Perhaps it is relative and your friend is right to call it as he sees it.
From my perspective, I don't think it's unnecessary at all. People are dying from 'overwork'. Staff aren't able to leave before their superiors without risking their professional reputation. Because it's extremely unlikely they are actually getting anything done, it's a lie people impose on each other and themselves. And because they are too 'busy', many deplete the energy that would've otherwise spurred procreation - a problem they themselves consider an urgent priority. It's a cultural prison of national self-sabotage.
From my perspective, I don't think it's unnecessary at all. People are dying from 'overwork'. Staff aren't able to leave before their superiors without risking their professional reputation. Because it's extremely unlikely they are actually getting anything done, it's a lie people impose on each other and themselves. And because they are too 'busy', many deplete the energy that would've otherwise spurred procreation - a problem they themselves consider an urgent priority. It's a cultural prison of national self-sabotage.