The reality of long hours in the office

New working class: The millennials see the need for work-life balance, constant feedback and guidance.

THE recent death of a young executive working in a large accounting firm became the talk among some in the financial industry. The cause of the executive’s death, whose age is said to be less than 30, has been partly attributed to the long hours spent in the office due to work pressure.

This calls to mind the case of a young Japanese graduate, Matsuri Takahashi, who committed suicide after nine months into her job at Dentsu, Japan’s largest advertising agency. It has been reported that her death has started a probe into the working hours of Dentsu, that supposedly are punishing and go into the wee hours of the night.