風蕭蕭_Frank
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日本打工人敬業度指數全球倒數，這是為何？
言若 譯言 2023-09-27 山西
員工對工作充滿熱情，積極主動參與和投入到工作中，積極主動幫公司取得成功，這種敬業的精神在日本似乎已變得死氣沉沉。美國調研機構過去十多年的持續調查研究顯示：日本的員工敬業度已經遠遠落後於全球平均水平。
畢業於耶魯大學的羅謝爾·科普（Rochelle Kopp）是一位管理顧問，不僅與矽穀很多跨國企業合作，還與在全球展開業務的多家日本企業有密切合作，同時也是日本跨文化谘詢公司的創始人。
在羅謝爾看來，日本員工敬業度低並不是什麽奇怪的事，因為在過去的幾年裏，她遇到越來越多的日本人，不管是從企業高管，還是報紙編輯，抑或學者，都告訴她同樣的事情：日本人“不再有夢想”。
01 敬業水平落後
根據美國調研公司蓋洛普（Gallup）本月發布的最新研究報告，日本人是世界上敬業度最低的勞動力之一，2022年，日本的員工敬業度隻有5%，與23%的全球平均水平形成鮮明對比，日本人對工作的熱情和投入遠低於全球平均水平。
日本這種低熱情和低投入並不是新冒出來的情況，而是長期的態勢。報告指出，自2009年以來，日本人對工作的敬業程度持續低於全球水平，維持在4%到8%之間。
與其他高收入經濟體以及地理和文化上一致的鄰國相比，日本的敬業表現也越加落後。
比如，日本是經濟合作與發展組織（OECD）中一員，OECD成員國（共37個國家）的平均員工敬業程度為18%，而日本卻僅為這個平均水平的三分之一，而且日本與OECD平均水平不斷擴大。2009年，日本人對工作的敬業度與OECD平均水平相差8個百分點，到了2022年，擴大到了13個百分點。
分析認為，員工敬業度如果低，那麽雖然員工在工作中投入了時間，卻不願投入精力和熱情，他們的努力和付出非常少、效率非常低，這些人通常比敬業者更易感到壓力和怠倦。
報告稱，在日本，73%的員工屬於這種情況，高於全球平均水平（59%）。 作為發達國家之一、曾被冠名“工匠”精神的日本，為何卻成了世界上員工敬業度最低的國家之一？
02 興趣缺失
2020年，日本經濟產業省出台文件強調需要提高日本的員工敬業度，而日本的很多企業也意識到員工敬業度的重要性，將“敬業度”的概念引入到人力資源管理體係中。然而，日本的嚐試很明顯並沒有成功。
日本跨文化谘詢公司創始人羅謝爾·科普認為，日本沒有創造出讓個人追求自己夢想的機製。日本的公司結構以及他們的人力資源管理模式，加劇了日本員工敬業度低的問題。
羅謝爾稱，日本的員工加入的是一家公司，而不是一份特定想要從事或者感興趣的工作，工作的分配由公司決定，而這種決定不一定要考慮個人學習的專業或工作興趣所在，而無論員工是否想要這份工作或對這份工作是否感興趣，他們都要欣然接受這份工作。
羅謝爾認為盡管有一些日本公司通過內部搜索員工的工作興趣來填補空缺的職位，但這隻是特例，並不是人力資源實踐的常態，日本人力資源部門根本沒有能力充分了解員工的技能和興趣，仔細將他們與職位進行匹配。
當興趣與工作不匹配的時候，員工就很難在工作中找到樂趣。蓋洛普對142個國家的2022年員工研究顯示，當問及他們是否享受每天的工作時，大多數日本員工（76%）表示他們享受其中，雖然這個比例看起來挺高，但卻是落後於絕大多數調研對象：在142個國家中，日本處於倒數第三，且落後七國集團（G7）的其他成員國。G7集團自稱是世界上“最發達的民主國家”組成的團體。
03 跳槽還是躺平？
當然，如果不滿意這份工作，缺乏工作樂趣，對工作沒有熱情，那麽員工換份工作就好了，但跳槽也會有顧慮，比如自己所從事的職業工作選擇多、就業市場前景廣闊、薪資待遇等等。
蓋洛普的報告顯示，當問及員工是否認為他們的職業有很多工作選擇時，73%的日本員工回答是肯定的。這個結果相對比較樂觀，也讓日本在所有接受調研的國家中接近中間的位置。這個指標反映了員工對自己職業的流動性和靈活性的態度。顯然，日本的員工對自己所從事的職業還是比較有信心的。
但當被問及他們是否認為現在是在本地找工作的好時機時，隻有25%的日本員工給了肯定的回答，遠遠低於53%的全球平均水平。這個指標則反映了員工對當地就業市場是否有信心。顯然，日本的員工對本地的就業市場則持悲觀態度。
這種反差看似很迷惑性。不過，這樣理解或許就更通俗些：日本人對自己的技能和資質有信心，而外部經濟因素卻製約了他們跳槽的決心。
總之，日本的勞動力市場缺乏流動性。
正如羅謝爾·科普所說，缺乏流動性的勞動力市場阻礙了日本人去更換一份真正感興趣、真正充滿熱情的工作，因此大量日本人被鎖定在他們沒有興趣或熱情的工作上。那麽在這種情況下，日本的員工有多大的概率會積極投入到工作中？這與躺平又有何區別？
04 擰巴
羅謝爾·科普曾與日本企業客戶的一個中層管理人員討論過工作興趣的問題，那位經理說：“有時，這不僅僅是因為公司沒有給員工機會去做他們感興趣的事情，更是公司似乎有意阻止員工做他們想做的事。”
他談了自己的經曆。
這位經理更喜歡做技術工作，所以告訴公司他想繼續從事技術崗位，不做管理層，但公司上層回答是：“我們計劃讓你當經理”。在這家日本公司看來，他對經理職位的拒絕、他對技術工作的堅持是對公司忠誠的表現，而公司想把這種忠誠展示給公司的員工們，這要比員工的興趣更重要。這位熱愛技術工作的日本員工最後也接受了公司的安排，成了一名公司的中層管理人員。這位經理感歎道：“我當時真應該聰明點兒。如果我要是告訴他們我真想當經理啊，那麽他們估計就會讓我留在技術工作崗位上了。”
對自己信心十足，卻沒有跳槽的決心；想幹技術活，卻接受了管理工作；想員工忠誠，卻無視員工的興趣。總之一個詞：真擰巴。
在這種擰巴的狀態下，敬業精神不一點點消磨殆盡才怪吧。
Japan's Workplace Wellbeing Woes Continue
By Hui Nemeth , Dr. Alden Lai Sept 7, 2023
