By SAWA OKABAYASHI/ Staff Writer
August 8, 2023 at 14:00 JST
Employees from different sections of trading house Mitsui & Co. meet at a company cafeteria twice a week to promote in-person exchanges. (Provided by Mitsui & Co.)
The ratio of teleworkers has fallen to the lowest level since the novel coronavirus pandemic started, despite the high popularity of the work style among employees.
According to a Japan Productivity Center survey conducted on July 10-11, 15.5 percent of respondents said they work from home, cafes and elsewhere outside the office, down 1.3 points from the previous survey in January.
The figure is less than half of the record high 31.5 percent in the inaugural survey taken in May 2020.
The online survey, the 13th in a series, covered 1,100 peopole aged 20 or older who are employed by companies and other organizations. The results were announced Aug. 7.
Respondents were asked to choose the way they work, such as teleworking. Multiple answers were allowed.
Large companies are leading the trend away from teleworking.
According to the survey, 22.7 percent of workers at companies with more than 1,000 employees said they work remotely, down 11.3 points from the January survey.
The ratio was 15.5 percent among workers at companies that employ between 101 and 1,000 people, and 12.8 percent among workers at companies with up to 100 employees.
The center said companies that introduced teleworking as a temporary response to the pandemic have been calling on employees to work in the office since the government on May 8 reclassified the status of the novel coronavirus as a Class V disease, the same as the seasonal flu, under the infectious diseases control law.
“It is desirable that teleworking will spread from now on as an option among diverse working styles, instead of a temporary response,” said Ryo Nagata, a chief researcher at the center.
Even those who telework are now coming to the office more frequently. The ratio of employees who work remotely for five days a week was 14.1 percent, almost half of the figure in January.
Many respondents said they are concerned about whether their job performances are fairly evaluated when they telework.
Nearly 90 percent of people who telework said they are fully or moderately satisfied with working from home.
When asked if they want to continue to telework, 86.4 percent answered in the positive.
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