Japanese employers who try to control every aspect of a worker's life through a monthly salary are the biggest obstacle to productivity.
Read the original article (in Japanese):
■ A 4-Day Workweek Is No Longer Wishful Thinking
A large-scale study led by Boston College demonstrated that reducing the workweek to four days—without cutting pay—did not harm performance. On the contrary, it improved employee satisfaction, health, and efficiency. The study involved 141 organizations and nearly 2,900 employees across countries such as the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and Australia. Companies cut around five hours per week while maintaining 100% of wages. The results were clear:
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Burnout decreased
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Mental and physical health improved
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Job satisfaction rose
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Sleep quality and exercise frequency increased
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Employees felt more productive
In short, the data clearly disproved the long-standing belief that longer hours equal higher productivity.
■ Then Why Does Japan Still Treat the 5-Day Week as Sacred?
Despite such compelling data, the standard five-day, eight-hour workweek remains largely unquestioned in Japan. The obstacle isn't a lack of logic—it's something deeper: an unconscious desire for control rooted in the mindset of many employers.
■ The “Managerial Curse” — Controlling People Through Monthly Pay
Many Japanese business leaders fall into a psychological trap that goes something like this:
The company is mine → the company’s money is mine →
if I’m paying you, then your time is mine too
This belief justifies:
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Unpaid overtime
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Weekend calls
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Mandatory after-work drinking
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Lower evaluations for those who leave on time
Yet in reality, a monthly salary is merely compensation for designated working hours—not for an employee’s entire life.
And still, in many Japanese companies, the monthly wage is treated like a license to own a person’s time, energy, and identity.
This “salary-based ownership model” is a modern-day extension of feudal-style employer loyalty.
■ How Salary Obscures Ownership of Time
Even when companies claim to be “outcome-focused,” they often reward those who stay late or attend every meeting.
Why? Because the ambiguity of monthly pay blurs the line between “work time” and “owned time.”
This creates contradictions such as:
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Working efficiently is penalized
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Taking paid leave is frowned upon
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Failing to respond instantly after hours is a minus
What’s really being measured isn’t performance—but submission to control.
■ How Japan Compares Globally: Who Owns Time?
Let’s examine how this plays out compared to other regions:
| Aspect | Europe | United States | Japan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work hour principle | Contract-based; time belongs to worker | Output-focused; time use is discretionary | Company-controlled; time seen as employer’s |
| Off-hours communication | Prohibited (e.g., Right to Disconnect) | Personal judgment; tied to rewards | Expected and unpaid |
| Boundaries with private life | Legally protected | Generally respected | Often ignored, especially for loyalty tests |
| Evaluation criteria | Results within work hours | Clear link between output and rewards | Loyalty, obedience, time served |
Europe emphasizes worker autonomy, legally defining boundaries between work and life.
The U.S. is results-driven but pairs it with compensation and freedom.
Japan, however, adopts neither structure fully—rewarding neither performance nor autonomy, but still demanding loyalty and availability.
■ Equal Pay for Equal Work Can’t Exist Under This System
When loyalty, after-hours availability, or participation in non-work events factor into performance reviews, the principle of equal pay for equal work collapses.
In truth, some employees are rewarded not for their contributions, but for how well they conform to workplace culture and invisible expectations.
■ From Time Control to Productivity Design
A company pays for output during agreed working hours, not for ownership of time or identity.
Still, Japanese workplaces often favor “employees who stay long” over “employees who deliver results.”
This must change. The solution:
For employers:
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Redefine monthly salary as payment for designated hours only
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Stop evaluating off-hours behavior or communication speed
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Make results—not presence—the evaluation standard
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Treat remote work, flexible hours, or 4-day weeks as strategic tools, not exceptions
For society and institutions:
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Clarify in contracts what time, results, and evaluations are based on
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Train managers to separate “loyalty” from performance
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Abandon outdated values that reward time spent over outcomes delivered
■ Conclusion: Owning Time Is Obsolete
The 4-day workweek isn't idealistic—it’s efficient if results are met.
Companies should be investing in output, not buying lives.
Businesses don’t own employees’ time.
They pay for what’s achieved within it.
Those clinging to time control as a form of management?
They’re already behind the curve.
Read in Japanese↓
月給で労働者の全てを支配したがる時代遅れな日本の経営者が生産性向上を阻んでいる（2025.7.30）
Read more articles (in Japanese)↓
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