Photo: REUTERS file
business

KDDI's internal probe finds unpaid overtime worth ¥670 mil

19 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© KYODO

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

19 Comments
Login to comment

Well... overtime in Japan is staying at the office long hours to look like you are a dedicated employee. It has nothing to do with actual hard work, efficiency or productivity. As long as everyone looks the part, that's all that matters. Overtime is also a nice little excuse for salary men to go drinking and date their secret girlfriend.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Without everything the company provides us in exchange for our time and knowledge and skill, our families can thrive.” — “... canNOT thrive.”

2 ( +2 / -0 )

In my previous company, card access was implemented. Everyone had to scan their card to enter and exit. First entry in the morning (begin work) and last exit of the day (finish work) were logged. Total hours were calculated by the system. For the month, time over expected work (@ 8hrs per day) at +15hrs point, a reminder was sent out. At +30hrs a warning was sent out to both employee and boss, as well as HR. Employee needed to explain to boss what is causing the excess work. At +60hrs, employee had to meet with boss, HR director to discuss the situation, consider ways to reduce the hours (assistance, task sharing, etc) as well as look into physical and mental health. Checkpoints were implemented because people care about their work and sometimes one does need to work more than contracted hours. It is inevitable.

The concept of “Work Life Balance” tends to assume that we work too much and don’t have enough “private” time for family and self. That we should reduce hour hours given to the company, which in turn pays our salaries plus an additional 40% or so of the cost to employ us (pension, healthcare, etc. - here in Japan). At times we need to modify our work time for family, and at times we need to modify our family time for work. Without everything the company provides us in exchange for our time and knowledge and skill, our families can thrive. We should be thanking the company for giving us this opportunity to raise our families.

“Work Life Integration” might be a better concept. Integrating the necessity for work into our family life, and at the same time integrating the necessity for family into our work life is important. We all need to take responsibility.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Never do business with black companies.

No work for free.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Keep my job? although it breaks internal rules and probably breaks labor laws? Thus the problem remains. People suck it up to protect themselves. Unions in Japan are broken, as a group you have power as an individual you have the worry of no job and for Japanese being a trouble maker, its a ticket to the "best to kill yourselve" attitude. As an individual it's expected to suffer in silence. "Shogani" is the most destructive word in Japan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Exactly ThonTaddeo.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

1st World tech, 3rd World mind.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Heck if they paid him for his overtime we could have another child. 

Japan's low-birthrate problem summed up in one sentence.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Hi stepoutsidethebox; just going to throw an opinion out here!

This idea of allowing yourself to work beyond the terms of your contract is not a 'bargaining chip'.

It's just you doing volunteer work, (which if you are happy to do is no problem.)

Understand that and you'll be fine.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

My uni makes me team teach an extra class. Above max koma. No extra pay. No gyoseki credit. Kyomuka didn't even know. It is a dept thing no outside the dept k ow about. So I get zero recognition for. Since it's basically a "secret" I doubt it will come up when my contact renewal does either. We will see. I suppose maybe its a barging chip since they are breaking the official labor rules of the school. For now I don't say anything because I like they job and I want my contract renewed.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

No mention of the company back-paying the employees for the hours they previously worked, of course. This is how Japan built its economy. It's very easy to turn a profit if you don't pay your workers and make them do the job of three people. And, of course, with the economic downturn and decreased amount of workers the pressure is even greater on employees. Perhaps they should consider 'karoshi' as the new era name.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

has found that some 670 million yen worth of overtime work was unpaid.

The company said it did not make the employee's suicide public earlier because it has been in talks with the employee's family on terms of settlement

Like Dentsu incident, most big companies in Japan have so many plenty benefit. So when they required their employee to have long working hours, some of them even didn't get their pay like KDDI case

Those employee, they just still stick to their company, sometimes without raising any complain, due benefits and job security.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I am very sure the management knows. Its a culture there. People look for loopholes.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

If I were to be conservative in my guessing, I would say my husband had at least 700 hours a year of unpaid overtime. More likely between 8 and 900. At least for the last 10 years.

I'm glad he's chosen to be a contracted worker instead of a committed lifetime employee because it gives him the freedom to work on several projects at once. We also live comfortably and are better off than most which I am eternally grateful for--- but honestly... if he were paid for the overtime and we just put that money directly in the bank we could buy a large house in the city in cash, in full and send our child to private university in the US full stop. It hurts to think about it that way. All that work he's doing with no tangible reward. Heck if they paid him for his overtime we could have another child. Maybe a third. Would be a blessing. Unfortunately as we are both in our 30s it probably won't come to be. Damn.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

So, have any executives / managers at KDDI been charged with any crimes and held in detention in relation to this??

Honestly, if this practice led to an employee death, then it seems there would be grounds for criminal prosecution. The Directors should be detained and questioned for months on end to ensure they confess their guilt to encouraging these practices!

10 ( +10 / -0 )

How many other companies have kept deaths from overwork a secret? KDDI had to have exerted quite a bit of pressure on the family, during the so-called "settlement" discussions to keep it quiet themselves!

I hope they got "paid"!

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Let me get this straight. You expect your employees to openly admit that you haven’t paid them for hours of overtime?

Also, you’ve been working on creating measures for stopping overwork since 2017 so you haven’t been able to fully work things out yet.

This is very easy. Limit working hours and make it a hard rule instead of a suggestion. Create a system where people work overtime on the books instead of off the books. Those are great ways to start.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Ridiculous.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites