Why do Japanese Employees Work Themselves to the Bone? Collectivism, Exploitation and Turnover in Japan

Over 10,000 Japanese people are estimated die annually from overwork. Yet, the reasons why some employees persist in exploitative work environments remain unclear. This study investigates psychosocial factors that prevent exploited employees from leaving their organisations, with a specific emphasis on the role of collectivism. We hypothesise that perceptions of an overwork climate and elevated levels of workaholism contribute to employees’ feelings of exploitation, subsequently increasing turnover intentions. Additionally, we predict that collectivism exacerbates the effect of overwork climate on workaholism and weakens employees’ intentions to leave their exploitative work environment. Data from 147 Japanese employees were collected via online surveys using snowball sampling. Factor score path analysis and mediation tests (5,000 bootstrap samples) were employed to test our hypotheses. Results suggested that feelings of exploitation are positively linked to turnover intentions, which are driven by the perception of an overwork climate and employees’ compulsive orientation towards work. Importantly, collectivism weakened the link between perceived exploitation and turnover intentions. This study provides an account of the complex interplay between organisational climate, culture, and the impact of feeling exploited on employees’ intentions to quit, highlighting the potential adverse effects of collectivism on employees in an East Asian context.