If the government has its way, employees in Japan should soon be able to choose between a four- or five-day week. However, experts also see problems in this freedom of choice.
The Japanese are known for their high work ethic – their hard work sometimes goes beyond what is healthy. In many companies, expectations are extremely high. A government measure could ease the situation: The cabinet under Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga wants to encourage employers to give their employees time off, whether they want to work four days a week or, as before, five days a week. A panel of the Japanese ruling party LDP had previously recommended the option of the four-day week.
As the newspaper “Kyodo News” reports, this initiative is primarily intended to facilitate a better work-life balance. Employees who have to look after children or other family members should be given more time to do so. In addition, people should use the additional free time to acquire new skills.
Four day week in Japan for family and education
These considerations are also a consequence of the experience from the corona pandemic, in which the world of work has changed significantly, writes “Kyodo News”. In order to be prepared for these changes, Japan wants to gradually adapt the labor market. Prime Minister Suga said his party wanted to help people learn without having to give up their current job. In this way, people could qualify for growth industries such as IT.
The assessments of experts on the proposal are mixed, however. While some emphasize the benefits, other professionals have been skeptical. They assume that many workers would choose not to work a four-day week even if they had the option. The fear of financial losses in salary is too great, said Hishashi Yamada from the Japan Research Institute to the Kyodo News portal.
Does less working time harm productivity?
The person skilled in the art also fears a drop in productivity. It is not certain that people who only work four days a week actually use their free time for further training or for families. However, the experience at Microsoft in Japan shows different results: The four-day week was introduced there as a test – productivity increased by 40 percent compared to the previous year. However, the employees continued to receive the same salary.
The way companies deal with a possible four-day week could also lead to problems. Smaller firms could get into trouble if too many of their employees choose to work less, experts fear. Conversely, larger companies could push for a four-day week to save costs. Experts are therefore urging that the reduction in working hours remains voluntary – as the government is currently planning. The example of the Internet service provider Yahoo from Japan shows that the demand is not as great as one might think: of 7,000 employees there only 100 applied for a four-day week.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
