Business File

Recently i had some friends from Japan over for some Business, while discussing the working culture in Japan we stumbled upon a word ” Karoshi”. Karoshi (pronounced /Ka roe Shi/). In Japanese, this term means “Death by Overwork,” a syndrome that allegedly claims at least 75-100 lives per year in Japan.

Studies indicate that of the 8,760 hours in a year, Karoshi victims worked in excess of 3,000 hours during the year prior to their death.  My friends mentioned that some companies in Japan as a service to their employees even provided actors who would visit the aging parents of overworked adult children too busy working to visit their parents themselves. I was amazed that such situations exist in todays fast moving World.

Though few of us should fear Karoshi, we should be especially careful not to allow overwork to drain energy and meaning from our lives.