Japanese employee commit suicide after working 105 hours of overtime in 1 month
84 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;51226967]And by the way, these are union guys, not private sector. The union just rubber stamped the OK for 6 12's without asking the workers.[/QUOTE]
i highly doubt that
the union will stand for the will of its members, so if you don't send out a complaint and reach out, the union leadership will think you guys are okay with the new hours. get a list of signatures from your coworkers, talk to your shop stewards, and then call up the union office
[QUOTE=LiquidNazgul;51227814]Shit like this makes me question why I should go through the effort of trying to learn Japanese anymore. Even though I'm in a program that will give me a dual degree in Comp Sci and Japanese, along with six months of a paid internship in Japan, I'm starting to think it's just not worth it.
Why make the effort to live in and work in a country with that kinda work ethic, and where you're less likely to find a job because you're not Japanese? I knew from the start that the process of living there wouldn't be easy (way too many people I knew are complete stereotypes of the naive "I'll live in Japan because I love anime/manga I'll be [I]fiiiiine[/I]" kinda folks), but man...it just looks more and more bleak.[/QUOTE]
If you don't mind my asking, why were you planning to live and work in Japan in the first place?
[QUOTE=djshox;51227926]i highly doubt that
the union will stand for the will of its members, so if you don't send out a complaint and reach out, the union leadership will think you guys are okay with the new hours. get a list of signatures from your coworkers, talk to your shop stewards, and then call up the union office[/QUOTE]
I'm not union. I'm a subcontractor, but I spend all day long talking and working in the field with these union carpenters, welders, laborers, electricians, etc. They HAVE went complain to the union hall, but there is a dirty little secret: The union gets a percentage of everyone's paychecks. So the more hours the workers work, the more money the unions get. These unions aren't locally controlled, they are nationally controlled by someone in another state to make unions non-competative to each other. Welcome to modern unions.
[QUOTE=G-Strogg;51226438]I'm playing devils advocate but when it comes to restaurants, this is not uncommon in almost all the world. My brother opened a ramen restaurant here in Sweden and it was not like he could do 6-8 hours a day and call it quits. During opening weeks he was working 14-hour shifts daily, with only a day off once every few weeks. And shifts of at least 12 hours are common in restaurant business, I was just using my brother as an example. I've worked 13 hours as a dishwasher, and I'm very happy I was just a temp guy, because I could not take that for a long time.[/QUOTE]
The local bar got a new owner recently and it's still the same closed mondays, open all other days. Difference being the owner is there ALWAYS from 10-24
I'm quite thankful that I'm paid based on the amount of work that I actually accomplish rather than the amount of time I spend doing it. I have so much freedom to choose when I work, how long I work, when my breaks are, etc. I go into the office when I want, take long lunch breaks if I feel like it, and leave whenever I feel satisfied that I've done an adequate amount of work for the day. It's very rewarding.
Even with all that freedom, and all that responsibility, I rarely leave the office feeling like I haven't accomplished an honest day's work, and I always feel that my paychecks are fair. Flat hourly pay is stifling; commission and production based pay is liberating.
[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;51228289]I'm not union. I'm a subcontractor, but I spend all day long talking and working in the field with these union carpenters, welders, laborers, electricians, etc. They HAVE went complain to the union hall, but there is a dirty little secret: The union gets a percentage of everyone's paychecks. So the more hours the workers work, the more money the unions get. These unions aren't locally controlled, they are nationally controlled by someone in another state to make unions non-competative to each other. Welcome to modern unions.[/QUOTE]
If that happened around here they'd be sued to hell and back.
What's with the US and fucking up something good and thus turning it into something worse than what it was created to combat?
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;51228442]I'm quite thankful that I'm paid based on the amount of work that I actually accomplish rather than the amount of time I spend doing it. I have so much freedom to choose when I work, how long I work, when my breaks are, etc. I go into the office when I want, take long lunch breaks if I feel like it, and leave whenever I feel satisfied that I've done an adequate amount of work for the day. It's very rewarding.
Even with all that freedom, and all that responsibility, I rarely leave the office feeling like I haven't accomplished an honest day's work, and I always feel that my paychecks are fair. Flat hourly pay is stifling; commission and production based pay is liberating.[/QUOTE]
The idea of paying people based on work produced instead of hours worked kind of seems sensible anyway, even for employers if you want to look at it from that perspective. Why pay an unproductive employee the same amount as a hard-working one?
I suppose with some jobs though, keeping track of the amount of work done is going to be difficult.
