I don't know about China, but at least the Japanese get something out of their crazy work agreement, at least traditional salaryman jobs. Lifetime employment, solid middle class salary forever, pension, etc. Some companies will do your taxes, help your kids go to a good school, and even set you up with someone to marry.
Japanese may work overtime but they are hardly "busy", at least in major corporations which constitute a large bulk of the salary men workforce. Lots of useless meetings where people sit around saying and doing nothing. They just stay late.
It's been so long, but I remember reading something about that, the illusion of productivity.
The author was relating an experience in which the secretary would do this little fake jog thing to wherever she was going. It wasn't any faster than walking and he asked her why she just didn't walk. She said that she didn't want to seem like she was slacking.
Same in Korea and Singapore and I doubt it's any different in China. You work for the sake of working not because you have something that urgently needs to be taken care of.
That depends in traditional blue collar industries OT was where you made $bank - as do UK train drivers who often work a 4 day week with OT /weekend working paid even more lucratively.
I have also heard that for a Pit Deputy (deep coal mining) the going rate for a single weekend 10 hour shift is £2k.
The government sets the standard working hours. You're asked to work for that much time, plus an additional time over that. It's overtime with respect to the standard, which might not necessarily be the median for your company.
Because some of our ancestors rioted and fought and unionized to establish the 40 hour work week, and we want to preserve their legacy. And because it's not entitled to want to have a life outside of your salaried job.
