The way people work in Japan has changed greatly over the past decade.
There was a time when staying at the office from morning to night was taken for granted, and long hours were even spoken of as a virtue.
However, as work-style reform advanced, legal caps were set on overtime and taking paid leave was made mandatory.
Moreover, the spread of infectious disease triggered a rapid rise in working from home, and the idea that work does not necessarily require commuting to an office is taking hold in society.
Even so, not everyone is benefiting from these new ways of working.
In fields such as manufacturing, healthcare, and nursing care, where on-site work is essential, remote work is hard to introduce, and a widening gap between occupations has been pointed out.
It has also been reported that when people work from home, the line between work and private life blurs and working hours actually grow longer.
When it comes to diversifying how we work, what matters is surely not putting systems in place for form’s sake, but creating an environment where each person can choose the way of working that suits them.
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