[QUOTE=LiquidNazgul;51227814]Shit like this makes me question why I should go through the effort of trying to learn Japanese anymore. Even though I'm in a program that will give me a dual degree in Comp Sci and Japanese, along with six months of a paid internship in Japan, I'm starting to think it's just not worth it.
Why make the effort to live in and work in a country with that kinda work ethic, and where you're less likely to find a job because you're not Japanese? I knew from the start that the process of living there wouldn't be easy (way too many people I knew are complete stereotypes of the naive "I'll live in Japan because I love anime/manga I'll be [I]fiiiiine[/I]" kinda folks), but man...it just looks more and more bleak.[/QUOTE]
I don't mean to go off topic but what program are you in?
[QUOTE=Reagy;51225685]So when will Japan realize that they actually do need to get people from outside of Japan in to help with their lack of workers?
Its killing their country as a whole with their attitude that you gotta work pretty much all day every day to keep their shit up, it can't keep going like this, they need external help, companies and the government have to get off their asses and actually accept it and start hiring from outside.
[editline]19th October 2016[/editline]
The main problem is that Japan currently needs its people to work stupid hours to keep afloat because there's not enough people as a whole to spread it over, their refusal to hire non-japanese is killing them purely because they don't have a sizable workforce to meet the needs, they want to keep it all internal when they seriously need external help.[/QUOTE]
Where did this 'refusal to hire non-japanese' meme come from?
If you mean someone who has no skills, no degree, and no Japanese language ability, then no they don't hire people who just 'want to go and live in Japan'. They have absolutely no reason to go through the process of importing someone from a foreign country who doesn't even speak Japanese to do a job a Japanese could do.
If you have skills and language ability you will have no problems getting interviews. But the fact that they have to sponsor your visa is put against you, but that's the same for all countries.
[editline]19th October 2016[/editline]
[QUOTE=LiquidNazgul;51227814]Shit like this makes me question why I should go through the effort of trying to learn Japanese anymore. Even though I'm in a program that will give me a dual degree in Comp Sci and Japanese, along with six months of a paid internship in Japan, I'm starting to think it's just not worth it.
Why make the effort to live in and work in a country with that kinda work ethic, and where you're less likely to find a job because you're not Japanese? I knew from the start that the process of living there wouldn't be easy (way too many people I knew are complete stereotypes of the naive "I'll live in Japan because I love anime/manga I'll be [I]fiiiiine[/I]" kinda folks), but man...it just looks more and more bleak.[/QUOTE]
Quite a lot of tech companies in Japan are starting to be more western-like. Like one all Japanese place I interviewed with has 7 hour work days and a no overtime policy + a lot of the perks that western companies give. Being white won't hurt your chances of getting a job, not having a visa will. That sounds like a good opportunity depending on the company I think.
[QUOTE=catbarf;51228088]If you don't mind my asking, why were you planning to live and work in Japan in the first place?[/QUOTE]
Funny that; while I didn't fall into the trap of "going to japan will be a cinch because anime", I [I]did[/I] fall into the trap of "I'll just teach English there lol", via JET. Reality has made sure that that's not really a prospect anymore, but on the plus side my studies gave me a fairly reasonable grasp of Japanese. I figure I'd want a marketable skillset that isn't just proficiency in a foreign language, so I decided to actually go for a Comp Sci Major. On top of that, my college has a 4-year program that gives you a dual degree in a foreign language and engineering or computer science, so that really works in my favor.
I'm hoping to get into software development or something in IT now, probably better to hunt start ups or foreign companies there. I'm not adamant on living in Japan though; I know I gotta be flexible about that. I'm just hoping I can still use Japanese for something and not have all those years be a waste, I guess.
[QUOTE=Dantz Bolrew;51229025]I don't mean to go off topic but what program are you in?[/QUOTE]
International Engineering Program at the University of Rhode Island. They have a Computer Science variant too.
[QUOTE=LiquidNazgul;51229186]I'm hoping to get into software development or something in IT now, probably better to hunt start ups or foreign companies there. I'm not adamant on living in Japan though; I know I gotta be flexible about that. I'm just hoping I can still use Japanese for something and not have all those years be a waste, I guess.[/QUOTE]
I've thought a lot about the whole "living in Japan" too, but I wouldn't stay for more than two years.
[QUOTE=LiquidNazgul;51229186]Funny that; while I didn't fall into the trap of "going to japan will be a cinch because anime", I [I]did[/I] fall into the trap of "I'll just teach English there lol", via JET. Reality has made sure that that's not really a prospect anymore, but on the plus side my studies gave me a fairly reasonable grasp of Japanese. I figure I'd want a marketable skillset that isn't just proficiency in a foreign language, so I decided to actually go for a Comp Sci Major. On top of that, my college has a 4-year program that gives you a dual degree in a foreign language and engineering or computer science, so that really works in my favor.
