Japanese workers in their 20s place greater value on informal methods of communication with their coworkers, such as on the sports field or at the bar, rather than across the conference room, according to a survey conducted by Mori Building that confirms the generation-driven shift toward informality.
Japanese office workers in their 20s prefer communicating on the sports field.
Mori Building, a Tokyo-based property developer, manages offices occupied by several leading Japanese and international companies such as Rakuten, TV Asahi, Yahoo! Japan and Goldman Sachs. Participants in the survey were readers of Office Life News, a free magazine distributed to people working in Mori offices.
The survey found that 85% workers in their 20s see such “informal communication” as important. By comparison, only 24% of workers over the age of 50 responded that it is “important”, with 47% seeing it as “somewhat important.”
New recruits at an admission ceremony for Toyota. Casual Friday is still a dream for most corporate employees.
Workers in their 20s stated they value communicating with coworkers outside of the office because they can “get new information” (59%), and because it can “improve the work atmosphere in the office” (34%). 70% of workers in their 20s said they would like to increase opportunities to informal communication with coworkers.
Mori Building has begun organizing activities to give workers a chance to meet up outside of the office, such as the “Mori Cup” a soccer tournament for teams of people working in Mori Offices.