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Does it count as a day off if you’re still working?

Everyone needs an extra day off now and again, and that should go double for employees at Japanese companies, which are notorious for pushing their human resources to the breaking point. But with Japanese society so often prizing group performance over personal enjoyment, does taking a day off in Japan really translate into not working?

To investigate, Internet polling website Creative Survey asked 300 Japanese men and 300 Japanese women, all between the ages of 20 and 49, a series of questions regarding their paid vacation days. Three out of five respondents said, right off the bat, that they found it difficult to ask for time off, which was further reflected by data showing that the vast majority use less than half of their allotted vacation days each year.

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How much of your time off do you use?
● None of it (selected by 15 percent of respondents)
● Between 0 and 25 percent of it (selected by 38 percent of respondents)
● Between 25 and 50 percent of it (selected by 22 percent of respondents)
● Between 50 and 75 percent of it (selected by 13 percent of respondents)
● Between 75 and 99 percent of it (selected by 4 percent of respondents)
● All of it (selected by 8 percent of respondents)

But in our modern, connected society, being able to avoid going into the office doesn’t necessarily mean you can avoid work demands. With just about every adult in Japan owning an email-capable mobile phone, they’re, in essence, constantly tethered to their work duties, and when that call comes, many feel compelled to answer, with more than 75 percent either answering phone calls from the office then and there or calling back soon.

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What do you do if you get a call from work on your personal phone when you’re taking a day off?
● I answer right away (41.17 percent)
● I let it ring a few times, then answer (24.67 percent)
● I don’t pick up, but I call back a little later (11.83 percent)

The respondents weren’t much more willing to duck work emails, either.

What do you do if you get a message from work through your personal email or SNS account when you’re taking a day off?
● I reply before the end of the day (40 percent)
● I reply right away (30 percent)
● I reply the next day (9 percent)

▼ “I’ll send you those reports just as I soon as I get the hermit crabs out of my shorts.”

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It should be noted that Creative Survey’s questionnaire didn’t concern itself with the nature of the work the participants do, and it’s entirely possible that many of them are involved in industries or activities with unpredictable schedules which thus make quick reactions absolutely vital. Still, we imagine that sort of constant pressure must make it almost impossible to mentally decouple from work concerns, and so we can understand the feelings of the 0.17 percent of respondents who said that in order to enjoy their days off, they block their office number on their mobile phones.

Source: Excite Woman via Otakomu, PR Times
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2, 3)

Follow Casey on Twitter, but don’t expect him to tweet much on his day off.