Japanese workers are among the least engaged workforces in the world, according to Gallup's recent State of the Global Workplace report. A mere 5% of Japanese workers in 2022 were engaged at work -- which means they are involved in and enthusiastic about their workplace -- contrasting sharply with the global average of 23%.
Japan's engagement rate has remained consistently low by global standards since 2009, the first year such data were available, fluctuating between 4% and 8%. It compares poorly against other high-income economies and against its geographic and culturally aligned neighbors.
In 2022, Japan’s engagement rate is less than one-third of the 18% average for workers in fellow Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member states. This gap has been widening over the past decade, stretching from eight percentage points in 2009 to 13 points by 2022. Engagement levels in Japan are also typically lower than those in East Asia, where 17% of workers were engaged in 2022.
According to Gallup’s research, employee engagement is strongly connected to people’s wellbeing. Those who are genuinely engaged are thriving at work and playing a key role in driving the organization toward its goals.
Conversely, not engaged employees are those who are investing time but not energy or passion into their work. They put in the minimum effort required and are minimally productive. They are more likely than engaged workers to be stressed and burned out.
In Japan, 73% of workers are not engaged at work in 2022, compared with the global rate of 59%. Differences by gender only add to the situation’s complexity. Female workers in Japan are more likely than male workers to be not engaged (78% versus 69%), emphasizing a need for more inclusive policies.
Fewer Japanese Workers Than Average Enjoy What They Do
Given their relatively low engagement levels, it’s perhaps not surprising that Japanese workers are less likely than average to like what they do at work. Gallup, in partnership with the Wellbeing for Planet Earth Foundation, asks workers if they enjoy the work they do every day. The majority of Japanese who are employed for an employer -- 76% -- say they do, but this ranks Japan in the lowest third among 142 countries surveyed in 2022, and lags behind all other G7 countries.
Work enjoyment measures something different compared with more traditional metrics such as job satisfaction and employee engagement. While all of these are likely related, enjoyment is specifically how someone feels at work; satisfaction is how content they are; and engagement is how involved and enthusiastic they are with their workplace.
