Should I stay or should I go? A Japanese employee shares some insight from his American boss about when to take time to recuperate.
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sick leave
The Japanese work environment might qualify as a something of a business paradise because Japanese workers so rarely take a day off. They are instead known to put in tons of free overtime and often don’t use “sick leave“. There is even a word in Japanese for “death from overwork”: karoshi.
Despite the health risks, many won’t take the day off if they are feeling a little under the weather. But what do Japanese people consider “a little sick” and “really sick”? A survey was conducted aiming to answer that question. Do their answers line up with your own, or would you file them away under “only in Japan”?

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