Japan has a culture of long working hours, but even in this generally tough and stressful working environment some companies stand out because of the complete disregard for their employees’ well-being. They are known as “black companies” and anyone who has ever wanted to experience what working for such organizations is like, without actually getting a job at one, can find out by applying for a special event called “The Black Holiday”.
日本素來(lái)有工作時(shí)間長(zhǎng)的傳統(tǒng),但即使在這種普遍嚴(yán)苛高壓的工作環(huán)境下,仍然有一些公司“脫穎而出”,因?yàn)樗鼈兺耆辉诤鯁T工幸不幸福。這種公司被稱為“黑公司”,任何想體驗(yàn)在黑公司工作的感覺,又不想真的在那里就職的人,可以通過(guò)申請(qǐng)“黑色假日”的特別活動(dòng)來(lái)實(shí)現(xiàn)。
It’s hard to imagine anyone ever wanting to experience what a ‘black company’ is like, but especially so on Friday, November 23, when Japan celebrates Labor Thanksgiving Day. It’s a national holiday and a rare opportunity to enjoy a long weekend free of work-related stress. But that’s exactly why the organizers of The Black Holiday chose this date for their special event. What better way to emphasize just how bad working for a black company can be than having you do it on your day off, right?
難以想象會(huì)有人想體驗(yàn)在“黑公司”工作是什么樣,尤其是在11月23日(剛好是星期五)——日本的勤勞感謝日這一天。這是日本的國(guó)家法定節(jié)日,也是難得能享受沒有工作壓力的長(zhǎng)周末的機(jī)會(huì)。但這正是“黑色假日”的組織者要選擇這一天來(lái)舉辦特別活動(dòng)的原因。還有什么比在勤勞感謝日為黑公司打工更能凸顯惡劣工作條件的呢?
Super Miracle Happy, the fictitious black company that 30 “lucky” applicants will have the chance to work for during The Black Holiday, is actually made up of a group of Japanese actors who will do their best to replicate the working environment of real black companies. It’s unclear what exactly these volunteers will experience during their one-day employment, but we do know that the actors’ performances will be based on true stories from people who have worked in Japanese black companies.
這個(gè)虛擬的“黑公司”名為“超級(jí)奇跡快樂(lè)”,將錄用30名“幸運(yùn)的”求職者在勤勞感謝日為其工作。這個(gè)虛擬公司實(shí)際上是由一群日本演員組成的,他們將盡力模仿真實(shí)黑公司的工作環(huán)境。目前還不清楚這些志愿者在一天的打工過(guò)程中將經(jīng)歷什么,但我們知道的是演員的表演將基于曾在日本黑公司工作人員的真實(shí)故事。
以下就是組織者在調(diào)研過(guò)程中聽到的一些故事:
"If my boss didn’t like you, he’d make you stand by his desk while he ignored you and fiddled with his PC for four to six hours,” one former black company employee said.
一名黑公司的前職員說(shuō):“如果我的老板不喜歡你,他會(huì)讓你站在他的桌子旁,然后一邊無(wú)視你一邊擺弄他的電腦,就這樣持續(xù)四到六個(gè)小時(shí)。”
"For a required ‘development retreat,’ we were confined in a tiny one-room apartment near our office for several hours,” another person said.
另一個(gè)人說(shuō):“為了參加強(qiáng)制的‘職業(yè)發(fā)展退修會(huì)’,我們被關(guān)在公司附近一個(gè)狹小的一居室公寓中長(zhǎng)達(dá)數(shù)小時(shí)。”
"One of the members of the board of directors (the president’s son) took me to a private room at a bar where he spent two hours trying to convince me to go on a travel date to Okinawa with him, then got angry at me for being indecisive when I tried to dodge the question of whether or not I would go with him.”
“一名董事會(huì)成員(董事長(zhǎng)的兒子)帶我去酒吧的一個(gè)包間,在那里他花了兩個(gè)小時(shí)試圖說(shuō)服我和他去沖繩島旅游,后來(lái)又因?yàn)槲要q豫不決回避去不去的問(wèn)題而發(fā)火。”
According to a promotional job ad, Super Miracle Happy is a company from the medical devices sector looking to higher people who “have stamina, endurance, and never complain”. The poster shows an shadowy and frankly creepy manager welcoming applicants to “the company that people most want to quit from in all the world.” Super Miracle Happy is looking for 30 new employees who will have to work in two 90-minute shifts, one starting 1 pm, and the other at 6 pm, but keep in mind that this is a black company, so expect some mandatory overtime.
根據(jù)該公司的“招聘廣告”,“超級(jí)奇跡快樂(lè)”是一家醫(yī)療設(shè)備領(lǐng)域的公司,尋求“精力充沛、忍耐力強(qiáng)、從不抱怨”的高端人才。廣告中,一個(gè)臉上蒙著陰影、看上去讓人毛骨悚然的經(jīng)理歡迎求職者來(lái)到“全世界人們最想離職的公司”。“超級(jí)奇跡快樂(lè)”公司招聘的30名新員工要兩班倒,每一班時(shí)長(zhǎng)90分鐘,一班從下午1點(diǎn)開始,另一班從下午6點(diǎn)開始,但記住這是一家黑公司,所以將會(huì)有強(qiáng)制加班。
IT Media reports that selected applicants are likely to see other employees of Super Miracle Happy resting in sleeping bags when they first enter the company’s office, and can expect to be yelled at and scolded for much of their 90-minute shifts. The organizers acknowledge that the stress of working for a Japanese black company, even for one day, could be a bit too much for some people, so they urge selected candidates that their bosses are really just paid actors playing a role. Instead of resorting to any kind of violence, stressed-out employees are invited to offer a letter of resignation if at any point they want to cut their experience short and go home.
據(jù)IT Media網(wǎng)站報(bào)道,被錄用的求職者剛進(jìn)入公司的辦公室時(shí)將可能看到“超級(jí)奇跡快樂(lè)”公司的其他職員在睡袋中睡覺,而且在他們90分鐘的工作中將有很大一部分時(shí)間被吼罵斥責(zé)。組織者承認(rèn),在日本黑公司的工作壓力,即使只有一天,也可能讓某些人承受不了,所以他們會(huì)提醒被選中的求職者,他們的“老板”其實(shí)只是拿錢扮演角色的演員。為了避免人們?cè)V諸于暴力,如果職員在任何時(shí)候不堪重負(fù)想提前結(jié)束經(jīng)歷回家,組織者歡迎職員提交辭呈。
While The Black Holiday sounds like a special event for masochists, SoraNews24 claims that it is actually aimed at two categories of people: employees dissatisfied with their current jobs, but hesitant to look for something better (employees hope that the experience will inspire them to look for better employment opportunities), and managers and executives (organizers hope that they will have greater empathy for their employees after spending a day in their shoes).
盡管“黑色假日”聽起來(lái)像是為受虐狂準(zhǔn)備的特別活動(dòng),SoraNews24網(wǎng)站指出,這一活動(dòng)實(shí)際上針對(duì)的是兩類人:一類是對(duì)目前的工作不滿但又拿不定主意是否要另謀高就的職員(希望這段經(jīng)歷能啟發(fā)他們?nèi)ふ腋玫墓ぷ鳈C(jī)會(huì)),另一類是經(jīng)理和高管(組織者希望在體驗(yàn)了一天員工疾苦后他們能對(duì)自己的下屬有更強(qiáng)的同理心)。