60% of prospective workers in Japan think they should ‘put up with’ illness: survey

TOKYO — When you aren’t feeling well, should you put up with it and work hard?

Some 60% of soon-to-be workers in Japan think so, agreeing they “should put up with some illnesses as a member of society” while a greater ratio of senior colleagues believe they don’t have to endure unwellness, a survey by major “kampo” herbal medicine manufacturer Tsumura & Co. has revealed.

The online survey was conducted in January targeting 1,000 students enrolled in university, graduate school or vocational school who will enter the workforce in April 2024. Tsumura also posed questions to 1,000 other people in their 20s to 30s who have been working for three to five years.

When the prospective workers were asked whether they should put up with mental and physical discomforts such as headaches, fatigue, menstrual pain and anxiety as a member of labor force, 20.5% answered that they “agree” and 39.4% said “somewhat agree.” A total of 75.6% agreed or somewhat agreed to the notion they “should not cause trouble because of sickness.” Additionally, 68.9% said they either think or somewhat think that they don’t want to be spoiled as members of Generation Z.

However, the attitudes of senior members of society differed significantly from those of newcomers, with 79.9% of relative elders saying that they don’t have to put up with illness just because they are working adults, and 81.7% saying that they don’t want new workers to push themselves too hard, but to consult with them when having a hard time due to illness.

As many as 84.8% of respondents had experienced “hidden endurance” — putting up with physical or mental ailments — within one year of entering the workforce, indicating that the concern over junior colleagues was based on their own personal experiences.

Meanwhile, the percentage of senior employees who said they’re “currently healthy both mentally and physically” was higher among those who have had no hidden endurance experience, at 69.1%, versus those who have had such an experience, at 61.1%.

With less than a month to go before the start of the new business year, it seems essential for those aspiring to be active members of society to take care of themselves and not work too hard.

(Japanese original by Aya Iguchi, Business News Department)