Understanding whether employees enjoy their work helps identify areas for improvement within the workplace and reveals underlying issues that may affect company culture. For example, low work enjoyment might point to a misalignment between employee values and organizational culture or highlight a need for more diverse and stimulating work assignments. It might also point to a need for cultivating meaningful relationships and building a supportive team environment, human connection or friendship.
Focusing on enjoyment in work also helps connect data with employees' sense of purpose, and how they themselves contribute to their overall wellbeing. As previously reported, those who enjoy their jobs rate their lives higher. When employees derive joy and satisfaction from what they do, it positively affects their mental and emotional state, and it is directly tied to higher wellbeing.
Career-Choice Perceptions and Job Market Confidence
Gallup and the Wellbeing for Planet Earth Foundation’s survey also explores whether people feel they have many choices in the type of work they can do. Interestingly, 73% of Japanese employed for an employer reported that they do, positioning Japan closer to the middle of all countries surveyed.
However, Japanese employees' outlook on the job market suggests they see options as somewhat limited in the near term. When asked if they believe it’s a good time to find a job where they live, just 25% of Japanese workers believed it was a good time, a figure significantly lower than the global average of 53%.
While the former metric provides a picture of how mobile and flexible people perceive their careers to be, the latter question assesses employees’ confidence in their local job market. The contrast between perceived career mobility and confidence in the job market is intriguing. While people in Japan may feel empowered in their skills and qualifications, they may at the same time feel constrained by external economic factors, including the overall economy, systemic issues in labor regulations, and a mismatch of skills and opportunities.
In addition, Japan's traditional “lifetime employment” culture (Shūshin koyō), though less prevalent now, may still be playing a role of shaping employee mindsets. This legacy could instill a sense of loyalty to an organization, potentially discouraging enthusiasm for change.
Japan’s Stressed Workforce
Managing workplace stress is vital for employers. Gallup World Poll asks people about their negative experiences in general, including anger, sadness, stress, worry and physical pain. Among the employed population in Japan, 42% reported experiencing stress during much of the previous day.
Since 2008, more of the Japanese population has consistently reported experiencing “stress” than any of the other negative experiences. Although experiences of worry are as common as stress worldwide, in Japan, as in many high-income countries, stress is a far more common emotion.
While stress can originate from a variety of sources, Japan's workplace culture, known for long hours, societal pressure against taking holidays, and rigid hierarchy, likely contributes to stress in the workplace. Addressing these issues could cultivate a positive and supportive workplace environment, mitigating stress and enhancing overall wellbeing.
The Road Ahead
Workplace wellbeing in Japan is not merely a theoretical concern but an essential aspect of organizational vitality. The unique challenges of low engagement, limited enjoyment, low confidence in job climate and high stress levels present both obstacles and opportunities.
It's vital for employers, policymakers and leaders to recognize and prioritize workplace wellbeing, shaping strategies that resonate with the intricate nature of this concept. Understanding and responding to these interconnected facets will be crucial in nurturing a dynamic, content and driven workforce, ultimately contributing to a more resilient and productive work environment in Japan.
Hui Nemeth is a Senior Consultant at Gallup. She leads Gallup’s partnership with the Wellbeing for Planet Earth Foundation through the Global Wellbeing Initiative project.
Dr. Alden Lai serves as an executive adviser to the Wellbeing for Planet Earth Foundation. He leads the Global Wellbeing Initiative project at the Foundation. Dr. Lai is also an assistant professor of public health policy and management at the School of Global Public Health and an affiliated faculty member at the Stern School of Business, New York University.
Japan’s disengaged workers
https://japanintercultural.com/free-resources/articles/japans-disengaged-workers/
The consulting firm Towers Perrin published a study entitled “Winning Strategies for a Global Workforce,” which examined how companies can attract, retain, and engage employees for competitive advantage. The study was based on a survey of workers from seventeen countries in Asia, Europe, and North and Latin America.
Reviewing the results of this study, one measure stood out – the one involving “engagement.” Engagement is defined as “employees’ willingness and ability to help their company succeed, largely by providing discretionary effort on a sustained basis” – in other words, willing to go the proverbial “extra mile” regularly.
