Drinking, Working on Sunday, and the Philosophies of Japanese Life-Work Management
Another Saturday, another meet up with some coworkers for some English "lessons" and lunch. The topic somehow (and quite logically) came to the issue of how Japanese salary-men and Office Ladies spend their weekends. Not surprisingly, the typical answers were "taking it easy, hanging out with friends, and having a few drinks," but extent to which all of these mix in with work-related stuff is absolutely shocking for a foreigners used to a complete division between work and life.
Sure, being good friends with your similar-aged coworkers and hanging out with them outside of office is of course possible and understandable (same reason why I am there every Saturday). But lets take a closer look at what we were doing: the lunch conversations frequently merged into classified technical fields of the company, interlaced with insider information each departments and their heads.
This was happening all the while anything about the company is off-limits for everyday conversation (as per company regulations). Even more symbolically, we were doing the English "lessons" inside the company building and lunch in a nearby salary-men style canteen...after our little meetup, some of us (myself not included) even went back to their desks in the company.
I think separation of private and work life is not simply a Western concept. Biologically, people should be averse to going to a place of hard labor (not to mention much mental pain) anymore than they are required. Environment change often is the primary vehicle for change in mentality, especially between one of tense readiness and complete joyful relaxation.
In this particular group, as a reflection of Japanese work culture in general, has chosen to see the company simply as a community and platform, where both hard work and playfulness can occur. But even more than college campuses (where the same logic sort of applies), the exact same rooms for work can be converted for other purposes than are not at all serious and related to the company.
Besides the omnipresence of the company building in the salary-man's life, the close integration of work and life can also be seen from another perspective. One of the coworkers mentioned how he goes out drinking everyday after work. Not necessarily with people from work, but the whole idea of showing up with the attire and attitude of work to a drinking environment sort of symbolizes that the drinking itself will not be 100% casual and free from thoughts of work.
And then everything seems to go back into a loop. More work means more opportunities for drinking, and more drinking means more opportunities for work. The cycle connects the two major activities of the Japanese employee and give birth to the image that most foreigners have of the Japanese as workaholics who cannot even get rid of work in drinking parties.
Not that this is all bad. I have repeatedly pointed out the importance of loyalty to their own company displayed by the Japanese. The fact that the company remains in every aspect of their lives gives a strong sense of familial ties among employees and a deep sense of commitment displayed by the individuals toward the company. It is the major strength of Japanese companies that allow them to retain skilled labor over time despite attempts by competitors to steal human resources.
Sure, being good friends with your similar-aged coworkers and hanging out with them outside of office is of course possible and understandable (same reason why I am there every Saturday). But lets take a closer look at what we were doing: the lunch conversations frequently merged into classified technical fields of the company, interlaced with insider information each departments and their heads.
This was happening all the while anything about the company is off-limits for everyday conversation (as per company regulations). Even more symbolically, we were doing the English "lessons" inside the company building and lunch in a nearby salary-men style canteen...after our little meetup, some of us (myself not included) even went back to their desks in the company.
I think separation of private and work life is not simply a Western concept. Biologically, people should be averse to going to a place of hard labor (not to mention much mental pain) anymore than they are required. Environment change often is the primary vehicle for change in mentality, especially between one of tense readiness and complete joyful relaxation.
In this particular group, as a reflection of Japanese work culture in general, has chosen to see the company simply as a community and platform, where both hard work and playfulness can occur. But even more than college campuses (where the same logic sort of applies), the exact same rooms for work can be converted for other purposes than are not at all serious and related to the company.
Besides the omnipresence of the company building in the salary-man's life, the close integration of work and life can also be seen from another perspective. One of the coworkers mentioned how he goes out drinking everyday after work. Not necessarily with people from work, but the whole idea of showing up with the attire and attitude of work to a drinking environment sort of symbolizes that the drinking itself will not be 100% casual and free from thoughts of work.
And then everything seems to go back into a loop. More work means more opportunities for drinking, and more drinking means more opportunities for work. The cycle connects the two major activities of the Japanese employee and give birth to the image that most foreigners have of the Japanese as workaholics who cannot even get rid of work in drinking parties.
Not that this is all bad. I have repeatedly pointed out the importance of loyalty to their own company displayed by the Japanese. The fact that the company remains in every aspect of their lives gives a strong sense of familial ties among employees and a deep sense of commitment displayed by the individuals toward the company. It is the major strength of Japanese companies that allow them to retain skilled labor over time despite attempts by competitors to steal human resources.
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