Xymax Real Estate Institute

RESEARCH REPORTGreater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
Capturing changes in workers’ work styles and values

November 24, 2020

Many companies must have been forced to review their work styles and how they operate their workplace asa result of the rising attention to work style reforms in recent years as well as the Japanese government’s request
for teleworking and declaration of a state of emergency following the outbreak of the new coronavirus (COVID19) in spring 2020. These changes in work styles are expected to affect not only companies’ management
strategies but also office workers’ values.
Against this backdrop, Xymax Real Estate Institute has been conducting questionnaire surveys to capturechanges in work styles and the workplace from the perspectives of both companies and office workers. We haveconducted nine questionnaire surveys of companies since autumn 2016 and four surveys of office workers since
the end of 2016 on a regular basis. This report summarizes the latest trend of the actual work styles and valuesof workers working in Greater Tokyo, based on the results of the fifth office worker survey conducted in
September 2020.
Related surveys:
・New Ways of Working and New Types of Office, released on April 13, 2017https://www.xymax.co.jp/english/research/images/pdf/20170413.pdff
・Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2018, released on June 6, 2018https://www.xymax.co.jp/english/research/images/pdf/20180606.pdf
・Effect of Commuting Stress on the Working People’s Satisfaction, released on June 4, 2019https://www.xymax.co.jp/english/research/images/pdf/20190604.pdf
・Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2019, released on December 19, 2019https://www.xymax.co.jp/english/research/images/pdf/20191219.pdf

Summary of Survey Results
1. Going to the office under the COVID-19 pandemic

37.3% of all respondents went to work in the office entirely and did not telework.
The most popular reason for going to the office was “There is work that can only be done in theoffice (e.g., custom of using seals)” (57.9%).
The implementation rate of work style measures had risen in all measures compared to the2019 survey. Working from home (58.6%) had risen significantly, in particular.

2. Telework under the COVID-19 pandemic

62.7% of all respondents were “teleworkers,” i.e., workers who worked from home, worked at asatellite office, or teleworked at other places. We also found that 14.2% were “workers withtemporary telework experience,” i.e., workers who had implemented any of the above
temporarily before or after the COVID-19 outbreak but no longer implemented.
Teleworkers teleworked for an average of 53.8% of their time over one week. A distribution
breakdown shows that “1%–10%” and “91%–100%” each accounts for nearly 20%, indicatinga polarization in the implementation of telework.
The most popular benefit of working from home and working in a satellite office was a reduction
in travel/commute time.

3. Changes in work styles from before the pandemic to the presentMore respondents replied that workload decreased (21.9%) than increased (14.2%).

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate InstituteA drop in work motivation (25.7%) was 16.4 points more than a rise (9.3%). An increase instress (35.7%) was 20.5 points more than a decrease (15.2%).

4. Work styles after the COVID-19 pandemic


75.3% of all respondents wished to telework even a little in the future, which is more than thecurrent telework ratio.
The average percentage of time workers wished to telework over one week was 52.2%. A
distribution breakdown shows that the most popular ratio is “41%–50%” (23.7%).

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute

1. Going to the office under the COVID-19 pandemic


37.3% of all respondents went to work in the office entirely and did not telework.



The most popular reason for going to the office was “There is work that can only be done in theoffice (e.g., custom of using seals)” (57.9%).

The implementation rates of work style measures had risen in all measures compared to the 2019
survey. Working from home (58.6%) had risen significantly, in particular.

In this survey, we obtained valid answers from 2,060 men and women aged between 20 and 69, whose
profession was officer or staff of a company or organization, whose job category was managerial, specialized or
technical, clerical or sales, whose regular office was located in Greater Tokyo (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, andChiba prefectures), and whose principal workplace was the office or home. In this report we will look into theactual situations of how the respondents currently work.
We will start by looking at how many workers went to the office to work under the COVID-19 pandemic. At
the time of the survey, 37.3% of all respondents worked in the office entirely and did not telework (Figure 1).
For workers who teleworked even a little, we asked how they split their time between working in the office andteleworking over one week on average. Only 6.4% replied that they teleworked 100%, indicating that many
workers both teleworked and worked in the office. Most workers, including those who worked in the office
entirely, went to the office to some degree.
Figure 1: Going to the Office or Teleworking

