Japan and Second Jobs:

 https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20211010/p2g/00m/0bu/007000c

Article:

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's largest business lobby recently released a report it says shows the benefits that can come from allowing people to take on secondary employment, with the arrangement delivering a happier and more productive workforce while addressing some of the nation's demographic challenges.

The report compiled by the Japan Business Federation, known as Keidanren, focused on the way increasing flexibility in allowing people to take on different, additional work can address labor shortages as well as dissatisfaction with the country's rigid corporate culture.

Although just 22 percent of about 500 companies in the country polled last year allow staff to take on second jobs, the report indicates a larger take-up of the arrangement could lead to people staying in the workforce for longer.

Ideas:

Japan's present work situation most likely is still rooted in the 20th century and needs to become more flexible to meets the needs of 21st century society.

Companies and CEO's need to become more flexible as its not the 1980's where employees might have thought only about the company and not their personal lives.

The days are gone, most likely in most companies that a person is going to stay with that company his entire working life..

Today workers are looking for more opportunities and working a regular job and even a part-time at the same time is becoming more popular.

Part of it might because Japanese salaries haven't changed much in 20+ years or even more. See an article in the BBC that shows Japanese salaries stuck at around $38,000 which is way behind most of the advanced economies and now even South Korea.

Perhaps some Japanese companies have too much control what workers can do with their time outside after leaving for that day.

Article:

The practice could, to some extent, address Japan's shrinking labor force by giving workers new skills to potentially use in a post-retirement career, according to the report.

Importantly, the report makes clear it is focusing on workers who do not need to work a second job just for financial reasons, rather it looks at people who are dissatisfied and want a change.

The report gives the example of an IT systems engineer taking on a role as an educator as a way skills can be transferred for the common good. Another case study details how a human resources staffer was able to help small regional businesses develop more advanced personnel systems.

Ideas:

Unfortunately the idea that workers are dissatisfied and want a change is not just in Japan, it seems to be a global situation and even a trend.

For example, in the US there are many workers who are now quitting their jobs and now the the pandemic seems to be winding down, they don't like the idea of going back to what work was like before the pandemic.

If workers are able and want to new challenges they should be given the chance to find a way to acquire more skills and work experiences to enrich their lives besides the age old problem of extra income.

A recent article highlighted what Dentsu has been doing to enrich the lives of its workers especially those that are closes to retirement age.

For example, not remembering the exact article, they were allowing workers to take some kind of semi-retirement and start their own small company something like a sub-contractor related to Dentsu with a guaranteed of 10 years. But without any medical of insurance benefits

So the semi-retired workers were still working, most, in the same field or industry, but now they were their own boss but just closely aligned with Dentsu.

Article:

Keidanren pointed out that there are obstacles that must be overcome for Japan's work culture to evolve, including the issue of companies banning secondary jobs due to the difficulty in managing employees' total work hours and potentially losing proprietary information.

It said the upsides could outweigh the potential problems, however, with such programs able to potentially spur innovation when employees acquire new insights outside of their companies.

For firms not ready to allow second jobs, Keidanren proposed in the report an option of "in-house side jobs," or letting employees work in other departments of their companies.

Ideas:

There are a lot of possibilities for innovation or change. The best way is to look at the best practices or how other countries have been able to change and innovate to a more flexible work force and society.

Not all countries have innovated in that direction but the pandemic has definitely has created a paradigm shift in how many workers want to work today and not to back to just sitting an office from 9 to 6 in the same company for 50 years.

A more flexible work force and a more flexible society can only have a more positive impact i Japan that desperately needs to change and become more innovative.

The idea of "inside-house side jobs" appears like a step in the right direction to make work more enjoyable and satisfying to the younger work force that don't want to work the same way as their parents.

Article: 

The emergence of telework and more flexible employment arrangements driven by necessity during the coronavirus pandemic also can work in favor of these types of work reforms, the report notes.

In a survey that drew responses from 487 companies last year, 78 percent said they do not permit workers to take additional jobs. Keidanren said it is important that firms study whether to introduce the practice depending on their specific situation.

In the Keidanren report released last week, which summarizes the efforts of 15 major companies to promote secondary employment, the lobby said many state explicitly in their employment regulations they will restrict second jobs if there are concerns about loss of confidential information or other types of potential damages.

Ideas:

Of course the idea of loss of confidential information is always a challenge. But companies can be more flexible by letting workers work in areas not related to their main job and of course signing a confidentially agreement not to disclose important information.

There are a lot of potential for innovation. And it can only be a positive for companies if they have workers that are happy and feel good about what they do.

With the part-time or a second job it might give them a new perspective on their present job along with a less stress if they know their main company supports their part-time or extra work.

Its not time for Japan or its going to become even more of a workplace dinosaur if it doesn't innovate and give some flexibility to the younger workers who again, don't want to do the same thing as their parents.

They saw how their fathers might have slaved at the some company for 30, 40, 50 years with no real satisfaction but did it anyway as that was what was expected for those generations.

But its a 'Brave New World" now and the younger generation doesn't wan the same thing. And surely don't want to end up like their parents at the end of their work life feeling unsatisfied with their work life.

And of course they are now looking for more work/life balance and not just slaving a way in one company situation.

Article: 

Among the 15 firms, Mitsubishi Estate Co. uses third-party software to monitor employees' working hours at second jobs to prevent overwork.

Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. sets a limit of 30 hours per month for additional work, and household products maker Lion Corp. bans working in second jobs after 10 p.m. and requires employees to have at least 10 hours of rest before their next workday.

Major mobile platform and e-commerce operator DeNA Co. has introduced a system that allows employees to allocate up to 30 percent of their work time to other departments if they wish.

Mitsubishi Estate has also established a system that requires employees to devote at least 10 percent of their work time to activities other than their main duties.

Ideas:

As mentioned in the four sentences above companies are taking different approach to how to innovate. 

But the idea of monitoring employees working house seems a little restrictive as if they own the employee. 

Its very understanding that they are trying to prevent overwork but maybe there is a better way to ensure employees don't overwork.

Until Japanese companies really show some sense of flexibility in the workplace with their employees and until many companies can figure out productive ways to be more flexible the Japanese economy is going to be stuck in its present mode of limited or no growth.

If they would unleash the potential of their workers there might be a paradigm shift in the level of productivity that the Japanese economy has never seen, far outpacing the booms times of the 70's and 80's in Japan.

Have a nice day and be safe!