Although the study’s authors point out that cultural differences in response patterns make comparison of the results for individual countries difficult, I couldn’t help noticing that Japan had extremely low levels of employee engagement compared to the other countries surveyed. 41% of the Japanese respondents were “disengaged” – only India had a higher percentage of disengaged, and apart from India no other country had more than 29% disengaged (the global average was 24%). And only 2% of the Japanese were “highly engaged” – with the next lowest percentage of highly engaged being in India, with 7% (the global average was 14%). Even when accounting for cultural differences, Japan appears to be a significant outlier on this scale, and that spells danger for Japanese companies in global competition.
I am not surprised to see these low levels of engagement, because for the past several years more and more Japanese who I meet – from corporate executives to newspaper editors to academics – have been telling me the same thing, that Japanese “no longer have a dream.” After World War Two, the country had a collective dream of rising from the ashes. But after that was accomplished, the mechanism was never created to enable individuals to pursue their personal dreams.
The structure of Japanese companies and how they manage human resources intensifies this problem. Japanese join a company, not a particular job, and the company decides where to place them. Job assignments do not necessarily take into account what a person studied, or what they want to do. Employees are expected to cheerfully accept whatever job they are given, whether or not they wanted it or have any interest in it. No wonder so few Japanese are engaged in their work! Although there are examples of companies conducting shanai boshu (internal searches where employees apply for a job of interest to them) to fill open posts, this is something special and not the normal human resource practice. Japanese HR departments are simply not equipped to learn enough about employees’ skills and interests to match them carefully to positions, and the lack of a fluid external labor market prevents Japanese from seeking work of interest outside their company. As a result, large numbers of Japanese are locked into jobs in which they have no interest or enthusiasm.
Immediately after reading this study, I happened to have lunch with one of my clients, a Japanese middle-manager, and shared with him my thoughts on how Japanese companies fail to give employees the opportunity to pursue the work that most interests them. His reaction was surprising: “Sometimes it’s not just that the company fails to give employees the chance to do what they are interested in, it seems like companies purposefully keep employees from doing the work they want to do.” I asked him to elaborate, and he cited his own example. “In my case, I preferred doing the technical work, and told the company that’s what I wanted to continue doing. The response was ‘Hmm, well, we plan to make you a manager.’ From the Japanese company’s point of view, the loyalty that a worker shows by continuing to work hard even after they have been denied what they wanted is something beautiful. They want to see workers display that type of loyalty. It’s almost perverse the way they seek to thwart people from doing what they really want to do. In my case, I should have been smarter. If I had told them that I really wanted to become a manager, they probably would have left me in the technical area.” This seems like a somewhat extreme view, and it’s hard to believe that all Japanese companies would purposefully follow this kind of policy. However, I can certainly imagine it happening in some cases, and the sad fact is that in many Japanese organizations there are no checks against managers behaving in this way.
This same client offered another interesting insight, on the connection between the lack of engagement and one of Japan’s current social problems, karoshi – death from overwork. Perhaps, he posited, Japanese resist becoming engaged in their work because they fear that being engaged requires throwing themselves so completely into their work that they will be unable to extricate themselves from it and end up completely overwhelmed and working themselves into the ground or even to death. Again, a rather dark thought, but it makes sense that young Japanese would resist the extreme sacrifices that many Japanese companies seem to demand of their employees. The growing numbers of NEETs (young people not in education, employment, or training, living off their parents while they figure out what to do) in Japan may also be a reflection of this unwillingness to engage fully in work. For NEETs, even taking a job is more engagement than they are willing to do.
Whether or not you embrace the rather depressing views of this particular client of mine, it does seem clear that lack of engagement is a serious problem for Japanese companies. In the past, the skillful use of human resources was one of the ways that Japanese firms rose to their top of their industries, and built the country into an industrial powerhouse. And as a country with few natural resources, Japan needs to effectively utilize its human resources. However, human resource management practices in Japan have not evolved to match the current needs of industry. Treating employees as interchangeable parts, and demanding absolute loyalty and extreme self-sacrifice is not a good strategy for an affluent society where an increasing number of people need to be knowledge workers. What is needed now is for Japanese companies to find a way to inspire workers, and to fully utilize each person’s individual unique talents. This will require no more than a revolution in how human resource management is conducted in Japan.
State of the Global Workplace: 2023 Report
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
This annual report represents the collective voice of the global employee. In this year's report, we examine the global rise in employees who are thriving at work, even as worker stress remains at a record high.
