The Japanese government plans to allow bureaucrats to work remotely in principle if they wish to do so.
This is according to an outline of guidelines to be issued by the government at the end of next month. It´s part of an effort to encourage more diverse ways of working among its employees.
The guidelines say that bureaucrats are allowed to work remotely if they want to unless government operations are affected.
Workers engaging in over-the-counter services and those working in shifts will not be allowed to work remotely.
Newcomers who need to have face-to-face interactions for the time being will also have to commute to the office.
In addition, those who work remotely will be asked to leave their children with caregivers to ensure that they focus on their duties.
Remote work tends to make it hard to draw a line between work and daily life. This is why managers will be asked to prevent their subordinates from working long hours from home
In Japan, about 2.89 million bureaucrats worked from home in 2020 during the pandemic.
A panel of experts at the National Personnel Authority has been calling on the government to provide clear criteria on remote work.
