The mental health of Japanese workers when faced with teleworking

Abstract

Contextualization: Teleworking is a type of work when the employee provides the service outside the employer's premises, using information and communication technology. This form of work has already been a reality faced by many workers for years, which ended up being intensified and forced to contain physical contact between people and thus prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Currently, after the covid-19 pandemic, it appears that the trend of teleworking was not temporary due to isolation measures, it is rather a reality of society, given the advancement of technologies providing a digital work environment and consequently many Employers have adopted teleworking, whether fully or partially. Problem: The big problem with the digital workplace is the effect this modality has on workers' health, especially regarding the home-work divide, social interaction and time control. Objectives: This article seeks to analyze whether the digital work environment in an extremely technological country that is Japan and how this can have a positive impact, but also what the effects are on the mental health of Japanese workers. Method: The work is based on data collection through doctrinal research, especially in scientific articles and news, given that it is a relatively current topic. The data analysis method is critical-narrative review, that is, from the comparison of the thoughts of the authors investigated and the author makes her considerations. Results: In Japan, teleworking is already a reality for many workers. In view of this, it is extremely important to analyze this trend, direct attention to it, necessary to analyze in depth the positive aspects of a digital work environment, what are the benefits to the employee and employer, especially with regard to productivity. However, it is inevitable that new social problems will arise from this, especially in relation to workers' mental health. Conclusions: After the study and this analysis, it will be possible to conclude that mental health is closely linked to the conditions of the working environment (lighting, air, ergonomics and comfort, hours worked, etc.), be it physical or digital that in turn, they imply the guarantee of worker productivity and efficiency.