Photo/Illutration The Line Yahoo logo at the company’s office in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward (Naoko Murai)

Line Yahoo Corp. will discontinue fully remote work and require employees to come into the office at least once a month starting in April.

While remote work expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, more companies are now shifting back to working in person.

Employees in the business division will be required to work in the office once a week, while those in the development, human resources and general affairs divisions will do so once a month.

Line Yahoo hopes that face-to-face communication will encourage active dialogue and discussions and lead to the creation of new services.

While the company has previously promoted a hybrid work style, it is now clarifying its stance on in-office attendance.

In 2020, Yahoo Japan, before its merger with Line, removed restrictions on the number of days employees could work from home, making full remote work possible.

In 2022, it also eliminated the residency requirement that employees live within commuting distance to arrive at the office by 11 a.m., further expanding flexible work options.

Currently, the employee attendance rate is around 15 percent.

Some employees relocated to rural areas under the company’s flexible policies, so Line Yahoo is now considering subsidizing moving costs for those who need to relocate under the new policy.

The trend of returning to office work is accelerating.

U.S.-based Amazon.com Inc. will require employees worldwide, including in Japan, to work in the office five days a week starting in January.

Mercari Inc., an e-commerce marketplace operator, has also been encouraging employees to come into the office at least twice a week since July.

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