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
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reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate InstituteWe then asked the respondents their reason for going to the office. More than half of the workers replied,“There is work that can only be done in the office (e.g., custom of using seals)” (57.9%), far outweighing thesecond most popular reason, which was “Office is more efficient or easier to work” (31.8%) (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Reason for Going to the Office

We then asked if their regular office was safe and secure in terms of layout and operation. 56.2% of all
respondents answered either “Yes” or “Somewhat,” indicating that a majority felt their office was safe and secure(Figure 3). Meanwhile, 40.5% of the respondents replied either “No” or “Not that much.”
Figure 3: Evaluation of Safety and Security of the Office

When we asked the workers who thought their office was safe and secure the reason for that evaluation, thepopular reasons were their companies’ measures against COVID-19, such as reliable infection control measures,the ensuring of social distancing, and the controlling of the percentage of employees coming to the office. On
the other hand, the popular reasons for not thinking their office was safe or secure included the lack of distanceor partitions between employees and the lack of changes in office strategies from before the pandemic. These
results indicate that workers are rigorously assessing their companies’ infection control measures.

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate InstituteThen, how much efforts are companies currently making concerning employees coming to the office and theoffice itself? When we asked the respondents whether their company implemented the initiatives we listed, theinitiative that was implemented the most was “Distributing sanitizers and face masks” (50.4%), which suggeststhat this can be implemented by companies relatively easily (Figure 4). The result also revealed that thecompanies of more than 40% of the respondents recommended avoiding overcrowded trains (e.g., off-peak
commuting, telework) (44.0%), controlled the percentage of employees coming to the office (41.6%), andensured social distancing in the office (e.g., space between desks, restricting the use of meeting rooms) (41.3%).
Figure 4: Companies’ Implementation Rate of Initiatives Concerning the Office and
Employees Coming to the Office

When we looked at this result based on the respondents’ evaluation of their office’s safety and security (Figure3), we found that the implementation rate was higher in all initiatives among the group of respondents who
thought their office was safe and secure (Figure 5). Meanwhile, the percentage of “None of the above applies”
was large at 24.1% among the group of workers who did not think their office was safe or secure, which suggeststhat companies’ implementation of initiatives will lead to an improvement in the assessment by workers.

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute
Figure 5: Companies’ Implementation Rate of Initiatives Concerning the Office and
Employees Coming to the Office (By Evaluation of Safety and Security)

We then asked the respondents which work style measure they currently used or implemented. Comparedto the results of the 2019 survey, the implementation rate has risen in all measures, especially in working fromhome (from 10.5% to 58.6%) (Figure 6). In terms of the place for telework, satellite offices have also risen byalmost 10 percentage points (from 5.5% to 15.3%). The results also reveal that measures offering flexibility inwhere and when to work, such as mobile work measures and flextime programs, are becoming morewidespread.

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute
Figure 6: Implementation Rate of Work Style Measures*1 Satellite office: A collective term for workplaces established for telework, apart from the main office or thehome. There are those that are provided by specialized service operators and those that are provided by thecompany. Since the options in the 2019 survey were “Use of satellite office, etc. owned or rented by own
company” and “Use of serviced office or shared office provided by a specialized operator,” the percentageof the 2019 survey in Figure 6 is the percentage of respondents who chose either one of the two in 2019.
*2 There is no chart for the 2019 survey since the option was added in the 2020 survey.
*3 Workation: A portmanteau of working vacation, meaning to work from a travel destination, etc.

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute

2. Telework under the COVID-19 pandemic


62.7% of all respondents were “teleworkers,” i.e., workers who worked from home, worked at asatellite office, or teleworked at other places. We also found that 14.2% were “workers withtemporary telework experience,” i.e., workers who had implemented any of the above temporarily
before or after the COVID-19 outbreak but no longer implemented.

Teleworkers teleworked for an average of 53.8% of their time over one week. A distribution
breakdown shows that “1%–10%” and “91%–100%” each accounted for nearly 20%, indicating apolarization in the implementation of telework.



The most popular benefit of working from home and working in a satellite office was a reduction
in travel/commute time.

