here, experiencing the Japanese attitude to work is certainly a shock of sorts. With this working for free business being a prime example. Coming from Britain, overtime itself is a dirty word. As for unpaid overtime, well…
howard says
You’re right, overtime is a dirty word – for employers who don’t want to pay extra for what is at the moment just expected.
I haven’t had a single job in the last 12 years that didn’t expect unpaid overtime – that’s during my time as a research engineer for Thorn, five years as a high school teacher and 5 years working for IBM.
I’ll stop whining now – this looks like a post on the BBC 2Have Your Say” page.
sorry.
Peter says
That scenario is more common than you might think. I worked at a sub-contractor of Honda for a year and while there I worked from 9:00am to 11:00 or 12:00 every day.
When I contacted the Japanese labor bureau all the said was, “we recommend you look for another job”. So I did. But if Japan wants to increase it’s birth rates it better make the work conditions a little more family friendly.
eze says
work to live …not the other way round!!