Large Companies and Workers: Updated Nov. 8, 2023.

 Article Source:  https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230804/p2a/00m/0na/019000c

Article:

TOKYO -- Thirty-two percent of large companies in Japan want all employees back in the office, according to a recent survey by the Development Bank of Japan Inc. (DBJ).

The results spotlight the firms' true stance after COVID-19 was downgraded to the same level as seasonal influenza under Japan's infectious disease control law in May.

Ideas:

Remote work might not be suitable for all companies, as some companies actually need to have workers in the office.

Another recent article said many working women, with children, were considering quitting their current jobs if they were/are forced to back to the office five days a week.

Thirty-two percent is really not a large number of companies, as maybe the thirty-two percent might represent large traditional companies that might be resistant to any kind of change.

Probably the remainder of the companies might be adapting or have adapted a flexible style of some time in the office and some time at home or a cafe and so on.

Article:

The DBJ on Aug. 3 released the result of its survey on planned capital spending for fiscal 2023. Asked about ideal rates of employees coming in to the office, 32% said "100%," a jump from the 24% who answered the same last fiscal year. Fifteen percent said they wanted 90% of workers showing up, compared to the 11% in fiscal 2022, while 20% of the companies wanted 80% of employees coming in to work, also up 2 points from fiscal 2022.

In contrast, the rates of companies that answered they wanted 10-70% of workers back in the office dropped in all response percentage brackets. Meanwhile, companies that answered "0%," referring to complete remote work for all workers, accounted only for 1% in fiscal 2022, and this dropped to zero in the latest survey.

Ideas:
Japan still has a traditional workplace culture where social powers and groups are important so its not  a surprise that most if not all companies want their workers back in the office.

But that might not be too far from western companies and it seems many western companies have given up on remote work too have expected workers to be back in the office.

It's quite possible maybe only some of the more progressive high-tech companies have decided to continue with remote work as tech programming and so on can be done away from the traditional office. 

However, there is still the possibility that many companies have implemented some kind of new work/life balance strategies to keep talented workers from leaving for other jobs.

For example maybe they have adapted a four day work week 3 weeks a month and the fourth week only four days in the week and so on.

Or maybe, to keep their best female workers, who have children, they have actually implemented special work/life balance strategies that allows working women with children to actually do some of their work at home.

Article:

At the same time, asked about efforts to secure workers -- with multiple answered permitted -- 14% of companies picked "expanding remote working," suggesting they are desperate to hire and keep workers by promoting themselves as flexible workplace, even if that meant they have to hide their true wish for employees to show up to the office.

Even major American tech companies are starting to restrict teleworking, which became commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, and requiring workers to be physically present in the office at least some of the time. It appears that the work-style reform once thought to have become firmly established still has a ways to go.

Ideas:

Business in Japanese companies and western companies all seem to share the same ideas of being in the office is still the best way to manage and control what employees are doing most of the time.

It's important for companies to show that are willing to be flexible, when needed, and let employees, as much as possible have a say in when and how they will work.

Some kinds of work its impossible to do remote work, but maybe most office type work it can be done home at or a cafe and then come to the office when needed.

Of course the type of CEO a company has might have an affect on what employees can and can't do related to remote work.

For example maybe older CEO's might want employees to be in the office only, while younger CEO's might be more progressive and allow employees a more flexible work style.

If the CEO is a woman, with children, then she would have more empathy toward working women and allow them to work sometimes from home.

Business can sometimes change quickly and sometimes change very slow, but the remote work situation might take some time for companies to find the right mix or strategy that works for them, as each company has it own work culture and they have to figure what's best to maintain productivity in the workplace.

And then there is the challenge of AI and jobs and maybe some employees are scared or afraid of losing their jobs if they are not in the office.

Only time will tell as to what is going to happen in the future.

Have a nice day and be safe!