Should Engineers Practice The Japanese Work Culture?

Ever since the video of how the Japanese easily fixed a huge damaged street in just one week trended over the internet, we’ve seen so many people be amazed at how fast and efficient their work is. It put a lot of work culture to shame with some people saying that if the sinkhole had swallowed a street in their country, it would have taken the government years to have it fixed.

The Japanese are known for their work culture. It’s certainly unique compared to other countries. A lot of people praised their work ethics while there are those who certainly think that the Japanese are too tied up with their jobs. If engineers in a company were to practice a work culture, should they follow the Japanese’?

Source: English Channel

#1 Decision making takes time

Japanese companies tend to come up with final decisions on different issues in a cautious way. While companies in the US are quick to decide, the Japanese like to take their time deciding to avoid making mistakes and brings consistency in the work they do.

#2 The importance of working as a team

While plenty of countries assign jobs where they do not value group work, Japanese companies gives importance to the contribution of each individual for the whole group. One’s success should be the whole group’s success as well.

#3 They mean what they say

When they say that they will finish this job at this certain amount of time, expect it to be finished exactly by then. Not only will they finish their job on time, they give a stellar job in doing so. This leaves a lot of customers satisfied with the service.

#4 They value their customers

Customer service is important in Japan. They make an effort to keep their clients happy in order to maintain healthy mutual relations. While this is an admirable practice, some foreigners think that it also has a drawback. In order to avoid offending the other party, the Japanese tend to avoid speaking up about their opinions on certain issues.

Source: Language Trainers

#5 Work means drinking with their colleagues

In case you love to drink after work, this may be something you want to practice in your company. Instead of just drinking with the close people you work with, the Japanese workers make an effort to go have a drink with their subordinates. This is their way of opening up to everybody since it allows them to reveal what they really think about certain situations.

#6 Avoiding time off

Unlike working in Europe where people take vacation leaves whenever they please, Japanese people would maximize their time at work. Even though some say that this habit has caused a lot of unproductive moments for the Japanese, they are still very strict with their working hours.

#7 Showing humility

You may have dealt with an experience where the service given to you was not good enough. Once you complained to the people in charge of the service, they give you excuses instead of apologizing for the inconvenience it has caused you. The Japanese workers are humble enough to apologize for the mistake even if the blame was misplaced.

#8 Work is a priority

Unlike other cultures where people want to put a balance between their work and personal lives, the Japanese are known to have a high regard for their work. People have been told that the Japanese workers should wait for their bosses to leave before they can do. It has always been common for them to leave for work around 7am and go home around 10 or 11pm. While many still practice this culture, there are companies who encourage their employees to leave work earlier than expected.