1 in 2 Japanese prefer working from home post-Covid. Is it a generational divide, or the shape of things to come?

A new survey has found that almost half of Japanese office workers prefer working remotely, in what some believe is a generational shift post-Covid
Many employers maintain a more traditional mindset, but the poll also indicates that the shift to remote work is even catching on with older workers

Japan

Julian Ryall

Published: 12:00pm, 19 Jul 2023

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For many in Japan, it was the absence of a miserable commute. For other office employees, it has been the chance to work from the comfort of their own homes. Yet more say they cherish being able to spend time with their spouses and children, sharing breakfast and reading to their kids before bed.

Whatever the reason, many Japanese employees got very comfortable working remotely during the pandemic, and a new national survey has found that nearly half do not want to return to the office now that the health crisis is over.

Conducted by Tokyo-based recruitment firm XTalent Inc, the June study covered 1,085 workers between the ages of 20 and their late 50s, with 48.7 per cent saying they did not want to return to the office. Just 1.3 per cent were happy to go back to a traditional work schedule, with 37.9 per cent preferring a hybrid arrangement. The remaining 12.1 per cent had no opinion.

For parents with young children, most respondents said the appropriate amount of time they should physically be at the office was just one day a week.

Commuters makes their way through a railway station in Tokyo during rush hour. Just 1.3 per cent of survey respondents said they were happy to go back to a traditional work schedule. Photo: AP

Many Japanese corporations remain conservative and decision-makers tend to be older and more traditional. Some workers say this exposes a generational divide in work preferences.

“It is difficult to go back,” said a Yokohama resident who works at a major electronics firm. “My commute is relatively easy, so that is less of a problem for me, but it has been nice not to be back in that rigid working environment.”

Like others This Week in Asia spoke to for this story, she declined to be named – a common occurrence in a country where company loyalty remains paramount.

“I do not understand why management is insisting we go back, as I did just as much work from home as I did when I was in the office. It must have saved the company money as they did not have to pay my commuting expenses,” she said.

Others have pointed out that a shift to remote working or even a hybrid system would benefit firms by reducing the need for office space and cutting electricity and other costs.

However, change comes slowly to Japan’s corporate leaders.

“I think it’s a generational thing,” said another employee, adding that younger employees had realised how technology was making it easier to work from home and spend more time with friends or family.

“But too often, inflexibility is built into the corporate culture here,” he said. “If senior managers are in their 60s, then it is going to take a lot of convincing for them to allow a significant amount of the working week to be spent at home.”

Many Japanese corporations remain conservative and decision-makers tend to be older and more traditional, fuelling opposition to remote working. Photo: Shutterstock

He emphasised that the pandemic had shown young workers what was possible and that traditionally minded companies needed to be aware of the changing approach to work, especially given Japan’s well-publicised shortage of capable staff.

“Companies have to understand that if they want to attract and keep the best talent, then they need to keep employees happy and work-life balance is a big part of that,” he said.

Even as employers maintain a more traditional mindset, however, the survey indicated the post-pandemic shift was also catching on with older workers.

Nearly 50 per cent of senior office workers said they had already changed jobs, or were actively looking to do so, because their companies were insisting they start returning to the office.

Not all young workers are opposed to working in offices, either. Two of the people that This Week in Asia spoke to said the biggest benefit was being able to chat face-to-face with colleagues – even if commuting can still be an uncomfortable experience.

In another sign of workers’ disgruntlement, there were a record number of complaints filed by federal civil servants last financial year, with cases of harassment the biggest problem, according to a separate report by Japan’s National Personnel Authority.

In the year to March, more than 1,700 cases were reported, an increase of almost 8 per cent over the previous year. Bullying and abuse of power accounted for most cases, followed by reports of sexual harassment, discrimination due to pregnancy, disputes over taking holidays and disagreements over promotion.

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