In the previous chapter, we found that office workers’ places and time to work were becoming flexible rapidly.
We believe this is related to the recent situation where telework has half been forced as a way to prevent COVID19 infection.
Figure 7 indicates the detailed implementation status of the three measures related to telework places(working from home, satellite office, other places (café, etc.)). For working from home, which had the largest
increase in implementation (Figure 6), 40.4% of all respondents replied that they “had not implemented before
the outbreak but implemented after the outbreak,” which confirms the intensity of the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic.
Figure 7: Implementation of Measures in the Place for Telework*1 Satellite office: A collective term for workplaces established for telework, apart from the main office or thehome. There are those that are provided by specialized service operators and those that are provided by thecompany.

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate InstituteFurthermore, if we recalculate the results by categorizing the respondents who currently implement any oneof the three measures related to telework places as “teleworkers” and those who implemented any of themeasures temporarily before or after the outbreak of COVID-19 but no longer implemented as “workers withtemporary telework experience,” teleworkers account for as much as more than 60%. Workers with temporary
telework experience also exist to a certain degree (14.2%) (Figure 8).
Figure 8: Implementation of Telework

When we look at this result by job category, the percentage of teleworkers was relatively large among “clerical
specialists” (77.8%) and “technical specialists” (73.2%), and relatively small among workers in “general officework/reception/secretary” (52.0%) and in “admin/HR/accounting” (56.7%) (Figure 9). Among workers in“admin/HR/accounting” and “sales,” workers with temporary telework experience accounted for around 17%.
Figure 9: Implementation of Telework (By Job Category)Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
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reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute

When we asked teleworkers how they split their time between working in the office and teleworking on
average over one week, the average time they teleworked was 53.8% (Figure 10). A distribution of the telework
implementation ratios in 10% increments indicates that the most popular allocations of time are “1%–10%” and“91%–100%,” both accounting for nearly 20%. This shows that teleworkers are polarized into those who telework
almost every day and those who only telework occasionally.
Figure 10: Teleworkers’ Telework Ratio

We also asked teleworkers how they split their telework time between “home,” “satellite office” and “otherplaces.” The percentage of telework time they spent working from home was 87.4% on average, which suggeststhat telework currently means working from home for workers (Figure 11).
Figure 11: Allocation of Telework Time among the Places for Telework

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
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reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute

Figure 12 shows the specific benefits felt by workers who have experienced working from home and who felt
there was a benefit. The most popular benefit was “Reduction in travel/commute time” (92.1%), followed by“Less risk of infection with infectious disease” (57.8%). This indicates that the workers, many of whom began
working from home after the outbreak of COVID-19 as was shown in Figure 7, actually feel that working fromhome is an effective way of preventing infection with infectious diseases. The top benefits are followed further
by “Less physical burden (health improvement, less fatigue)” (39.2%) and “Less stress” (38.5%), indicating thatthe reduction of physical and mental burdens due to the lack of commuting are felt by workers as major benefitsof working from home.
Figure 12: Benefits of Working from Home

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
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reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute

Similarly, we asked the specific dissatisfactions of workers who have experienced working from home and who
were dissatisfied. The top complaints were “Prone to lack exercise” (56.0%) and “Difficult to switch on and offfrom work” (50.7%), which indicate that not a few workers felt the disadvantages of being confined to home,while others felt the benefits of the reduction of commute time (Figure 13). A certain number of workers werealso dissatisfied as they worked from home without the minimum office environment, such as the necessary
fixtures as well as photocopiers, Internet connection and monitors. The dissatisfactions are varied due to thediverse environments of each individual, such as the size of their homes and family members they live with.
Figure 13: Dissatisfaction in Working from Home

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute

Figure 14 shows the specific benefits felt by workers who have experienced working in a satellite office andwho felt there was a benefit. As in working from home, “Reduction in travel/commute time” (59.1%) was the top
benefit. Since satellite offices are prepared as places dedicated to work, the percentage of “Can concentrate onwork” (44.2%) was larger than in working from home. Furthermore, the criteria related to “switching on and offfrom work” and “network connection,” which were listed as dissatisfactions in working from home, ranked
among the top benefits of working in a satellite office. Satellite offices would be an effective option forcompanies introducing telework to solve workers’ dissatisfactions in working from home.
Figure 14: Benefits of Working in a Satellite OfficeGreater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute

3. Changes in work styles from before the pandemic to thepresentMore respondents replied that workload decreased (21.9%) than increased (14.2%).

