66.7% OF EMPLOYEES AGREE WITH POST-COVID WORK ARRANGEMENT POLICY, NEW STUDY FROM HAYS FINDS
Opinions are divided on who should determine work arrangements, whether at home or on-site.

 

The online study conducted in late 2023, found 66.7% agree with their latest work arrangement policy. 37.3% of respondents received communications from their leaders suggesting that they believe culture and team morale can only be established through more face-to-face interactions.

 

 

• Among employees who disagree with their current work arrangement policy, Hays discovered that 65.0% of them currently work fully on-site or at least four days per week in office.
• Opinions regarding who should establish the organisation’s work arrangement policy were divided among respondents. 28.5% say this is up to the sole discretion of leadership, whilst 41.1% believe it should be a shared decision-making process.
• Among other Asian markets polled, Japan had a significant percentage of employees (19.2%) who believe they should have full control over their work arrangement policy.

 

 

“The talent workforce is one of the largest stakeholders when it comes to achieving optimal output and productivity within the organisation. In contrast to other Asian markets, workers in Japan hold stronger beliefs concerning work arrangement policies, with many employees preferring to be proactively involved in discussions. Leaders should prioritise engaging their workforce when formulating the latest work arrangement policies for 2024,” said Grant Torrens, Managing Director, Hays Japan.

 

The Hays study also observes that a higher percentage of employees in local companies have a fully on-site work arrangement as compared to those in multinational companies. There is an almost equal mix of multinational companies adopting a work arrangement of three days in the office per week and having a fully on-site setup. Among other Asian markets polled, employers in Japan have the highest percentage of fully remote workers, with 8% and 16% of employees in local and multinational companies working offsite, respectively. Japan also had the highest percentage of employees working between one and three days in office per month. This was in comparison to their counterparts in both local and multinational companies across Asia.

 

 

 

“Organisations need to tailor their approaches to manage these diverse workforce preferences, especially considering the distinct work arrangement patterns between local and multinational companies, and between markets. In addition to flexible working options, candidates are also seeking challenging and impactful work, as well as a good fit with teammates. Packaging these together will assist employers with developing an Employee Value Proposition that candidates will appreciate and be more inclined to stick around for in this challenging year,” said Grant Torrens, Managing Director, Hays Japan.

 

This press release was adapted from a Hays blog - 7 Trends Employees and Employers in Japan Should Know in 2024

 

Hays Specialist Recruitment Japan KK ("Hays Japan"), established in Tokyo in 2001, is one of the largest foreign recruitment companies in Japan with three offices across the country (Head Office, Osaka and Yokohama).

 

At Hays Japan, our experts provide professional services across the private sector, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles, temporary assignments, recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) and IT solutions in the following 13 specialisms: Accountancy & Finance, Banking & Financial Services, Marketing & Digital, Human Resources, Information Technology, Insurance, Legal, Life Sciences, Office Professionals, Property, Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain and Manufacturing. This ensures a highly focused, fully tailored Specialist Recruitment Service, enabling us to power the world of work by serving thousands of companies and candidates in Japan.

 

Hays plc (the "Group") is the world’s leading specialist in workforce solutions and recruitment, such as RPO and MSP. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional, and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK, Germany, and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As of 30 June 2023, the Group employed over 13,000 staff operating from 252 offices in 33 countries. For the year ended 30 June 2023:

 

– the Group reported net fees of £1,294.6 million and operating profit of £197.0 million;

– the Group placed around 76,800 candidates into permanent jobs and around 245,000 people into temporary roles;

– 15% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 30% in Germany, 21% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 34% in Rest of World (RoW);

– the temporary placement business represented 57% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 43% of net fees;

– Technology is the Group’s largest division, with 26% of net fees, while Accountancy & Finance (15%) and Engineering (10%), are the next largest

– Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, the UK, and the USA