Karoshi is here and it’s not likely to go away anytime soon. Karoshi is the Japanese term for death by overwork and many Taiwanese now have a fear that they will die in just this way . . . majority of workers fear death from stress, fatigue . . . seventy-four percent of Taiwanese fear karoshi and over ninety percent have worked more than eight hours of overtime regularly with half not being paid for overtime. The fear of karoshi is not unjustified . . .

a 2003 report that was compiled by the Lausanne, Switzerland-based International Institute of Management Development as indicating that Taiwanese worked an average of 2,282 hours a year in 2002, more than anyone else in the world.

The folks who fear karoshi report that they often suffer from symptoms of fatigue, including sore, numb necks and shoulders, declining memory, difficulty concentrating and mood swings.

Of course, there are ways to handle this problem . . . first, stop overworking people – especially with large amounts of overtime without pay . . . second, teach folks how to deal with stress (hypnosis really helps great for this as does other trance forms) . . . and third . . . help folks reach their potential within the context of work instead of aggressive management forms. Improve the context of the workplace and improve the worker, thus ending with higher overal productivity as well.