Work from home experience: improved work-life balance, no change in quality of work

Employees want support from company for internet and mobile phone usage

On August 24, specialist professional recruitment firm Robert Walters Japan announced the results of a survey on post-COVID-19 work styles which was answered by 666 company employees mostly based in the Tokyo and Kansai area.

Work from home experience: improved work-life balance, no change in quality of work

When we asked company employees who worked from home in response to COVID-19 about their experience with flexible work styles, 83% said that their work-life balance had improved and 65% said their stress was reduced. Furthermore, 62% reported that their productivity increased. In terms of quality of work and output, around half of respondents answered that they felt an improvement, while the other half answered that they did not feel any change or improvement. On average, the results indicate no change in the quality of work as a result of flexible work styles. It was also revealed that about 1 in 4 people like working more in the office.

Support employees would like to receive from their employer: Internet connectivity (1st), mobile phone/smartphone (2nd) and allowance for office furniture (3rd)

After having worked from home for several months, respondents were asked what kind of support they wanted to receive from their employer to improve their work environment at home. “Allowance/support for internet connectivity” was ranked first (64%) and support for “mobile phone/smartphone (calling fees, data usage fees, etc.)” ranked second (59%). “Allowance for purchasing office furniture” was ranked 3rd (56%) followed by “upgrade of PCs/laptops” (53%). While not many respondents request for support in mental care, team building, wellness activities, etc., more than half of employees are seeking support for things directly related to productivity.

96% of employees place importance on work-style flexibility in post-COVID-19

When asked if they place importance on flexible working styles when changing jobs or working in the same company in the post-COVID-19 era, 96% of employees responded “yes.” For professionals who have experienced new styles of work such as telework and flexible working hours and have seen unchanged or increased productivity, it is only natural that work style flexibility has become an important aspect in the post-pandemic era.

(Survey period: July 27 to August 3, 2020, Target: Company employees registered with Robert Walters Japan and living in Japan n=666)