Hodo-Hodo Zuku
November 6th, 2008 by Cali & Jody
We don’t know where to begin. In fact, we’re a bit speechless, so this will be brief.
Japan, the country known for working its people to death (see our post on “karoshi” from earlier this year) now has pockets of people standing up to take their lives back. The WSJ story that gives the scoop is here.
You know we’re all about groundswells - does this have the making of one?
We’re taking predictions on what will happen in Japan now that packs of hodo-hodo zuku (”so-so folks”) are taking over. What’s in your crystal balls?
We’ve seen some similar trends in younger workers in the U.S. There is definitely a backlash brewing. I think it’s hilarious that the companies are getting desperate about convincing younger workers to take the promotions or - gasp! - promoting “office ladies” rather than rethinking the demotivating work environment itself.
When will the business world realize most people work out of necessity not passion? Now don’t get me wrong, I am sure people exist who love their jobs and love going to the office, etc., etc….
If I could earn what I am now without having to “work” for it, I would take it in a traditional work environment second!
The crazy thing is I rarely hear people complaining about their “work” , but rather about waking up early, having to stay late, not enough paid time off, hostile or boring or nagging work environments, and the list goes on…..
So, when I read articles like this and live the nightmare everyday, it becomes so crystal clear. People want more of their life back - simple. They are not lazy, or slackers, or unmotivated (though yes, some are), it just gets to the point when the reward does not = the effort. If I could land a job with less responsibility than I have now, but the compensation would be comparable…umm….buh bye!
The more I have delved into a ROWE, the more obvious how screwed up the traditional work setting is. People are not held to account, progress and innovation are stifled due to archaic biz practices, and to fluff it all up, companies attempt to implement “feel good” strategies like: “We are all a family.” or issuing spirit points or letting people leave five minutes early…..it is absurd!
To not implement a ROWE is one thing, but to now actively seek it out, honestly assess it, pilot it, and then review it seems to go against any form of organizational betterment. I am to the point where I feel companies should just implement it with a focus group before making a decision on it.
Oh ROWE is me…..
I think that our generation is realizing that working hard at the expense of family isn’t worth it. We have a generation of adults who were latch-key kids. Who had parents who were too busy to pay attention to us as children. We’re looking back on that, and we want and demand more for our children.
ROWE is the most family friendly HR policy that exists.
Regular work environments make the mistake of confusing activity with results.
I have friends who tell me that they do about 15 hours of actual work each week…the other 25 are spent providing the APPEARANCE of doing work.
I’m having trouble seeing into my crystal ball as I puke all over it when I read three statements in the article.
1) “They’ll ruin Japan with their lax work ethic.” Rather than try and understand why young people are avoiding these promotions, they are labeled slackers. It’s amazing how insane people are when it comes to the work system. They think nothing is wrong with it, when the reality of the hodo-hodo zuku says change needs to happen.
2) Law firms say the trend has companies scrambling to seek legal counsel on whether they can fire employees who refuse promotions. Are you serious?!?! That’s like grounding a kid for a month because he didn’t want to eat a dessert after dinner. Oh, wait, I forgot. Status quo means these people - who don’t want to lose any more of their lives regardless of gain - are a disease in the workplace, not valued employees. Seriously, these companies are acting more childish than a snubbed teenager.
3) He says he was especially turned off when he learned she had left her sick baby at home with her husband to come to the office (Ms. Matsumoto says work emergencies sometimes must come first.) Now we see the insanity. I don’t have children, but that attitude seems just way out there. I realize her husband was home, but dear God, it was her BABY. There is NO emergency worth more than taking care of one’s own sick baby. Once again, we see the chokehold the status quo has on us… people need to see us at work because that is the only way they know we are working.
Unfortunately, until all the boomers retire and Gen Yers (sorry, fellow Gen Xers - too many of you drank the Boomer Kool Aid) can start pushing us toward ROWE, the future is looking very cloudy.
In the spirit of election season…when one casts a vote for a particular candidate, presumably one of the justifications is past accomplishments (and even failures) …..
Hmmmmm…..
Is not our whole democracy predicated on performance/results….not to mention life (dual work/personal), liberty (being free from restriction or control), and the pursuit of happiness (however one may wish to define it)?
@Matt - oh, Matt, we must say that your play-by-play of those three lines are very similar to what we were thinking. Makes you want to scream, doesn’t it? You have to admit, though, in the face of all the insanity, that the hodo-hodo zuku are displaying some guts with what they’re doing. In the midst of a system that is wondering if legal action can be taken toward someone who refuses a promotion, a system where your job comes before your baby, bucking the status quo is unheard of. Sadly, the system isn’t too far from our own, which is where your Boomer/Gen X/Gen Y comments come in.
@Michael Barata - interesting how “democracy” can be defined, isn’t it?
@Eric Ogunbase - if only, if *only* more managers understood that time is such an outdated measure. Your friends have actually stepped into a new realm of their own - just realizing that many of the hours you spend “at work” are not productive is a great step. We run into lots of employees that fight us tooth and nail on the fact that they are productive from the second they step into the office building to the second they leave. Until we actually walk them through it. But they’re trained to think that way…amazing.
@Shannon - we need the backlash to brew, no doubt about it. There’s a pretty good brew going on here - the cauldron is big enough for more brewers, so bring ‘em on in!