Japanese Work Culture

Japanese Work Culture

            Working is important in the life of people. Japan is one of the known countries with innovation and increased rates of employment. It are known to be good in job creation. This can be attributed to the fact that the people are sound in coming up various business ventures that helps people to secure employment (Burns, 2019).  This topic is relevant for Japan because it being known as the epicenter of work and the country that is credited for bringing about many employment and sound work practices, it can help people understand various dimensions, practices and various things that are involved in the field of work.  I chose the two sources because they adequately describes various issues to do with japan in line of work. They gives an in-depth insights on factors and reliable data about how it feels working in Japan. The sources can be relied upon because they give a true picture about what happens in Japan.

The studies are treating the topic in such way that;

Overview

According to the two sources, they gives guidelines about working in Japan. The first issue that they talk about is how people join the workforce. They cites that many firms in Japan have adopted the model of graduate trainee programs. This means that once students have completed their colleges, firms have absorbed them thus training them on the work skills.  The companies in Japan emphasizes on employee devotion and people working for long hours (Yashiro, 2011). The behavior is attributed to the history of Japan and it reflects the good economic conditions that have been reflected in the country since 1920s.  Many corporations have applied similar techniques since then, and that could be the reason as to why the country has continued to post positive results.

Japanese Work Culture

The culture of working in Japan is unique in its own way. The articles shows that working there is more formal. This means that in terms of wearing and the manner in which the people undertakes various aspects of work is different from other countries.  Similarly, any decision that an employee takes in an organization in Japan must be approved by the superiors (Burns, 2019). This means that employee have no right to make a decision on their own. They must seek approval and the superiors must evaluate the decision and ensure that it is fit to undertake.  The organizations adhere and obey the mantra of ho-ren-so which means that the employees must keep their superiors aware of anything that they decides to undertake.

Workplaces are more group oriented and focused. This means that the employees in Japan have a team work spirit and they believe that through undertaking various work aspects together, they are able to promote productivity and success of those particular entities.  Many entities in other countries prefer structured individualism but for Japan believes in performance of people relating to groups (Yashiro, 2011).  The employees in Japan are also expected to party with coworkers after work.  They believe that it is socially advisable and it helps to foster stronger relationships.  People in Japan work lesser and do not have adequate time to relax.  This phenomenon has its advantages and disadvantages but generally it is essential for the progress of businesses.

Ethics at Work

The articles highlights how ethics is observed in Japan. They explains that their ethic system is sound. The system is value based and it minds the workers interests (Burns, 2019). Their best ethical consideration are established in such a way that they believe none is bright than them, they are not afraid of growing small but of remaining still, and they believe that the harder they work, the better their life will be. The firms have a sound disciplinary system that an employee should go through before their employment is terminated. This means that they value the inputs of employees and therefore they are treated with utmost respect.  One’s employment can only be terminated on the basis of gross misconduct. Insider trading is another ethical consideration that is taken seriously in Japan. It is not accommodated at all and in case one brings about such issue, they are liable for even imprisonment (Yashiro, 2011). This is because, Japan believes in firms being in operation and incase one messes up with a particular entity, they are liable and hefty fines are charged on them.

Employment Practices

Japan believes in working for long and therefore its employees are overworked because many of them work for even more than twelve hours. This means that despite their philosophy of work being at the forefront, it is not advisable for the human health. There is a likelihood that the employees will contract diseases such as arthritis (Burns, 2019).  However, in terms of salaries and remuneration, Japan treats its employees well. Their scale of working is generally high. This is also attributed to the fact that the economy of Japan is high and many of their companies are multinationals and they deal with products that are hard and difficult for other people elsewhere to produce.

Recruitments and selection in Japan is done on the basis of merit as well. They believe that the more the people are learned, the more the likelihood that those people will bring forth great result to the entity. As well, experience is key to the entities because they looks at the people who are experienced to work in particular offices (Yashiro, 2011). Labor unions are accepted in Japan and they are very sound. They are the ones which pushed for better pay and better working condition for the employees. Through their efforts for a long period of time, employment practices have improved significantly. The unions have enabled the entities to pay overtimes and ensure that employee are treated in the best manner possible.

Reaction

My reaction to the findings of the studies is that they have touched so much on the practices that are experienced in any work place. That means that they have given intense explanation on what is involved in Japan and the factors that have facilitated its success in term of production, manufacturing and other different fields (Burns, 2019).  The aspects that the studies should have looked at is giving an explanation on how employees are treated in different job fields in terms of salary when the employees are in the same job group.  As well, the studies should have given, the legislation that are existing that guides the working fraternity.  To critique is that the employee are working for many hours and that is not advisable.

The issue would be improved by meeting different stakeholders in the job market and discussing how hours would be reduced which would help to ensure that the health of the people is promoted (Yashiro, 2011).

Conclusion

The essay has touched on the culture, ethics, working practices and general overview of work environment in Japan. As it has been highlighted and concluded, Japan is a disciplined country and despite its problem being to overwork its employees their work philosophy has helped to elevate the country to where it is to date. Therefore, their culture and the mode of working can be emulated by other firms and companies elsewhere in the world.

References

Burns, S. L. (2019). Working Class People in Early Twentieth-Century Japan-The Stories Clothes Tell: Voices of Working-Class Japan. By Tatsuichi Horikiri. Edited and translated by Rieko Wagoner. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2016. xxii, 179 pp. ISBN: 9781442265097 (cloth).-Down and Out in Late Meiji Japan. By James L. Huffman. Honolulu: University of Hawai ‘i Press, 2018. xi, 349 pp. ISBN: 9780824872915 (cloth). The Journal of Asian Studies, 78(3), 667-669.

Naohiro Yashiro (2011) Myths about Japanese employment practices: An increasing insider–outsider conflict of interests, Contemporary Japan, 23:2, 133-155, DOI: 10.1515/ cj.2011.008