Pre-reading Questions:
- Did you have a dream job when you were a child?
- Does anyone in your family work overnight?
A company in Japan is inspected by authorities due to the report that employees from the company worked overtime illegally. It is suspected of violating the labor law. Japanese companies now are on a hot seat and will not be exempted to the inspection. Japanese businesses are far behind in legal compliance. Employees normally spend more than 100 hours of overtime work in a month.
Authorities are aiming to stop excessive overtime. Surprise on-site inspections of workplace are also planned. The company Dentsu Inc. forbids employees to work from 10 pm to 5 am. They are also hoping that overtime work in the company will be decreased to avoid suicide and other accidents.
Vocabulary:
illegally – [adverb] not allowed by the law
hot seat – [noun] a position of uneasiness, embarrassment or anxiety
exempted – [adjective] not required to do something
excessive – [adjective] going beyond what is usual, normal or proper
forbid – [verb] to order someone not to do something
Comprehension Questions:
1. Why was a company in Japan inspected by authorities?
2. What is the normal hours of overtime in a month?
3. What is the name of the company mentioned in the article?
4. What is the aim of authorities?
5. What does Dentsu Inc. forbid its employees to do?
Express Your Opinion:
1. Imagine that you are working in a company and you have a deadline that is due the next day. You are halfway through your work, but you are uncertain if you can finish the entire project within the day. What will you do?
2. If you were a company president, would you drive your employees to work beyond working hours? Why or why not?
3. How can you keep your work-life balance?