Have you ever had second thoughts on taking your annual leave to travel or attend family events? 

Interestingly, according to a BBC news report, Japanese employees reportedly feel guilty if they take any leave at all. According to their latest government statistics, only 52.4% of paid leave was taken in 2018, a sharp contrast with other nations.

This may be one of the interesting phenomena that can be observed about the Japanese working culture. Here are some other common practices to take note if you are working for a Japanese company or are planning to work in Japan:

1. Sending New Year Greeting Cards

Source: Japan Reference

It is quite typical for colleagues, clients and business partners to send one another New Year cards (Nengajō 年賀状) to celebrate the new year. These cards usually depict the Chinese Zodiac animal of the year e.g. 2021’s Nengajō 年賀状 would feature an Ox. Common greetings would include the following:

      明けましておめでとうございます
      Akemashite omedetōgozaimasu
      Happy New Year

      昨年はお世話になりました
      Sakunen wa osewa ni narimashita
      Thank you for your support last year.

      今年もよろしくお願いします
      Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu
      I look forward to working with you again this year.
 

2. Business Cards Exchange Nuances

Exchanging business cards (meishi 名刺) is extremely important in the Japanese work culture. The process of exchanging cards depends on the rank and order of your position. Typically, those of higher rank will exchange their cards first. There are many nuances on how to exchange business cards with your Japanese counterparts and these are some things that you should avoid:

• Keeping the business cards immediately in your wallet or pocket-- is a sign of disrespect to the other party. It is best to keep them out during the entirety of the meeting and neatly organised in the order that your working partners are seated.
• Not reading the card is also a sign of disrespect-- properly reading the name card would signal that you are treating the person who gave it to you with mindful regard.
• Not presenting your business card with the front-- the front of the name card represents your “face”, so not presenting your “face” may come across as though you are hiding something.
• Covering the other party's card front with your hands-- this works the same way as the above in that you should not cover your working partner’s “face”.
• Not bringing your business card--if you run out of cards, you should explain yourself clearly to avoid misunderstanding.

3. Senior and Junior Relationships

Hierarchy, rank, and order underscore all relationships in Japanese society, including the workplace.  The Senpai 先輩 and kōhai 後輩 relationship (“senior” and “junior” respectively) also means that the Senpai who is working in the company for a longer time and is usually older and of a higher position typically mentors the kōhai. There are a lot of implicit rules in the Japanese work culture in accordance with this hierarchy, for example, where you sit during a meeting, the level of politeness to use and how you conduct yourself in drinking situations (​​Nomikai 飲み会).

4. Being on time
 
I’m sure you have marveled at how punctual Japanese public transport is. The smallest delay in time would bring about deep apologies from the train conductors. This is because the Japanese regard being late as a big inconvenience for the people who are waiting. You should aim to start 10 minutes earlier than your official work time to get ready.

5. The Gifting culture

It is quite a common practice to buy omiyage お土産 (Omiyage: souvenir) for your colleagues when you travel out of town. It may also be considered disrespectful if you do not bring back some omiyage for your co-workers. Buying omiyage is also a way for workers to show appreciation for being allowed to take a holiday as well. Nowadays, it is very easy to find omiyage shops in Japan with nicely wrapped packaging of confectionery or snacks that you can bring back to share with your colleagues.

On seasonal occasions, Ochūgen 御中元 and oseibō 御制帽 (seasonal gift-giving traditions) are times where you send gifts to business partners or clients to show appreciation for the business relationship. Ochūgen is usually sent in summer in July, while oseibō is sent in December. Gifts are also sent outside of work when you wish to thank someone for their help.

Encouraging Work-life balance in Japanese companies
With a highly conscientious workforce in Japan, burnout could be a real concern. There have been calls to modernise the Japanese workplaces to train employees how to communicate with one another and help each other out so that they may be able to take more annual leave while not compromising on their work quality. As shared in the same article by BBC news, after a Japanese consultancy firm stepped in to help a big Japanese firm incorporate a more open work culture where employees are allowed to freely share their work preferences and changes in work styles, overtime hours were cut by 15 % and paid leave increased to 61%. Ensuring work-life balance such as encouraging staff to take their paid leave is one important step to create a more inclusive work environment that accommodates the needs of different individuals.

Did you know about the above common practices in the Japanese work culture? What Japanese work habits do you think we can apply to our workplace?