A drop in work motivation (25.7%) was 16.4 points more than a rise (9.3%). An increase in stress(35.7%) was 20.5 points more than a decrease (15.2%).

Thus far we examined the changes and actual situations of workers’ work styles due to the spread of telework
following the outbreak of COVID-19. In this chapter, we examine how workers’ work content and workloadchanged from before the pandemic and how the workers feel about the changes.
As for changes in work content, we asked the respondents how they split their time among different types ofwork on average for before the COVID-19 pandemic and the present, and compared the average figures of all
respondents (Figure 15). The time spent on work that required “concentrating alone,” which accounted fornearly 50% before the pandemic, increased by 6.0 percentage points after the corona outbreak. Meanwhile, thetime spent in both internal and external communication decreased slightly.
Figure 15: Average Allocation of Time to Each Type of WorkAs for changes in the workload, the largest percentage of workers replied it did not change (61.2%). Amongworkers that experienced a change, workload decreased (21.9%) more than it increased (14.2%) (Figure 16).
Figure 16: Changes in Workload

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
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reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate InstituteWe then asked about changes in respondents’ motivation toward work from before the pandemic.
“Unchanged” (65.0%) was the top answer (Figure 17). Among workers that experienced a change, thepercentage of a drop (sum of “Dropped significantly” and “Dropped somewhat”) (25.7%) was 16.4 points larger
than that of a rise (sum of “Rose significantly” and “Rose somewhat”) (9.3%).
Figure 17: Changes in Motivation toward WorkThe reasons for a rise in motivation included work style changes and greater work responsibilities due to thepandemic. The reasons for a drop in motivation included the urgent shift to telework without enoughpreparations for telework by the respondent or company and companies’ lack of infection control measures.
Concerns of infection, the deterioration of the economy, and changes in the content or amount of work werealso popular reasons.
■Reference■ Reasons for a Rise/Drop in Work Motivation (Open Ended Question; Excerpt)<Reasons for a rise>
I can use my time more effectively since I no longer have to spend time in commuting.


I can work better at home since I can work at my own pace relatively and concentrate.

Work efficiency has improved since there are less Q&As and small talk.



I am responsible for more work due to an increase in corona-related work.

I am grateful that I have work during the pandemic.

<Reasons for a drop>Communication is difficult when teleworking.


I feel lonely due to the dramatic decrease in communication with other people.



It is difficult to switch on and off from work when you are working from home.



I often get distracted when I at home and I become lazy since no one is watching me.

I cannot telework as much as I wish to since a lot of my work requires me to go to the office. My work
motivation has dropped since I compare with other employees who can telework as they wish.

My company seems unwilling to provide an environment that enables employees to work remotely.



I was doing remote work for some time, but it was immediately called off after the state of emergency
was lifted.

Motivation has declined across the company since the outlook of the company’s performance has
deteriorated due to COVID-19.

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute

When we look at the implementation of telework by change in work motivation, around 80% of the workers
whose motivation has risen implemented telework. The percentage of teleworkers is larger than among workers
whose motivation was “unchanged” or “dropped” (Figure 18).
Figure 18: Implementation of Telework (By Change in Motivation)

We then asked about changes in workers’ stress in work styles before and after the outbreak of COVID-19.
Nearly half of the respondents (49.2%) replied that there was no change (Figure 19). Among workers who
experienced a change, those who replied that stress decreased (sum of “Decreased significantly” and “Decreased
somewhat”) accounted for 15.2%, while those who replied that stress increased (sum of “Increased significantly”
and “Increased somewhat”) accounted for 35.7%, 20.5 percentage points larger.
Figure 19: Changes in Stress toward Work Styles

A popular reason for an increase in stress was the respondents’ inability to telework due to work reasons or
their company’s orders. Causes of stress of employees who did telework included unfamiliarity with teleworking,the decrease in face-to-face communication, and the lack of opportunities for exchange between fellow
employees, such as after-work drinks.
Meanwhile, a popular reason for a decrease in stress was the elimination of commuting stress due to telework.
Also, while some workers felt the drop in communication due to telework stressful, others viewed it positively
as a decrease in interpersonal relationship stress, which suggests that telework affects workers positively andnegatively depending on their telework skills, positions, personality and aptitude.

