Sometimes less is more. A critical examination of high workload and obsolete work structures at times of automation and work-life-balance using the example of Japan

Essay from the year 2016 in the subject Leadership and Human Resource Management - Miscellaneous, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences Munich, language: English, abstract: The following essay hands out a critical considered overview about the conditions and impacts of excessive workload on the example of Japan. The author´s motivation to deal with this topic, is its possible relevance especially for the German meritocracy. In Germany, a special economic committee is currently discussing about the meaningful-ness of the eight-hour day and whether it should be abolished. The justified fear of the German citizens is that the abolition of the eight-hours day would make it harder to control the flexibility of working hours. In order to find the reasons for the problem in Japan, this work considers all the relevant points in order to identify the problem of excessive work performance in Japan. This essay deals with the conditions that make Karoshi possible in the first place, the extent of the problem and what the Japanese government is doing about it. Finally, I compare the situation in Japan with trends from Germany and Sweden. The scientific basis of this essay are textbooks dealing with the topic of working time and working models as well as selected articles from the internet. This essay is suitable for all readers who identify and / or occupy themselves with the topic of high working hours and want to receive the personal opinion and a solution approach of the author to the special situation in Japan. The author hopes to make the reader understand the full extent of this problem.