Firms in Japan adopt flexible working arrangements

Businesses in Japan are now taking steps to accommodate a wide range of flexible working arrangements, and adopting measures like abolishing employee transfers in principle and allowing workers to live anywhere in the country in an effort to attract talent.

Such companies include Yahoo Japan, which started allowing its workers to live anywhere in Japan and removing the requirement for workers to live close enough to commute to the office by 11am if requested. 

The business has allowed its staff to commute by airplane and express train, covering up to ¥150,000 ($1,149) per month in commuting expenses.

“We want to continue such systems so that employees can select places where they can perform at their best, such as their homes or the office,” said Yahoo Chief Conditioning Officer Takayasu Yukawa, reports The Japan Times. 

The business has also set up chairs with adjustable backrests near windows with nice views to improve working conditions in the workplace. 

READ: More companies adopt four-day workweek in Japan

Other businesses like Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) also plan to abolish transfers of employees to other offices in principle. This will cover about 200,000 employees in Japan, and the firm plans to allow them to work at any of the roughly 400 satellite offices in the country.