Japan has developed a distinct approach to keeping employees over 60 in the workforce, Fortune reports. The system allows older workers to remain employed and continue receiving salaries even when they no longer handle their previous, more demanding duties.
According to the report, many older employees lose their former positions because they struggle to keep pace with rapid technological change in office work. As a result, Japanese companies have increasingly shifted them into lower-level roles that require fewer complex tasks.
A 74-year-old Japanese man told Fortune that if someone is not performing well, the company may seat that person by a window and assign paperwork. He said this group of employees even has a special name: madogiwazoku, which literally means “the tribe sitting by the window.”
These workers may occasionally answer emails and review or sort documents. In return, they remain on the payroll and continue to take part in the labor market.
