Think your employees work hard? There's an easy scoreboard to measure it by. How about the percentage of available leave time they take year to year? In the states, accounting standards force companies to account for the accruals taken but not used, which forces some companies to take the stance that employees can't roll over any hours/days to the next year. Even if they don't force a "use it or lose it" policy, most companies limit the number of hours rolled over as a result of the financial burden they have to carry.
So you think you work hard in America? You might as well be France when compared to Japan.
From Business Week:
"Pity Japan's workaholic employees. They may be forced to take more time off. To get citizens to dip into their collective $8 trillion in savings and help revive the economy, the government is considering penalizing companies whose workers don't take their annual leave. Like similar rules in the U.S., such accounting reforms would treat vacations as pay and require businesses to hold cash reserves equal to their employees' stashed days. Some 92% of Japanese workers don't use up their vacation time, a recent global survey by travel site Expedia (EXPE) found. On average, they use 7 of an allotted 15 days each year. Prime Minister Taro Aso's administration says the vacation law could spur $121 billion in spending and generate 1.5 million jobs. Critics say it may hurt struggling companies—and fail to loosen up outlays for leisure. Many Japanese "live to work," says Toshihiro Nagahama, senior economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, "and wouldn't know how to enjoy more vacations."
I'm thinking the outsourcing that's occurring needs to be channeled to Japan instead of India with this work ethic in mind. Or that Disney needs to build a park in Japan to loosen the accruals up a bit.
After all, vacation balance + kids + cash = Disney. Even I succumbed to the Disney virus last year. And I'm hardened.
I just solved the Japanese government's issue with the Disney solution. BOOM! Damn it feels good to be a problem solver.
Disney already has a park in Japan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Disneyland
Posted by: medgirl2001 | May 12, 2009 at 02:58 PM