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Opinion

Balancing Work and Play

By CHRISTINE CUNANAN-NOMURA


仕事と娯楽のバランス

仕事と娯楽のバランス 家族と過ごしたり、趣味に費やす時間を犠牲にして 仕事をしても、それに見合った評価がなされず、 働く意欲をなくす日本人はいまだに多いようだ。 海外では、従業員のやる気を起こさせるために 思い切った対策を実行して成功した企業もある。 それらの例は日本でも参考になるのではないか。

The Japanese are known as tireless workaholics who devote most of their lives to their companies. Many foreigners in Japan have heard about employees who miss their children's birthdays regularly, or their own wedding anniversaries, because of work.

In fact, last week a Japanese friend whose father had been assigned to the United States for many years told me that he had not been allowed to return to Japan to attend his own father's funeral because his bosses thought the trip would take too much time away from work.

And many foreigners seem to believe that Japanese would not prefer their lives any other way. Upon making Japanese friends, however, I realized that — as individuals — many Japanese are dissatisfied with a work environment that makes it difficult for employees to have a life outside of their companies. Unfortunately, group pressures force these people to follow the status quo or risk being ostracized.

Admittedly, Japanese corporate environments today are much freer than 10 or 15 years ago. However, my Japanese friends say that pressures to conform still do exist and that these often make them feel depressed and unmotivated.

Many non-Japanese companies realize that employees are a valuable resource only as long as they remain motivated to work and feel adequately compensated and appreciated.

These firms know that to keep working at peak level, employees must be happy about the balance between work and their private lives.

Here are some winning companies that have found ways to successfully help employees balance their lives. Personally, I hope some Japanese managers who read this column will realize that balancing personal life and work can be done, and can even be better for the company.

The San Francisco-based biotechnology company Genentech offers a program called "Date Night." It gives employees a chance to leave their children periodically at the company day care center until 10 p.m. so that they can take their spouses to dinner. The company day care center is the largest in the United States, with 70 staff members.

A systems engineering consulting firm in California called Scitor has a campaign called "Be our Guest," which is its way of saying to employees: "Thanks for the great job — now have a night out on the town ... on us!" Employees are encouraged to give bonuses ranging from $100 to $800 (¥10,700 to ¥85,600) to fellow employees who have done extra work or made more efforts than expected.

These employees are authorized to enjoy an evening out and charge the amount of the bonus to the company. Employees who are praised by their clients for good work also receive bonuses of up to $1,500 (¥160,500). Last year, one-third of Scitor employees received such bonuses, costing the company $7 million (¥749 million) — an amount Scitor considers very well spent.

A U.S. investment company called American Century helps employees pay for activities that will improve their personal development, such as guitar lessons. Many foreign firms also allow their employees to take their spouses along on business trips and to extend their business trips into holidays afterward to save time and airfare.

Such benefits go a long way in motivating people to do their best at work.


Shukan ST: March 17, 2000

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