In Japan, It’s a Riveting TV Plot: Can a Worker Go Home on Time? • Hacker News Board

Re: In Japan, It’s a Riveting TV Plot: Can a Worker Go Home on Time?

#11

Post by Aeolun » Thu, Jun 20, 2019, 6:23 PM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #7

>In addition to cultural attitudes about the value of hard work, she said, some employers reduce costs by relying on overtime, and employees work the longer hours for the extra pay and to please the boss — promotions often depend more on time spent at a desk than actual productivity. Agggh hits to home. Arrogant American me rolled into a Taiwanese job expecting to skyrocket up the ladder on results alone. Nope, becau…

You have to both work long, and be an amazing worker. Then you'll have a better chance. It's useless to do only one, but if you do anything, just stay late. At least you'll be seen as dedicated to the company.

Re: In Japan, It’s a Riveting TV Plot: Can a Worker Go Home on Time?

#12

Post by pseudolus » Thu, Jun 20, 2019, 6:23 PM UTC

Death by overtime "karoshi" is not unique to Japan but is also an issue in other Asian countries [0].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kar%C5%8Dshi

Re: In Japan, It’s a Riveting TV Plot: Can a Worker Go Home on Time?

#13

Post by 40acres » Thu, Jun 20, 2019, 6:25 PM UTC

Anyone with expertise care to chime in regarding possible causes? I recently finished a WWII documentary and the first few installments of Hardcore History's look into Imperial Japan. The Japanese seem like an "intense" (for lack of a better word) culture, which seems like it can be a pro or a con depending on what that "intensity" is targeted towards.

Re: In Japan, It’s a Riveting TV Plot: Can a Worker Go Home on Time?

#14

Post by hrktb » Thu, Jun 20, 2019, 6:32 PM UTC

Was the actual series linked anywhere in the article ?

I might have missed it, for anyone else looking for it: https://www.tbs.co.jp/watatei/

Re: In Japan, It’s a Riveting TV Plot: Can a Worker Go Home on Time?

#15

Post by throw0101a » Thu, Jun 20, 2019, 6:37 PM UTC

> We have our own culturally ingrained things in America that I'd like to change as well, and that are changing, but so slowly. How do you implement change?

Out of curiosity, what would you like to change in the US?

Re: In Japan, It’s a Riveting TV Plot: Can a Worker Go Home on Time?

#16

Post by DanTheManPR » Thu, Jun 20, 2019, 6:40 PM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #6

stronglikedan wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's important to let your employer feel that pain Unless you're hourly.

Give it enough time and your hourly wages will amortize to cover this - what should now be a 75/hr tier will have remained at 60/hr because everyone gets paid that, working overtime, to get some job done that probably doesn't need overtime to get done. Saw this in Oil and Gas industry among Engineers and Designers (the pipeline/wiring kind, not the UX kind), not sure if it's true for other industries though. Haven't…

More hourly people need to realize this, that what seems as a marginal benefit of time and a half pay from constant overtime hours eventually just gets priced in as lower base wages. I think a source is thinking too much about gross pay vs effective hourly compensation. It doesn't "feel right" to switch jobs and take an effective pay cut, even if your effective hourly compensation in terms of benefits and wages is higher.

Re: In Japan, It’s a Riveting TV Plot: Can a Worker Go Home on Time?

#17

Post by polymath21 » Thu, Jun 20, 2019, 6:41 PM UTC

40acres wrote: post #13

Anyone with expertise care to chime in regarding possible causes? I recently finished a WWII documentary and the first few installments of Hardcore History's look into Imperial Japan. The Japanese seem like an "intense" (for lack of a better word) culture, which seems like it can be a pro or a con depending on what that "intensity" is targeted towards.

I listened to this podcast series too! So, so interesting, especially as an Asian American and understanding how that period of Japanese colonialism affected the rest of the region.

Re: In Japan, It’s a Riveting TV Plot: Can a Worker Go Home on Time?

#18

Post by tantalor » Thu, Jun 20, 2019, 6:42 PM UTC

hrktb wrote: post #14

Was the actual series linked anywhere in the article ? I might have missed it, for anyone else looking for it: https://www.tbs.co.jp/watatei/

In general, how do you link to a TV show? They don't have websites per se.

Re: In Japan, It’s a Riveting TV Plot: Can a Worker Go Home on Time?

#19

Post by jedmeyers » Thu, Jun 20, 2019, 6:44 PM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #7

>In addition to cultural attitudes about the value of hard work, she said, some employers reduce costs by relying on overtime, and employees work the longer hours for the extra pay and to please the boss — promotions often depend more on time spent at a desk than actual productivity. Agggh hits to home. Arrogant American me rolled into a Taiwanese job expecting to skyrocket up the ladder on results alone. Nope, becau…

> How do you implement change?

Someone big and local has to step in, let the the workers leave on time yet kick everyone’s butt on the market. Then everyone will start copying the practices.

Re: In Japan, It’s a Riveting TV Plot: Can a Worker Go Home on Time?

#20

Post by zanny » Thu, Jun 20, 2019, 6:44 PM UTC

throw0101a wrote: post #15

> We have our own culturally ingrained things in America that I'd like to change as well, and that are changing, but so slowly. How do you implement change? Out of curiosity, what would you like to change in the US?

Systemic racism and sexism (bigotry in general, and America to this day is overflowing with it - for Muslims, LGBT, Hispanics, Africans, Chinese, etc..), historical revisionism / fantasy, American exceptionalism, ideological imperialism, cults around jobs and work, corporate personification, the pervasive and toxic "I got mine, screw you" mindset, idolization of the rich, anti-intellectualism, anti-science, and anti-expertise cultures.