I'm hoping to get into software development or something in IT now, probably better to hunt start ups or foreign companies there. I'm not adamant on living in Japan though; I know I gotta be flexible about that. I'm just hoping I can still use Japanese for something and not have all those years be a waste, I guess.
International Engineering Program at the University of Rhode Island. They have a Computer Science variant too.[/QUOTE]
God, I can't imagine studying for a degree in something STEM related while simultaneously having to adjust to a new culture and language as well. I recall that similar programs were offered to engineering students by my University, and while I figured it might be neat to go to Germany or some other place (Japan was also offered by the program, interestingly enough), I figured I just didn't have the guts for it.
I worked 163~ hours in the last two weeks while I was out of town for work. All in a warehouse working 6 days a week. It was awful.
I joke with a buddy about the golden 60 hours for contract work, but 145 hours wtf. Does Japan have time and a half or something similar, because if so that paycheck must have been damn nice. (obviously it is not good she is dead but it would be a large paycheck)
[QUOTE=froztshock;51229242]God, I can't imagine studying for a degree in something STEM related while simultaneously having to adjust to a new culture and language as well. I recall that similar programs were offered to engineering students by my University, and while I figured it might be neat to go to Germany or some other place (Japan was also offered by the program, interestingly enough), I figured I just didn't have the guts for it.[/QUOTE]
I already have a not-terrible handle on the Japanese language, and I've lived there for three months. Which isn't a lot, but at least it's a start. Maybe when I go over there for a year I'll see if it's really up my alley or not.
[QUOTE=Trebgarta;51225709]Your Job is your Life. Source is my dad, works around 100 hours per week willingly, as his own boss in his own shop, just like that Ramen guy.[/QUOTE]
Not to be rude, but I imagine your dad wouldn't be saying that if his work was laying roof shingles in a Florida summer heat, rather than in a cushy air-conditioned shop of his own.
Point being context is key when talking about working long hours. I used to do pizza delivery and I'd regularly do 12 hour shifts, come home feeling great because I just sat in my car driving all over town for 12 hours.
[quote]It's called "karoshi" or death from overwork.[/quote]
i've always wondered if the game karoshi's title meant anything.
[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;51228289]I'm not union. I'm a subcontractor, but I spend all day long talking and working in the field with these union carpenters, welders, laborers, electricians, etc. They HAVE went complain to the union hall, but there is a dirty little secret: The union gets a percentage of everyone's paychecks. So the more hours the workers work, the more money the unions get. These unions aren't locally controlled, they are nationally controlled by someone in another state to make unions non-competative to each other. Welcome to modern unions.[/QUOTE]
again, false
union dues are a flat rate, usually 1.5 or 2.5 hours of your paycheck, once per month. part of those union dues go into a strike fund to cover all union members should the time arrive when a strike is authorized (and that's the absolute last resort)
[QUOTE=djshox;51233611]again, false
union dues are a flat rate, usually 1.5 or 2.5 hours of your paycheck, once per month. part of those union dues go into a strike fund to cover all union members should the time arrive when a strike is authorized (and that's the absolute last resort)[/QUOTE]
Wrong. These union guys have a PERCENTAGE taken out, not a flat rate. And the union here has a non-strike agreement with the company, because these guys would have striked already if there wasn't.
[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;51233645]Wrong. These union guys have a PERCENTAGE taken out, not a flat rate. And the union here has a non-strike agreement with the company, because these guys would have striked already if there wasn't.[/QUOTE]
if that is true that is absolutely not how any other labor union is run or should be run, and also the leadership should be voted out when their next union election is held
I just finished my 9th day straight of 12 hour shifts.
I can understand where she's coming from, the 11th story window looks tempting sometimes...
I'd never do it though, got too much going for me outside of work.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;51228442]I'm quite thankful that I'm paid based on the amount of work that I actually accomplish rather than the amount of time I spend doing it. I have so much freedom to choose when I work, how long I work, when my breaks are, etc. I go into the office when I want, take long lunch breaks if I feel like it, and leave whenever I feel satisfied that I've done an adequate amount of work for the day. It's very rewarding.
Even with all that freedom, and all that responsibility, I rarely leave the office feeling like I haven't accomplished an honest day's work, and I always feel that my paychecks are fair. Flat hourly pay is stifling; commission and production based pay is liberating.[/QUOTE]
What is the job and what school and courses did you take to get say job
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