The Office - Japan Version

With the recent success of the hit television show "The Office", in both the US and the UK, I thought it appropriate to dedicate this week's column to be the Japan Version. "The Office" is a satirical television series about a group of colleagues in a typical office setting. Having worked for the same company in Japan for over 2 years now, I feel qualified to share my first impressions into typical office life in Japan.

Being one of only a few non-Japanese staff members amongst 5,000 Japanese employees spread out over multiple offices, I had very little idea of what to expect, or how to behave in a suitable manner to Japanese custom when I first arrived. However, in cases like these, experience is often the best teacher and I learnt very quickly what and not to do.

In our office, staff usually arrive somewhere between 8.30am and 10am. This is because at my company there is "flex time" in the morning, which means staff can arrive at a time that best suits their schedule. The employees with a long commute often have the leeway to arrive a little later still, sometimes arriving around 10.30am.

Some very traditional Japanese companies have a morning song that is sung by all employees at a preordained time (usually 9am or 9.30am). This is also sometimes accompanied by morning exercises, depending on the company. The morning song usually contains lyrics about trying very hard at work. It generally focuses on reciting the values/morals of the company, and reiterating its commitment to the customer. As I work for a multinational company, I have not experienced this personally, however I understand that it is a very serious affair indeed. Punctuality for the morning song is imperative, as is the requirement to learn and recite the lyrics from memory as soon as possible. That having been said, in a customer oriented business reminding the staff of the purpose of the job can't be a bad thing in my mind.

Very early on, one of the things I noticed was the hours being worked by the security guards on duty at our office. Often the guard that I would see on my way out around 10pm was the same guard that I would encounter again at 9am the next morning. How these guards manage to work such long hours without a rest still amazes me to this day.

Another thing that stood out was that the office environment tended to be very quiet, and more serious than what I had previously experienced. Where in my home country, gossiping at the coffee machine was considered part of a morning ritual, in Japan, I noticed my colleagues arrive, purchase coffee from the machine in silence, and promptly get to work.

At noon sharp everyone (and I mean everyone) departs for lunch. Some offices even have a bell that rings at midday to remind everyone to have lunch. Lunch outings are usually delineated by rank in the company and by sex. That is to say, the men in a particular division will have lunch together, and the women of a division will go and eat lunch together. Assistants will often buy lunch from a local convenience store and eat this together, and managers will generally go and have lunch together at a local café or restaurant. I found this took some getting used to, as I was initially not used to always leaving for lunch so punctually, and found the restrictions on who to/not to dine with a bit confusing at first.

After lunch, everyone (with no exception) slowly makes their way to the bathroom to clean their teeth. Women also take this opportunity to reapply their makeup. Whilst there are a large number of people in the office in which I work, it always surprises me to find that there are only ever 2-3 people cleaning their teeth or applying makeup at one given time. I've often wondered if there is a secret schedule somewhere of which I am not aware.

Around 6-7pm, most of the Assistants, those people with children, and anyone with a nomikai (drinking/dinner) engagement leave the office. At 8pm we usually break out a variety of snacks to subdue our hunger, until we can finish our work and leave. The first groups of people generally start leaving around 9pm, with the later workers leaving up to 11pm at night. There is a bed in our office in the event that a member of staff misses their last train home, and my guess is that it is used on a weekly/bi-weekly basis.

Whilst the Japanese version of "The Office" would likely differ greatly from the US or UK version, many of the elements are the same. The rapport and general teasing/banter between colleagues is not markedly different from what I had experienced previously. (Although it is perhaps a little more respectful in nature) I am personally glad that I have been able to experience a typical office environment in Japan. Not only has it helped me to understand my colleagues and customers, it has also enabled me to gain an insight into the Japanese culture and lifestyle.