1.
corporate slave, company drone
A person who works excessively long hours and sacrifices their personal life for their company, often without adequate compensation or recognition. A derogatory and self-deprecating term blending 会社 (company) and 家畜 (livestock).
毎日残業で、完全に社畜だ。
I work overtime every day — I'm a total corporate slave.
社畜生活から抜け出したい。
I want to escape the life of a corporate slave.
休日も会社から電話がかかってきて、「自分は社畜だな」と思った。
Even on my days off the company calls me, and I thought, 'I really am a corporate slave.'
USAGE:
A portmanteau of 会社 (company) and 家畜 (livestock), implying that the worker is treated like an animal by their employer. The term emerged in the 1990s and became widespread on the internet and social media. Often used self-deprecatingly by overworked employees.
This is an informal, colloquial term. It would not be used in formal business contexts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 社畜生活: life as a corporate slave
- 社畜から脱出する: to escape being a corporate slave
- 社畜精神: corporate slave mentality