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute■Reference■ Reasons for an Increase/Decrease in Stress (Open Ended Question; Excerpt)<Reasons for an increase>
Although there is work that can be done by telework, telework is not introduced on a company-widebasis.
Commuting causes stress due to overcrowded trains as well as poses risks of being infected with COVID19.



Communication is difficult unless it is face-to-face.

I find it hard to get used to online meetings.

I must be always attentive to preventing infection.



I can no longer release stress with meals and drink parties.

Concerns toward the economy.

<Reasons for a decrease>
Since telework is recommended, I can reduce commute time and avoid overcrowded trains.


Telework has made interpersonal relationships easier and enabled me to work at my own pace.



It is easier to achieve a work-life balance by working from home.



Working from home has given me more time to relax.

Unnecessary meetings have decreased.

In terms of the implementation of telework by change in stress, around 90% of workers whose stress has
decreased implemented telework (Figure 20). It is likely that telework has contributed to the reduction of stress.
Figure 20: Implementation of Telework (By Change in Stress)

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
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reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute

4. Work styles after the COVID-19 pandemic


75.3% of all respondents wished to telework even a little in the future, which is more than thecurrent telework ratio.



The average percentage of time workers wished to telework over one week was 52.2%. A
distribution breakdown shows that the most popular ratio is “41%–50%” (23.7%).

Lastly, we examined respondents’ needs in work styles going forward.
We asked respondents which work style measure they wanted to use or implement after the pandemic hasabated. We found that there was a larger gap between the current implementation rate and respondents’ needsin the three measures related to the place for telework compared to measures related to mobile work, etc.
(Figure 21). Furthermore, while the work-from-home program has proliferated, the availability of “allowancefor working from home (for supplies, utility costs, etc.),” an associated measure, was low at 8.5% but the needfor it was nearly 40% (37.2%). “Side job with company’s permission” (23.5%) and “Workation with company’s
permission” (14.1%) also showed a larger percentage of need than the current implementation rate.
Figure 21: Needs in Work Style Measures*1 Satellite office: A collective term for workplaces established for telework, apart from the main office or thehome. There are those that are provided by specialized service operators and those that are provided by thecompany.
*3 Workation: A portmanteau of working vacation, meaning to work from a travel destination, etc.
Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

18

RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate InstituteWe then tallied the percentage of those who wished to use any of the three places for telework and foundthat the percentage of those who wished to telework even a little in the future was 75.3%, larger than the actual
rate (Figure 22), suggesting that a further proliferation of telework is desired despite its rapid spread.
Figure 22: Telework Needs

When we asked the workers who wished to telework how they wanted to split their time between working in
the office and teleworking, we found that the average ideal percentage of time spent teleworking over a week
was 52.2% (Figure 23). Although this percentage is similar to the actual percentage of 53.8% (Figure 10), when
we look at the distribution, the ratio chosen by the largest percentage of workers (23.7%) was “41%–50%.” While
the actual percentages are polarized to “1%–10%” and “91%–100%,” many workers seem to be wishing to ideallytelework two or three days in a five-day working week. Furthermore, since the percentage of workers who wish
to telework (almost) entirely (“91%–100%”) was only around 10% (9.9%), the need for offices as a place to work
is likely to remain even if telework spread further.
Figure 23: Ideal Telework Ratio of Those Who Wish to Telework

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
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reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
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RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate InstituteWe also asked workers who wished to telework in the future how they want to split their telework time among“home,” “satellite office” and “other places.” While the percentage of time spent working from home, which was
87.4% in reality, decreased to 72.1% in the needs, workers’ needs for time spent working in satellite offices andother places were larger than the actual percentage (Figure 24). Also, since the need is larger than theimplementation rate in the three measures related to the place for telework, as shown in Figure 21, we assume
that workers wish to have the freedom of choosing from multiple workplaces.
Figure 24: Allocation of Time between Places for Telework

As we have seen thus far, many workers are likely to go to the office to work in addition to teleworking after
the pandemic has abated. We asked respondents what kind of office they want to go and work in, based on theassumption that there was also a telework option. The most popular type of office chosen by nearly half of the
respondents (49.5%) was one that had a private room where they could concentrate on work (Figure 25). Sincearound half of office workers’ work involve concentrating alone (Figure 15), workers seem to require a place toconcentrate in an office. The top answer is followed by “Attention is paid to safety/security (e.g., infection control
measures)” (44.1%), “There is a space to relax or rest” (38.8%), “There is a restaurant or café space” (35.6%), and“Can work with healthy mind & body (wellness office)” (33.0%).
Figure 25: Features of Offices Workers Want to Go to Work in*4 Can also be used as a casual meeting room or a place to relax.

