Employees say they 'feel stress' when they get contacted outside business hours
Nearly three in four Japanese employees said they agree with the right to disconnect trend as they report being frequently contacted for work even after business hours, according to a new survey.
Nippon reported last week a 2023 Rengō survey which polled 1,000 employees to determine their outlook on the right to disconnect.
It found that 72.6% of the respondents want to be able to refuse work-related contact outside of business hours. Employees from the following sectors saw the biggest agreement on the sentiment:
- Finance and insurance (81.8%)
- Information and communications (79.8%)
- Construction (77.8%)
Being contacted after hours
The findings come as 72.4% of Japanese employees said they have been contacted out of business hours by their subordinates, colleagues, and superiors, according to the Nippon report.
Among them, 10.4% said they were contacted "almost every day," eight per cent said this happens four to five days a week, while 14.3% said it happens for two to three days a week.
By industry, the following industries had the highest number of employees who got work-related calls outside business hours:
- Construction (82.7%)
- Medical and welfare fields (79.6%)
- Accommodation and restaurant services (78%)
Impact of after-work calls
After-hours intrusions such as instant messages after working hours and late-night emails have been proven by research to boost stress levels and depressive moods among American employees.
"On days where managers intruded, employees reported high levels of job tension, work stress, and they reported high levels of depressive symptoms," Professor Mayowa Babalola from RMIT University previously told The New Daily.
In Japan, the Rengō survey reflected similar outcomes, with 62.2% of employees saying they "feel stress" when their colleagues or managers make work-related contact outside business hours.
Other countries, such as Portugal and Belgium, have made efforts to stamp out such practices in the workplaces by introducing "right to disconnect" policies.
