Remote employees in Japan less likely to be depressed

In the government’s 2022 whitepaper, it was concluded that remote employees had more sleep hours, which reduces depression and anxiety.
By: | November 28, 2022
Topics: Employee Experience | Health and Wellness | Hybrid Working | Japan | News

In Japan, employees who adopt remote work are less likely to suffer from depression, a whitepaper from the labour ministry has revealed.

The whitepaper found that remote employees tend to have longer hours of sleep, therefore reducing their risk of depression and anxiety. Across 10,000 employees in Japan, 30.3% of employees who worked from home reported sleeping an average of seven hours or more a day. This is followed by those who worked from home about two to three days a week (19.4%), and those who worked from home occasionally (16.7%).

This pattern is also in line with those who do not suffer from depression, with the majority of them working from home daily (60.9%), followed by those who worked from home two to three days a week (56.5%). Only 51.2% of those who worked from home occasionally said they were not depressed.

READ: Remote work increases happiness levels among employees in Japan

“This is probably due to being relieved of the heavy burden of commuting and longer hours spent on enjoying family life,” said a labour ministry official.

The survey also found that firms in the ICT industry were more likely to allow employees to work remotely (82.4%), followed by organisations in academic research and technical services (62.7%).