Japanese least satisfied with work environments amid pandemic, survey shows

Japanese employees were the least satisfied with their work environments in terms of novel coronavirus measures according to a soon-to-be-released six-nation survey, which Jiji Press reported Wednesday.

The proportion of respondents who said that they were happy to go to their usual places of work stood at 4 percent in Japan, the lowest figure for any country covered in the survey, according to Jochen Legewie, the Japan head of the German-U.S. communications consultancy Kekst CNC, which conducted the poll.

The share of respondents who gave the same answer came to 17 percent or higher in the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Sweden. The number was highest in France, at 27 percent.

The results, which will soon be announced, follow moves by companies around the world to resume regular work patterns after the spread of the virus forced them to introduce teleworking systems and other measures earlier this year.

Only 8 percent of respondents in Japan said that their workplace environments, including infection control measures, were safer than they had expected, highlighting strong concerns over workplace coronavirus measures among people in Japan.

The rate ranged from 11 percent to 31 percent in the other nations.

Meanwhile, the proportion of people in Japan who said that they wanted to work alongside co-workers was the lowest among the six countries.

Noting that corporate workers in Japan were less satisfied with their work environments than those in the United States or in Europe, Legewie said that companies should consider further improving their working conditions.

Kekst CNC, which advises companies and financial institutions in the United States, Europe and Asia on public relations strategies, has analyzed public opinion in various countries about the pandemic.

The survey was conducted July 10-15 with 1,000 people aged 18 or older in each of the six countries.