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Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

cnn.com

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Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#91

Post by standardUser »

pesus wrote: post #78
nine_k wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is not the absolute number of people, but the ratio of relatively younger people who work and produce something, and the elderly who already are too frail and can only consume (pensions, medical care, etc). Japan has now fewer productive workers per elderly person than most developed countries.

Even if the birth rate suddenly tripled, it wouldn't solve that issue for at least a generation. There's going to have to be other solutions, maybe in the form of automation/robotics/etc in conjunction with societal/economic changes. I wouldn't be surprised if the older population resists necessary changes and exacerbates the problem, though.

A change to immigration policy could solve the issue within years, but Japan seems like the least likely nation to embrace that approach.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#92

Post by wubrr »

encoderer wrote: post #81
chachacharge wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I kind of doubt this will be adopted practically in Japan. The old people get time off and leave work early in Japan by privilege and the young break themselves and any rule they need to permit it. The young would even lie about taking time off to make the boss look good, even taking less pay to sell the lie. Who can have kids when you already have to change everyone's diaper.

Fascinating. Is the loyalty reciprocated?

If the subordinates have to lie about taking time off, and intentionally accept lower pay for the benefit of their superiors - then no, it's definitely not reciprocated. I'd argue the subordinates are straight up being abused in this case.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#93

Post by supplied_demand »

TomK32 wrote: post #87
supplied_demand wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

==Japan has now fewer productive workers per elderly person than most developed countries.== Maybe, over the long run, we could change the expectation that elderly people can't be productive. Perhaps eliminating 20% of the workweek will allow people to maintain careers that are longer? The need to race towards retirement may lessen if we ease the burden of our weekly work schedule.

I don't see many of my 40-ish age who live healthy enough by exercising, going to work by bike or walking instead of car, so they can still be active, let alone productive when they enter retirement age.

I'm not sure I follow your comment. It's possible that AI will change the idea of who can be productive, just as the internet has changed the idea of who can be productive (people with limited mobility, for example).

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#94

Post by standardUser »

MobiusHorizons wrote: post #61
Barrin92 wrote: post #27

>Many sociologists attribute the ever-plunging birth rates to Japan’s unforgiving work culture and rising costs of living. It still seems like an incredibly odd argument to me given that the birth rate is only marginally lower than in the most generous, least working European nations. Hungary spent 5%(!) of its GDP on direct family support and it did very little (raised the birth rate by 0.15 give or take). I wonder…

> adjust economic policies accordingly What do you have in mind? My understanding is that this is not something there is much of an economic solution for short of canceling benefits (pensions / medical care)

Immigration solves the issue entirely. Maybe not perpetually, but for the foreseeable future.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#95

Post by notatoad »

FigurativeVoid wrote: post #8
MBCook wrote: post #3

I wish these stories would say if the hours are changing or not. 32 hours, 4 days a week seems better to me. But if all you do is take 40 hours and make it 10 hour days I’m not that much happier.

I have had friends and family that work 4x10s or even 3x12s and they all vastly prefer the trade-off of more hours per work day for fewer days.

i've worked 10s before, and it's alternately amazing and terrible. at an office job, answering emails and going to meetings, 10hrs is completely beyond my tolerance level.

but if you've got a project, and you can just put your head down and work, then 10s are really nice.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#96

Post by FigurativeVoid »

notatoad wrote: post #95
FigurativeVoid wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have had friends and family that work 4x10s or even 3x12s and they all vastly prefer the trade-off of more hours per work day for fewer days.

i've worked 10s before, and it's alternately amazing and terrible. at an office job, answering emails and going to meetings, 10hrs is completely beyond my tolerance level. but if you've got a project, and you can just put your head down and work, then 10s are really nice.

I agree. It's nice if you have something you can get into flow on.

The biggest issue with 10s is commute time. If you work 10s with an hour+ commute, that's just awful.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#97

Post by standardUser »

Nickersf wrote: post #59

I don't think it will boost the fertility rate in any significant way. I think the only way to really make a dent in low fertility rates is to incentivize mothers to stay at home and men to work full-time at least for the first five years of a child's life. I know people disagree with this, but it's worth considering if the declining birth rates are a major concern for the State.

A better policy would be to incentivize any parent to stay home for the first few years. Restricting it to mothers would only reduce the appeal of the policy and result in fewer takers, so why default to a more restrictive approach?

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#98

Post by dennis_jeeves2 »

beezlebroxxxxxx wrote: post #48
reverendsteveii wrote: post #29

I feel like it's been a long time fretting over falling birth rates and this is the first time I've seen anyone float the idea that making life better for people might make them a bit more inclined to make more people.

It's not really a problem you can pick around at the edges. You have to take some big swings to try to resolve it. Politicians, businesses, and the entire voting public, need to take a hard look at the real things they can do that will have an actual effect. 4-day workweek is a big one.

>entire voting public,

Won't happen explicitly, The masses are short sighted. Might happen implicitly through a series of co-incidental events but never by design.

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#99

Post by Aeolun »

Barrin92 wrote: post #27

>Many sociologists attribute the ever-plunging birth rates to Japan’s unforgiving work culture and rising costs of living. It still seems like an incredibly odd argument to me given that the birth rate is only marginally lower than in the most generous, least working European nations. Hungary spent 5%(!) of its GDP on direct family support and it did very little (raised the birth rate by 0.15 give or take). I wonder…

The policies that make schooling and childcare free in Japan are very nice.

The problem is that it doesn’t move the needle. At least in Tokyo it’s more or less impossible to not have two working parents and own a house. Outside of Tokyo, you might own a house, but there’s no jobs and everyone around you is 60+

Re: Tokyo is set to introduce a four-day workweek for government employees

#100

Post by beepbooptheory »

ativzzz wrote: post #79
RiverCrochet wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had an interesting discussion with my nephew about this post. He angers me with the way he talks about stuff, but I consider it an exercise in mental fortitude. Allow me to share his absolutely crazy and unreasonable thoughts on this: "Nobody really wants more people except certain religious sects, and that is only because it allows them to use sexuality to control people. Most modern capitalists would favor automa…

He's not totally wrong, just replace "Religious organizations" with "Governments" and "tax-free status" with "solders and workers"

Yes, and the basic idea that while a "modern" capitalist might want automation from a productivity point of view, they still need some consumers at the other end to buy their stuff!
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