Amid the continuous spread of the highly contagious virus which originated in Wuhan, China, the World Health Organization has already declared the 2019 novel corona virus as a global pandemic as it has already caused a serious impact on a lot of countries all over the world including Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Germany, among others.
In the Land of the Rising Sun, the corona virus outbreak also has an upward trend. In fact, the number of persons under investigation who tested positive in Japan has already exceeded one thousand. Due to this major social concern, a lot of Japanese companies are alarmed by the health and welfare of their respective employees.
To stop the further spread of the virus, various governments across the globe encourage social distancing. Workers are urged to work from home as much as possible so as to avoid face to face interactions that will more likely lead to the spread of the virus. What government leaders are afraid of is that the surge of corona virus patients might make it impossible for the country to contain the situation considering the limited number of health facilities.
In Japan, a recent survey has revealed that over thirteen percent of employees are already teleworking. It is one of the urgent measures that the country has to undertake to prevent the spread of the virus. Meanwhile, over thirty three percent of Japanese workers are not able to work from home but they expressed their concerns and fears in relation to the novel corona virus. Most of them hope to work within the confines of their own homes to keep their families safe.
In addition, the study shows that over four percent of companies in Japan had already implemented a staggered skeletal working hour to avoid crowds while commuting during rush hours while twenty five percent are encouraged by their employers to commute either earlier or later than their regular schedule to avoid the rush hours.
Reference: 13% of employees in Japan teleworking due to virus