"What can leaders do today to potentially save the world? Gallup has found one clear answer:Change the way your people are managed."
JON CLIFTON | CEO, GALLUP
Explore Key Findings
Although employee engagement is rising, the majority of the world's workers are still quiet quitting. An improving job market may encourage those workers to quit for real.
- 1Employee engagement reached a record high in 2022.
- 2The majority of the world's employees are quiet quitting.
- 3Employee stress remained at a record high.
- 4In 2022, the world experienced a surge in job opportunities.
- 5Over half of employees are actively or passively job seeking.
- 6Engagement matters more than where workers work.
- 7"Quiet quitters" know what they would change at work.
Employee engagement reached a record high in 2022.
"I enjoy my work, and I would miss something if I didn't have to work, even if the money stayed."
- HARTMUT, 63, IT SECURITY MANAGER, GERMANY
After dropping in 2020 during the pandemic, employee engagement is on the rise again, reaching a record-high 23%. This means more workers found their work meaningful and felt connected to their team, manager and employer. That's good news for global productivity and GDP growth.
Spot the trends. Explore Gallup’s global indicators on employee engagement.
The majority of the world's employees are quiet quitting.
"I just don't feel like there's a lot of room for me to grow internally."
- MICHELLE, 27, INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR, UNITED STATES
Quiet quitting is what happens when someone psychologically disengages from work. They may be physically present or logged into their computer, but they don't know what to do or why it matters. They also don't have any supportive bonds with their coworkers, boss or their organization.
Nearly six in 10 employees fell into this category.
When combined with actively disengaged employees, low engagement costs the global economy $8.8 trillion dollars, or 9% of global GDP.
Employee stress remained at a record high.
"By the time I'm done with work, I’m so exhausted that some days I don’t have the energy to hold a conversation. So, over time, I've had family [and] friends accuse me of not being socially receptive when they try to reach out."
- IREGUME, 27, CONSULTANT, NIGERIA
Worldwide, 44% of employees said they experienced a lot of stress the previous day. This is the second year in a row worker stress reached record levels.
Employee stress rose in 2020, likely due to the pandemic. But employee stress has been rising for over a decade. Many factors influence stress, but Gallup finds that managers play an outsized role in the stress workers feel on the job, which influences their daily stress overall.
Spot the trends. Explore Gallup’s global indicators on employee wellbeing.
In 2022, the world experienced a surge in job opportunities.
Every region of the world but one saw an increase in the number of workers who said now is a good time to find a job where they live. The exception was the United States and Canada region, which saw its own surge in job opportunities the year before.
The increase in available jobs signals that the world economy is open for business. But employers will have to pay more attention to retaining their most talented workers as a result.
Spot the trends. Explore Gallup’s global indicators on employee retention & attraction.
Over half of employees are actively or passively job seeking.
"I used to come home thinking only about work. I used to unload everything on my husband. Totally unsatisfied. Then, when I changed roles, it got a little better, but I was still unsatisfied."
- RAQUEL, TRANSPORTATION ANALYST, BRAZIL
Across the countries and areas surveyed, 51% of currently employed workers said they are watching for or actively seeking a new job.
Increased pay is a top factor in what people want in their next job. But improved wellbeing and opportunities to grow and develop are also highly prized by job seekers.
Engagement matters more than where workers work.
"I wish my manager was more present."
- FRANK, MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL TECHNICIAN, BRAZIL
For organizations with remote-capable employees, there has been an ongoing debate. Which is better: Working remote, hybrid or fully on-site? Remote work can provide greater flexibility and eliminate commuting stress. On the other hand, being on-site provides opportunities to bond, collaborate and mentor.
Gallup analysis finds that engagement has 3.8x as much influence on employee stress as work location. How people feel about their job has a lot more to do with their relationship with their team and manager than being remote or being on-site.
3.8xas much influence on employee stress as work location
”Quiet quitters” know what they would change at work.
“My work does not give me the opportunity to go to church, visit family members, or travel for a while.”
As part of our survey, we asked respondents, “If you could make one change at your current employer to make it a great place to work, what would it be?” Overall, 85% of responses related to three categories: engagement or culture, pay and wellbeing.
41%Engagement or culture
28%Pay and benefits
16%Wellbeing
Many respondents said they would like more recognition, opportunities to learn, fair treatment, clearer goals and better managers.
