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▼ Japan Firms Look To Balance Work Styles As Business Group Relaxes COVID Guidelines
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The Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) on June 17 revised and greatly simplified its infection control guidelines for the coronavirus.
This is based on the improved infection situation in the country, but what will happen to corporate teleworking, which has advanced under the pandemic?
Telecommuting has spread rapidly over the past two years, but some companies have expressed concern over the lack of a connection among employees and the way they work.
As the cases of COVID-19 infections are decreasing, more and more companies in Japan are seeing a rise in the number of employees going to the office.
Honda Motor Co. introduced remote work on a full-scale basis at its headquarters and other offices after the onset of the pandemic, enabling employees to work without coming to the office for a month.
However, according to the person in charge, "Due to increased moves within the company, such as the alliance with Sony Group Corp., we felt the limitations of communication through teleworking." Then in May, the company switched to a working style based on "face-to-face" contact.
The previous Keidanren guidelines clearly stated in regard to commuting that "various forms of work, such as teleworking, should be considered."
However, in light of such corporate moves, the new guidelines added the phrase "during periods of infection spreads," thereby shifting to a stance of endorsing the practice of working at the office just like before the pandemic.
Yet, many companies continue to search for diverse work styles in anticipation of "post-pandemic" life. Fujitsu Ltd. radically changed its working style about two years ago.
The company has expanded its satellite offices and eliminated restrictions on working hours and locations.
As a result, office space at the end of March 2022 was 20% smaller than at the end of March 2020, and it will continue to reduce it to boost efficiency and mobility.
Hitachi Ltd. will eliminate the minimum daily work hours for about 15,000 employees by the end of fiscal 2022 at the earliest. The company plans to introduce a system that encourages employee autonomy and allows for a four-day workweek.
At this year's spring negotiations between the company's labor union and management, a basic policy was concluded that "the work style in Japan will not be switched back (to the way it was before the pandemic)," and the company will continue its flexible work style that combines working from home and coming to the office.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Lixil Corp., a major housing equipment manufacturer, said, "We will not return to the pre-COVID days." The office division will basically continue to work from home, and the company will relocate its headquarters to reduce office space by 90% in the future.
How do employees perceive diverse work styles? According to a survey conducted by the private think tank Persol Research and Consulting Co., the teleworking rate among full-time employees in Japan was 28.5% as of February 2022, and 80.2% of them wished to continue working remotely.
Yuji Kobayashi, senior chief researcher at the firm, pointed out, "If teleworking is stopped, it could have an impact such as employees leaving the company."
According to a survey by Shigeru Kitazaki and his colleagues at PwC Consulting, 81% of 357 companies, including large and small, are considering continuing a system that combines remote and on-site work.
Kitazaki commented, "If there is a clear reason, such as it being 'necessary for the growth of the company,' there is an option to return to office work in principle, but it is impossible to return to the pre-COVID working style."
He also warned, "It is necessary to discuss eliminating a sense of inequality between manufacturing sites where teleworking is difficult and workplaces where it is easy to toil off site, and companies that cannot adapt to the changing values of their employees will go out of favor."
(Japanese original by Satoshi Fukutomi, Akihiro Nakajima, Hiroko Michishita and Hironori Takechi, Business News Department; and Sooryeon Kim, Lifestyle and Medical News Department)
This is based on the improved infection situation in the country, but what will happen to corporate teleworking, which has advanced under the pandemic?
Telecommuting has spread rapidly over the past two years, but some companies have expressed concern over the lack of a connection among employees and the way they work.
As the cases of COVID-19 infections are decreasing, more and more companies in Japan are seeing a rise in the number of employees going to the office.
Honda Motor Co. introduced remote work on a full-scale basis at its headquarters and other offices after the onset of the pandemic, enabling employees to work without coming to the office for a month.
However, according to the person in charge, "Due to increased moves within the company, such as the alliance with Sony Group Corp., we felt the limitations of communication through teleworking." Then in May, the company switched to a working style based on "face-to-face" contact.
The previous Keidanren guidelines clearly stated in regard to commuting that "various forms of work, such as teleworking, should be considered."
However, in light of such corporate moves, the new guidelines added the phrase "during periods of infection spreads," thereby shifting to a stance of endorsing the practice of working at the office just like before the pandemic.
Yet, many companies continue to search for diverse work styles in anticipation of "post-pandemic" life. Fujitsu Ltd. radically changed its working style about two years ago.
The company has expanded its satellite offices and eliminated restrictions on working hours and locations.
As a result, office space at the end of March 2022 was 20% smaller than at the end of March 2020, and it will continue to reduce it to boost efficiency and mobility.
Hitachi Ltd. will eliminate the minimum daily work hours for about 15,000 employees by the end of fiscal 2022 at the earliest. The company plans to introduce a system that encourages employee autonomy and allows for a four-day workweek.
At this year's spring negotiations between the company's labor union and management, a basic policy was concluded that "the work style in Japan will not be switched back (to the way it was before the pandemic)," and the company will continue its flexible work style that combines working from home and coming to the office.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Lixil Corp., a major housing equipment manufacturer, said, "We will not return to the pre-COVID days." The office division will basically continue to work from home, and the company will relocate its headquarters to reduce office space by 90% in the future.
How do employees perceive diverse work styles? According to a survey conducted by the private think tank Persol Research and Consulting Co., the teleworking rate among full-time employees in Japan was 28.5% as of February 2022, and 80.2% of them wished to continue working remotely.
Yuji Kobayashi, senior chief researcher at the firm, pointed out, "If teleworking is stopped, it could have an impact such as employees leaving the company."
According to a survey by Shigeru Kitazaki and his colleagues at PwC Consulting, 81% of 357 companies, including large and small, are considering continuing a system that combines remote and on-site work.
Kitazaki commented, "If there is a clear reason, such as it being 'necessary for the growth of the company,' there is an option to return to office work in principle, but it is impossible to return to the pre-COVID working style."
He also warned, "It is necessary to discuss eliminating a sense of inequality between manufacturing sites where teleworking is difficult and workplaces where it is easy to toil off site, and companies that cannot adapt to the changing values of their employees will go out of favor."
(Japanese original by Satoshi Fukutomi, Akihiro Nakajima, Hiroko Michishita and Hironori Takechi, Business News Department; and Sooryeon Kim, Lifestyle and Medical News Department)
- June 21, 2022
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