In a groundbreaking ruling, the Yokohama branch of the Kanagawa Labour Office in Japan has greenlit a compensation claim for a female employee whose mental health deteriorated due to excessive remote work hours. This decision, revealed by her legal representatives, marks a significant milestone at the crossroads of remote employment and employee welfare.
The claimant, a woman in her 50s employed by a Yokohama-based medical equipment manufacturer, transitioned to remote work amid the pandemic in 2020. Initially assigned accounting and HR duties, her workload surged in the latter half of 2021 due to the adoption of a new reimbursement protocol. Consequently, she found herself logging extensive overtime, often receiving work directives even on her days off.
By March 2022, after enduring months of over 100 hours of overtime per month, she was diagnosed with an adjustment disorder—a condition stemming from prolonged exposure to stress, impacting cognition, emotions, and behavior.
The approval of the employee’s compensation by the labour office acknowledges the direct link between her mental health condition and the rigorous work environment, as reported by The Japan Times. This acknowledgment of remote work-related illnesses underscores the imperative of prioritizing employee well-being in evolving work arrangements.
Yuta Arino, one of the claimant’s legal representatives, emphasized, “It is imperative to effectively manage work hours and strive to reduce them, even for remote workers.”
