Japan beefs up measures against workplace harassment
FILE PHOTO: Office workers are pictured through building windows during dusk in Tokyo March 3, 2015. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo GLOBAL BUSINESS WEEK AHEAD
Why is this happening ?
The revisions came as the number of cases of bullying and abuses of power reported in workplaces reached around 72,000 at labor bureaus across Japan in fiscal 2017, hitting a record high for the sixth consecutive year.
As harassment may have serious implications for victims, potentially driving them to suffer mental health issues, or to commit self-harm, Japan should introduce punitive measures as quickly as possible, Naito said.
Main Changes suggested:
Obligating companies to combat the country’s increasingly prevalent reports of bullying and abuse of power, The Diet revised various pieces of legislation Wednesday in an effort to bolster measures against workplace harassment.
The new regulations
1. prohibit any kind of mistreatment of workers who make allegations against people in more senior positions, or discrimination of workers who allege they have been victims of sexual harassment. Pregnant women or women who have returned to work after being on maternity leave are now similarly protected.
2.Businesses to take preventive measures against bosses who abuse their power in the workplace, defining the offenses as “excessive words and behavior by people who take advantage of their superior positions, harming the working environment.”
Large companies will be obliged to introduce the preventive steps, possibly by next April. Small and medium-sized companies are requested to tackle the issue under the revised legislation on a voluntary basis from next spring, but its implementation will be mandatory within two years.
Source and Details:
Leave a Reply to IndoJapanPulse
Please look at footer of website for Disclaimer and Privacy Policy.