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

20

RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate InstituteMeanwhile, we also asked the respondents what features they placed importance on when assuming they will
use a satellite office after the pandemic has abated. The most important feature was that the satellite office was“close to home” (63.1%), which far outweighed the second most important feature (Figure 26). As we confirmed
in Figures 12 and 14, the reduction of commuting and travel time appears to be a major benefit for workers intelework. As in the features required in an office, “There is a private room to concentrate on work” (32.4%) ranked
third. Workers expect a diverse range of features in a satellite office.
Figure 26: Important Features when Using a Satellite OfficeGreater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

21

RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate InstituteAmid the rising attention to satellite offices, we asked the respondents what kind of satellite office they want
to use after the pandemic has abated by presenting five major types of satellite offices and asking how muchthey were interested in each of them.
1．Close to home: Concentrated solo-work type It is within walking/biking distance from home, which
reduces commute time.
 There is a private room for one person that issuitable for intensive work and where phone calls
and online meetings are also possible.
 There are multifunctional copiers and lounge space,etc., enabling users to engage in a full day of work.
There are features that support a better balance withyour private life, such as nursery services and being
located within buildings where shopping can be donesuch as shopping malls.
2．Efficient travel: City-center touch-down type
 Multiple offices are provided in major city-center
office areas.
 They are used mainly by sales representatives whodrop in between client visits or on days when they go
directly to their clients and return home directly,
enabling a reduction of travel time.
 Users can choose whichever location of office that suits
them on that day and drop in even for a short time.
 There are private rooms and booths suitable forindividual work, as well as soundproof booths forphone calls and online meetings.
3．Any duration at any location: Project base type
 There are exclusive sections, which are suitable forsystem development or fixed-term projects.
 It can be located where it is convenient for the
project, such as where it is easy for project members tocommute to or near the client.
 There are private rooms or meeting space suitable forworking or holding meetings with multiple persons.
 It is easy to work with people not only within thecompany but also from outside the company.

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

22

RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute4．Encounters and stimulation: City-centercollaboration type It is located in areas with brand value or character,mainly in city centers (e.g., IT companies in Shibuya,financial companies in Marunouchi) It is shared by people from various industries andprofessions, offering opportunities for collaboration or
innovation.
 It features open spaces with attention to comfort anddesign.
 It also offers plenty of intangible services, such as
food and drink, events, and community-building
opportunities.
5．Workation in countryside and multiple-location
residency type
 Located in the lush countryside, it enables work-lifebalance.
 You can work close to home, as it enables you to workfor companies in urban centers while living in the
countryside either temporarily or for the long-term.
 It can be shared by multiple companies, which offers
opportunities for cross-industry exchanges andexchanges with the local community.
As a result, the most desired type of satellite office was the “Close to home: Concentrated solo-work type,”
which was chosen by more than half of the workers (Figure 27). This was followed by the “Workation incountryside and multiple-location residency type,” which was chosen by nearly half of the workers. There was acertain level of demand in all types of satellite offices.
Figure 27: Interest in Different Types of Satellite Offices

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

23

RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute

5. Summary
In this report, we examined how the work styles of office workers in Greater Tokyo have changed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic and considered their work styles going forward by examining their needs.
First of all, the implementation rate of work style measures had increased in all measures compared to the2019 survey. The rise was especially significant in measures related to places for telework, as a result of thepandemic. We found that around 60% of the respondents were teleworkers. The survey results also revealed
that while teleworkers teleworked for an average of 53.8% of their time over one week, a distribution breakdown
showed that the ratios were polarized into “1%–10%” and “91%–100%,” and that working from home was the
major form of telework under the pandemic.
Even under these work styles, more than half of the workers did not feel any change in their work motivation
or stress compared to before the pandemic. On the other hand, those who did feel a change were affected byconcerns toward their company’s performance, the overall economy and infection, as well as by the
aforementioned changes in work styles. We intend to continue analyzing the relationship between changes inwork content and workload due to telework and changes in motivation and stress.
Despite spreading rapidly as a result of the pandemic, telework is expected to see further expansion due inpart to the large needs of workers. In terms of the allocation of workers’ time to telework and working in theoffice, we found that many workers wished to telework for two or three days a week, instead of the more drastic
distribution of time that is currently witnessed. We also identified workers’ needs for choosing a place to workfrom among multiple choices such as satellite offices, in addition to their homes.
Although not a few workers wish to go to the office every day as in before the pandemic, many workers also
wish to telework every day. Therefore, offices are expected remain worthwhile as a place to work. However, if
workers begin to work in various places, including the home and satellite offices, the significance of each place
will be called into question. Conventional office strategies were based on the assumption that workers commuteto the same office every day. Companies had control over workers’ work styles and workers followed. Goingforward, companies will be required to provide an environment that enable workers to choose where they canwork in comfort as well as the balance between multiple work styles, such as working in the office and telework,and from among multiple telework places. Xymax Real Estate Institute will continue to conduct company surveys
and worker surveys in parallel to capture such changes in the trend of work styles and workplaces.

