Explanation about work style reform No.1 -About working time
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if you want to skip the conversation and read from the text.
I know that the most mainstream work style reform is working hours reduction, but what exactly do you do?
Basically it's about reducing overtime. Let's start with that. Look at the figure below.
Until now, the legal working hours were 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week (5 days), and the overtime limit announced by the Minister was 45 hours a month and 360 hours a year. However, there was no overtime limit up to six months a year. Is it okay so far?
Wait a minute!
One year is 12 months, 45 (hours) x 12 months ... 540 hours! Can I work overtime 540 hours a year? So why is the upper limit 360 hours?
Oh, it is. You can get up to 45 hours in a month, but it's not good to be able to do it every month, so you've set a cap for the whole year.
So that's it.
However, the conventional law lacked legal coercion because there was only administrative guidance beyond the overtime limit and no penalties such as fines for violations.
Really !? Well then, if I wanted to go a bit longer, I could do what I could.
Exactly! So, in effect, there was no maximum overtime throughout the year.
So the MHLW is pushing for reforms to strengthen legal enforcement.
Let's see how the working hours after reforms change after the reforms.
Look at the figure below.
Legal working hours are the same as before, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, overtime hours are 45 hours a month, 360 hours a year It seems that there is no change, but there is a red line. This red line indicates that there is a legal cap. However, only during the six months of the year, it is allowed to add 720 hours of overtime per year only for temporary circumstances. On average, less than 80 hours per month, less than 100 hours per month.
Huh. That means you can work up to four hours a day. Certainly, the legal force has been greatly increased compared to the traditional law, which has almost unlimited overtime hours.
By the way, what penalties will be given if I break this limit?
If you violate this limit, the corporation or person you work for will be sentenced to 6 months in prison or a fine of 300,000 yen or less.
Really !? Not only the company but also the manager! When that happens, companies will do their best not to exceed the limit.
Summary of working hours
Now, let's summarize the contents of the above conversation and explain a little more about working hours.
First, the contents of the working hours before (before the revision) and after the revision are summarized as follows.
| Conventional (before reform) | After reform | |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory working hours | 8 hours | 8 hours |
| Overtime hours (in principle) | 45 hours/ month | 45 hours/ month |
| Overtime hours (exception) (up to 6 months per year) | No limit | 80 hours per month (less than 100 hours per month) (Less than 720 hours per year) |
| Penalty | Administrative guidance | Imprisonment for 6 months or less or fine of 300,000 yen or less |
The table below lists occupations where the timing of adapting to the overtime limit set by the reform is special (late).
| Profession | Overview |
|---|---|
| Car driving business | Adaptation is 5 years after the revision.（The upper limit after application is 960 hours a year） |
| construction company | Adaptation is 5 years after the revision.（In the case of construction work during a disaster, the upper limit is not applied.） |
| Doctor | Adaptation is 5 years after the revision.（The government will consider the maximum time limit together with healthcare professionals in the future.） |
| Sugar industry in Kagoshima and Okinawa Prefecture | Adaptation is 5 years after the revision. |
| Development of new technologies | No upper limit.（If the working hours exceed the upper limit, they must be interviewed by a physician, and measures must be taken to ensure the health of employees.） |
f you want to know more details about other overtime and working hours, please jump to the following page.
On the next page, I will explain the work style reform for the part.