At the time of the year, I always have to think about how I can reduce my overtime work. Our company would basically pay less than 20 hours a year, I have to talk with my boss how I concretely consume them. My current status is 82 hours overtime this year. If I consume the hours in general way, I can have two-week vacation. Many of my colleagues would be surprised when I would say, "82-hour overtime a month would not especially suprise any Japanese." Then they would ask me, "How about their family?"
この時期になるといつも頭を悩ませることがある。残業の清算。会社では年間２０時間以上の残業は基本的に支払いをしないので、その消化の仕方について上司と相談することになる。今日現在の年間残業時間が８２時間。一般的にこれを消化しようとすれば、２週間の休暇を取るのと同じことになる。”日本だったらこんな残業は月でも可能だし、それを聞いても特に驚く人はいない。”と言って驚かない者は居ない。家族はどうなるのかと言う質問が当然のように帰ってくる。
As far as I observe my colleagues, they always seem to work at "their" pace. It is too natural to go back home regularly, they do not need the word for that. Of course sometimes they have to work overtime, but they do not receive additional pay but have holidays instead afterwords. It is quite natural. They do not especialy have to haste themselves, and customers would not neither. Of course line workers cannot work in such a style, but office workers admit the inconsistant volume of work, they have to adjust their time even through the year and would not be payed monthly for their overtime.
こちらの人の働き方というのはとてもマイペースに見える。それが当たり前過ぎて”定時に帰る”という言葉が存在しない。残業にしても手当てをもらうものではなく、後でその分を休んで帳尻を合わせるものという考え方だ。いろんな意味で無理がない。変に自分をせかす必要もないし相手もこちらをせかさない。もちろん工場のラインで働く人たちはそういうことはないが、いわゆるホワイトカラーのある程度変動が見込める仕事では、残業代は月毎に支払われることはあまりないと聞いている。
In my last job in Japan, I did not have to check in with my time card before working. They told that every worker has to control by himself, it really means there is no overtime work basically. How long they worked is not controlled but every worker had to report. I did not think that every boss can exactly control how their members are working. They have a "go-home-at-five" day once a week, but it just might cause that they have to work longer on the other day. What I feel here quite important is, how to plan within limited time. Sometimes I have to compromise quality due to time. In Japan, I did not have to. I was able to do until I feel satisfied. I was able to just do that I thought nice to do. But here I have to consider if I may do or not, considering other issues. I wonder if there is any landing point between Japanese way and European way.
前職ではタイムカードと言うものがなく、自己管理をするというとても都合のいいものだった。どれだけ働いたかも自己申告制。はっきり言って上司が部下の労働時間を管理しているとは言いがたいものだった。定時退社日というものが週一回あったが、それで他の日の残業が増えるのであれば同じことである。ここで感じること。限られた時間でどこまでやりきるか。その点日本では時間の制約がない分、自分が満足できるまで完成度を高めることもできるが、こちらで働いているとどうしてもどこかで妥協をしなければならないことが多い。日本ではやればいいことが分かっているものはただやればよかった。今はやるかやらないかを他との兼ね合いを十分に考えて決めなければいけない。日本の闇雲に上を追求する考え方とこちらの考え方の中間点と言うものはないのだろうか。