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

24

RESEARCH REPORT｜Xymax Real Estate Institute
Survey Overview
Survey period: September 2020; Area: Greater Tokyo (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba prefectures); Survey method:
online survey
Respondents: (1) Screening: 20,000 men and women aged between 15 and 69; (2) Main survey: Valid answers were obtained
from 2,060 men and women aged between 20 and 69 who replied in the screening that their profession was either an officer
or staff of a company or organization, whose job category was managerial, specialized or technical, clerical or sales, whose
regular office was located in Greater Tokyo (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba prefectures), and whose principal workplace
was the office or home.

Attributes of Respondents
%

n

%

n

Male aged 20-29

2.1%

43

1–9

8.3%

171

Male aged 30-39

8.3%

172

10–49

11.7%

241

Male aged 40-49

21.1%

434

50–99

8.0%

165

Male aged 50-59

26.9%

555

100–299

12.6%

260

Male aged 60 or older

11.0%

227

300–999

15.3%

316

69.5%

1,431

1,000–2,999

12.9%

266

Female aged 20-29

5.5%

113

3,000 or more

28.5%

588

Female aged 30-39

9.2%

189

Don't know

2.6%

53

Female aged 40-49

9.2%

190

Manufacturing

21.5%

442

Female aged 50-59

5.5%

114

Telecommunications

15.5%

320

Female aged 60 or older

1.1%

23

Service

30.5%

629

(those not classifed as other sectors)

10.9%

224

Sales

22.7%

468

Finance & insurance

10.8%

222

Technical specialist

20.3%

418

Wholesale & retail

10.1%

209

General office work/reception/secretary

20.2%

417

Construction

5.5%

113

Admin/HR/accounting

15.9%

328

Real estate & lease of goods

5.1%

106

Corporate planning

10.9%

225

Other & unclassifiable industries

3.9%

80

Clerical specialist

2.2%

45

Creative specialist

2.1%

43

3.6%

74

Other

5.6%

116

Transportation & postal service

3.6%

74

Officer of company/organization

9.3%

192

Medical & welfare

2.1%

44

Staff of company/organization(management)

26.6%

548

Education & learning support

2.0%

41

Daily life services & entertainment

1.5%

31

Electricity, gas, heat, water supply

1.4%

29

1.0%

21

Multi-service business

0.9%

18

Accommodation & restaurant

0.5%

11

Agriculture & forestry

0.0%

1

Gender andage(Male total)(Female total)Job
category

Form ofemployment

Staff of company/organization(Regular staff other thanmanagement)

50.4%

1,038

Number of
employeesof company

Academic research & professional
Industryor technical service

Civil service(excl. those classified as other sectors)

Staff of company/organization(Other than regular staff)

13.7%

282

The percentage mix in the charts contained in this report are rounded to the first decimal place and therefore may not add up to 100%.

For further inquiries please contact:
Xymax Real Estate Institutehttps://soken.xymax.co.jp | E-MAIL: info-rei@xymax.co.jp

Greater Tokyo Office Worker Survey 2020
The contents of this report are as of the time of writing. Xymax Real Estate Institute does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness. This report may not be
reproduced, cited, transmitted, distributed, or reprinted without prior permission of Xymax Real Estate Institute.
Copyright © 2020 Xymax Real Estate Institute Corporation. All rights reserved.

25