SDG no. 8: How can we solve the problem of long working hours?
Rio Akashi & Eri Matsuzawa
R: Today in Japan, there are problems such as achieving good work-life balance. So, now
we are going to talk about SDG number 8, decent working conditions and economic growth,and especially how to solve the issue of long working hours. This goal is important because weall want to have a better quality of life, right?
E: Yes. Have you ever considered how you want to live in the future? Do you want to have astable income and a happy life? Or do you want to have a bad quality of life with lots of stressand demands? To achieve the lifestyle you want, you must imagine how you want to live inthe future.
R: Overtime hours, which means working more hours than your contracted time, is aproblem not just for workers, but for companies. Usually, it causes a decrease in operational
efficiency, higher incidents of mental illness, and in the worst cases, death from overwork.
E: Please look at this graph. It shows the percentage of people who work 49 hours or more per
week in six countries. As you can see, Japan ranks highly among these economicallydeveloped countries which include America, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, andSouth Korea. Clearly, Japanese work longer hours.
R: We can deduce that the effects of long hours are that workers outside relationships worsen,such as with their family and friends, and they don’t get enough time to spend on hobbies.
Such a limited life means they are going to become narrow-minded.
E: Another effect is the deterioration of work efficiency. It is more efficient to work with asense of fulfillment and purpose with shorter hours, than to work long hours with fatigue andpoor concentration. If we don’t solve this problem, life quality will not get better, we can’t
achieve work life balance, and death from over work will continue. This issue also relates tothe decline of population.
R: To make this situation better, we came up with two solutions. The first is to increase
remote work. We should take advantage of this movement which started due to thecoronavirus pandemic and introduce it at least twice a week.
E: By using this system, we can save commuting time on trains and cars, and save money
spent on tickets or gasoline. Also, we can feel less stress working at home, so your working
environment is comfortable. R: There are also advantages for the company such as reductionof costs, increase of sales efficiency, and promotion of digitalization. It is a win-win
relationship for both company and workers.
E: The second solution is to increase leave, such as childcare leave. According to a survey
by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, childcare leave-taking rate in fiscal 2022 will
be 80% for women but just 17% for men. This shows that men take less childcare leave. Oftenmothers carry the burden and have a hard time with stress from child rearing alone. Also, thethinking we have in Japan is “child rearing is a woman’s job.” This must be changed. Parents
should bring their up children “TOGETHER.”
R: To go further, it would be a good idea to introduce a system that allows employees to earn
wages during periods of childcare leave. By offering salary, people will become more proactive
about really taking leave and support child rearing. To make it happen, the government needs
to change the law and help support the cost of living when both parents are not working.
Finally, the company culture has to be changed so that taking childcare leave, especially men,is no longer viewed negatively.
E: Japan has many other issues. We must not be complacent just because we think we are
comfortable and safe in Japan.
R: Today, we have considered ideas to make working conditions better, eliminate unnecessarystress from work, and increase leave. We must reduce the number of people who suffer fromlong working hours.
E: Please try to actively change the problems in Japan, and all over the world.
R: Thank you so much for listening.