Most Workers in Japan Contacted Out of Hours About Work
More than seven out of 10 workers in Japan have been contacted by colleagues or bosses outside of work hours, according to a new survey.
The survey, by Rengo — the country's largest trade union group — found that 72% of people had been contacted about work by fellow employees, bosses or people working for them, and 44% had been contacted by clients.
This kind of contact is happening more now than it was before the coronavirus pandemic, according to the survey, and most people don't like it.
About 62% said that being contacted about work outside of working time makes them feel stressed.
And two-thirds of people thought that it was necessary to limit contact at these times.
There are some guidelines in Japan that protect people's right to disconnect from work, but these are not clearly defined and, as the survey shows, they are not always followed.
And although some companies do have rules that let workers disconnect, the workers themselves do not always feel able to follow them.
More than seven out of 10 people surveyed agreed that they want to be able to refuse contact.
About 10% of people said they are contacted outside of working hours almost every day, while 8% said it happened on four or five days per week.
The Mainichi said that the increase in contact outside of business hours may be due to the more flexible working arrangements that have been used since the start of the pandemic.
Rengo surveyed 1,000 workers aged between 18 and 59 online in September 2023.
