Teleworking took a long time to gain momentum in Japan, but with the pandemic they have also discovered its benefits there. Tsutomu Kojima, a Hitachi employee and father of two, worked remotely but from the family. He felt “very lonely”, then he started working remotely (from the company) and things changed.
It's just one case among many, of course: of course, it was logical that a country with an obsession with inked stamps and faxes would make this change more difficult. Before Covid-19, only 9% of the entire Japanese workforce had done telework (in the US 32%, Germany 22%, source Nomura Research Institute). But something has seriously started to change.
Telework, a silent revolution
The rigid corporate culture of the country is dealing with the flexibility needs of the staff (who used to be late and practically lived in the company). Tsutomu Kojima, as mentioned, was no exception. He lived alone in the accommodation provided by Hitachi near Tokyo, an hour and a half by train (fast) from his family to Nagoya.
He saw his wife and children only twice a month. Today, the 44-year-old works exclusively from home and says he is more productive and closer to his teenage daughters. “I have more time to help them with their studies. My youngest told me she hopes things stay that way. I really felt alone in Tokyo, but since then she has understood that true balance is not giving up on family ”.
Old habits
With the pandemic and despite no mandatory order being given, in 2020 33% of the work in Japan was done remotely. Today we have dropped to 20%, but it is still more than double compared to the pre-Covid period.
Efforts in the direction of teleworking have also "helped" government and companies to study ways to eliminate the "old" personal ink stamps, used to authenticate documents, and of course the ancient and inseparable fax. All legacies of the twenty years from the 70s to the 90s: a "Japan to drink", in full boom.
Today the conditions have changed radically, and the positive results of working from home are positively surprising even the Japanese company, often more committed to showing commitment and dedication than to achieving objectives and results.
New balances
This new YOLO remix "in teryaki sauce" is also changing the relationship between city and province. According to Teikoku Databank, a record number of corporate headquarters have moved away from Tokyo, which has seen its population decline for the first time in 26 years.
One more story: that of Kazuki e Shizuka Kimura, a couple who gave themselves a beach house after selling a cramped apartment in the Japanese capital. The two, both in marketing, now work out of Fujisawa, a seaside town southwest of Tokyo.
"It was COVID that made us make the leap," he says Kazuki Kimura, which also has many colleagues in the process of making similar choices.
Teleworking, can't we go back?
More and more people are prioritizing their well-being rather than their jobs in Japan too, but resistance to change has not gone away. Many wonder if there will be a "rejection" of the new equilibrium, or if it will move forward.
It is clear that smaller companies may be slower to adapt to new styles of work than large companies such as Hitachi, Panasonic or telecommunications giant NTT.
Remote work can also represent a problem for the training of new recruits, and this is an incontrovertible truth.
Apart from this aspect, which will require adjustments and “hybrid and luminous” forms of work (as elsewhere, however) one trend is destined to remain: meeting and “living” in the office will no longer be so important for the Rising Sun.
Each person, each company must find a new balance, in his own way and with his own times. And wherever will be the seat of him, Minasan, otsukaresamadeshita. Or if you prefer, み な さ ん 、 お 疲 れ 様 で し た.
