A devil and an imp are in a discussion.

They are pondering about all the good things God has created, and how they can make life difficult for mankind on Earth.

After much deliberation, the devil said, “Overburden them with work such that they fail to appreciate the beauty of Earth.”

Both the devil and the imp agreed on the plan. But before they could put it to action, they realized that mankind is itself doing the same to themselves, and that they do not need to do anything about it.

They came across ‘996’ and ‘’Korushi’ which are purely man made phenomenon.

Now the devil and the imp just wait and watch the mankind destroy itself with overburden, stress and too much work.

What is ‘996’?

J. Song is a recent graduate from Peking University — a top Chinese university — with a masters in Computer Science Engineering. While anticipating a good lifestyle after all the hard work, he joined a major internet company which unfortunately promotes the ‘996’ culture.

‘996’ is a work culture where you are expected to work from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. for six days a week. That is 72 hours a week which is 80% higher than typical recommended 40 hours work week. When J. Song is asked about why he does this, his response is pretty straight forward.

If I don’t do this, someone else would do. There is no dearth of people who are ready to work under this environment. It is what is expected of all of us, if we want to build a career in big internet companies.

And as all these youth are burdening them with such expectations, their personal life is practically non existent. Birth rates are at an all time low in China where couples either do not want or do not have time to have children.

What is even shocking is that all the big names in China’s technology industry have been accused of such toxic culture. While ‘996 working hour system’ was deemed illegal by the Supreme People’s Court on 27 August 2021, it has never been fully enforced.

What is ‘Karoshi’?

There is a game titled “Karoshi: Suicide salaryman” where the goal of the main character is to kill himself by subjecting himself to inhumane conditions.

I wish it was just a game — but it is true representation of a grim reality.

“Karoshi” is a Japanese concept which translates to death resulting from stress related illness arising due to overwork. This phenomenon emerged post World War II when Japan embarked on an economic revolution, often leading to inhumane working conditions of 6–7 days per week with more than 12 hours per day.

The situation was so grim at times that a group of lawyers and doctors had to set up “Karoshi hotlines”, dedicated to helping those who seek consultation on karoshi-related issues. This concept has been recognized by International Labor Organization and they have documented multiple such cases — including the death of a bus driver, who did not have a day off in 15 days before he had a stroke at the age of 37.

Did people ever try to oppose such toxic culture?

Yes they do, but without with much success. There are good and sensible people everywhere. A certain sect of People in China have openly criticized this working culture.

There is a new concept called as “Buddha-like”, which promotes a “Zen” attitude towards achievements and setbacks alike. It became popular after an essay by a WeChat account Xin Shixiang emphasized the following philosophy:

It’s okay to have, and it’s okay not to have; no competition, no fight, no winning or losing.

Unfortunately, the Chinese Communist Party has denounced the mindset as being unproductive, unpatriotic and an impediment to the country’s superpower ambition.

I remember we were once taught, “All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy”. May be a few government authorities and toxic corporations have forgotten this, and need to take a refresher course for the same.

As we discuss, all of this — the devil and the imp are patiently watching and smiling. They have a lot of spare time at hand as the mankind is itself doing the job they are supposed to do.

Yet they are not scared of losing their jobs. I guess ‘996’ and ‘Korushi’ is not applicable to them and their work culture is better than us.

Recap to remember:
 — ‘996’ and ‘Karoshi’ are two prime examples of toxic work cultures.
 — Both these involve working close to 72 hours a week, which is 80% more than ILO standard of 40 hours a week.
 — Such toxic work culture is doing a devil’s job for the mankind by succumbing people to stress, anxiety and overburden.
 — And what makes it worse is that someone yielding to such environment is not able to appreciate the good things in life.

Please share your thoughts if you have observed a toxic work culture.
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