Japan, meanwhile, has seen its official working hours fall below those of the U.S., but many Japanese companies continue to make their workers stay at the office for unpaid overtime off the books. The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has tried to change the culture of overwork, but is having a hard time doing so. A plan to pay workers for results rather than hours worked has been withdrawn after data showed it having little effect, while a measure to punish companies for requiring unpaid overtime hasn’t been passed yet.
For the U.S. and Japan, as well as other countries where employees are working inefficiently long days, mandating shorter hours — through four-day workweeks, shorter workdays, or more paid vacation — could be just what they need to raise productivity while improving work-life balance.
This commentary was provided by Bloomberg News.