One of the most popular news stories being shared today on Yahoo! News is about a 45 year-old Japanese man who literally keeled over from too much work and stress.
The unidentified man worked for Toyota, and “in the two months up to his death, the man averaged more than 80 hours of overtime per month…”
Why have I heard this story before? Maybe because karoshi, its Japanese term, has been grouped together with all the other Japanese stereotypes, from the overworked salaryman who puts his career before his family, all of which leads to his untimely demise.
But to hear it actually happen, especially with the idea that someone can work over 80 hours of overtime? Insane.
This story is prompting me to do two things: First, I’m going to forward this to my mother to leave me alone so she won’t think I’m wasting my life at my desk job and secondly, I’m going to bury this article far away from my bosses so they don’t get any useful ideas about having me stay late in the office.
