Salaryman

 ( Japanese Business Terms ) 

Once a salaryman reaches age 30, they are typically promoted to their first supervisor role (Kacho), overseeing new hires who are younger than them. Traditional Japanese companies do not allow employees to supervise people who are older than themselves due to "respect". At age 40 they would become a department head (Bucho), and between 40 and 50 they would be promoted to senior management (although these posts are still considered middle management, below the top executives/directors). They retire between the ages of 55 and 65.

Underperforming employees in the over 40 age bracket are sidelined with some of their responsibilities taken away, although they do not formally receive a pay cut nor a demotion (Madogiwa Zoku or “the window tribe”). Haruo Shimada, a professor at Keio University, states that "It's important to treat madogiwa-zoku well, because many young people think about their future in terms of the way these older people are treated", in line with business orientation where employees are expected to show loyalty to their companies and be shown loyalty in return. In other words, no-longer-productive employees were kept around to raise the morale of productive employees, since the young and productive would be able to look forward to the day in which they, too, could sit by the window and collect a salary for doing nothing.

Salarymen are known for working long hours, sometimes over eighty hours per week. Often, because of his busy work schedule, the salaryman does not have time to raise a family and his work becomes a lifelong commitment. There is also a belief that the "amount of time spent at the workplace correlates to the perceived efficiency of the employee." As a result of this intense work-driven lifestyle, salarymen may be more likely to suffer from mental or physical health problems, including heart failure, or to commit suicide.

A salaryman's typical outfit consists of a dark suit, a white shirt, and a simple tie in neutral colors like navy, black, or gray. Dressing in such a manner is not only part of professionalism, but also following the cultural emphasis on group harmony where dress uniformity shows everyone belongs to a team, as opposed to standing out which is often seen as potentially disruptive to this harmony. Companies often have specific dress codes, and employees follow these guidelines as part of their role. While companies often take part in the Cool Biz initiative which encourages workers to wear lighter clothing (short-sleeved shirts instead of long ones) during the hot months to reduce air conditioning use, Japanese salarymen still retain a clean and professional look, in contrast to Western business casual which permits khakis or jeans with polo shirts.

In Japan, hotel chains created business hotels to cater to salarymen for work-related travel. Similar to economy and limited service hotels in North America, Japanese business hotels provide small but efficient rooms at a reasonable price, without all the frills and facilities of luxury/international class hotels. Business hotels typically do not have banquet halls, conference rooms, swimming pool nor exercise room, although they may have an onsite restaurant offering breakfast and late-night ramen, while some establishments come with an onsen.

The life of a salaryman revolves around work. The activities that they do outside of their working hours typically involve their coworkers, which lessens the distance between them and work. Due to this expectation, there have been a variety of derogatory names given to salarymen: 社畜 ( shachiku, literally "corporate livestock" in reference to wage slavery), 会社の犬 ( kaisha no inu or "company's dog"), and 企業戦士 ( kigyou senshi or "corporate soldier"), to ridicule salarymen.

Golf became widely popular during the economic bubble, when golf club passes became useful tools for currying favor with corporate executives. Many mid-level salarymen were pressured into taking up golf to participate in golfing events with their superiors. The collapse of the economic bubble led to the closing of many golf courses, and playing golf with executives has become increasingly rare. However, some current salarymen may have golfing experience from their student days, and golf is still acknowledged as an expensive hobby for salarymen.Dasgupta, Romit. "Creating Corporate Warriors: The "Salaryman" and Masculinity in Japan." Asian Masculinities: The Meaning and Practice of Manhood in China and Japan. By Kam Louie and Morris Low. London: Routledge, 2003. 118-34. Print.