Japanese firms to offer telework to ease traffic jams during 2020 Games

Welcome to the early 21st century!

Out of 8 million commuters per day, a few thousand is not going to make a huge difference. These large corporations can afford to have their people take these steps, but the middle and small sized companies are far from able to cope with it or give their people the time off.

It's going to be hell in Tokyo around the Olympics, and I feel sorry for those who are going to have to deal with it!

why so many changes for a 2 week event nobody will remember the day after its over?

How will they do it? I promise you it will look like CCTV cameras in people's homes with someone monitoring everyone.

I foresee this initiative having about the same impact as Premium Friday.

I'm glad to see the move toward flexible work options in Japan.

I'm disappointed that it's going to be temporary, and only because of the Olympics.

Please let this last more than next summer.

Don't make social changes for international spectators, make social changes because your citizens are working themselves to death in Tokyo skyscrapers every day.

It's very good. The summer in Tokyo is extremely hot and humid. Everyone will enjoy to work at home. And sometimes Olympics on home TV will be available.

Here let me fix that ya: "Japanese firms to offer telework and joins the rest of the world from 2005 to ease all the wasted time at work that where nothing really gets done, but only for one month because drones can't live long outside the hive"

yoshi - It's very good. The summer in Tokyo is extremely hot and humid. 'Everyone' will enjoy to work at home. 

Everyone? This refers to a few thousand people only. There will be 650,000 extra peak-hour commuters in the Tokyo area every day. Nobody will notice any reduction in vehicular traffic on the roads or human traffic on public transport.

Right approach. That is why 5G is so important. Unfortunately, Japan missed the golden opportunity to work with China on this vcital technology.

Do they pay the electricity bill for the house, computer, aircon etc?

If it's god enough toe telecommute for the sake of the Olympics, it's good enough to do now and after the Olympics for the sake of the workers.

I foresee this initiative having about the same impact as Premium Friday.

Underrated comment of the day shown above.

This works until management wants a meeting and most people are supposedly working from home. What about a meeting via cam you say? Then management finds out people are out running personal errands instead of at home telecommuting. It only works for a short period of time and then it's cancelled and everyone is back to the office permanently.

Will be difficult to execute those daily or weekly "teirei" meetings Japanese companies love so much.

They will have to make up the time spent at home in the remaining months of the year. It's just the way it is.

Won't happen. Mark my words.

The belief is too deeply ingrained that being seen doing nothing in silence, with an earnest look on your face in a fluorescent-lit, overheated office for 14 hours a day is the same thing as being busy .

The Olympics will be hell for those of us who live here, and we will be paying for them for the rest of our lives. As soon as the show packs up, the economy will tank when the bills arrive. Good luck working from home then - if you're not putting in the face time, you aren't a hard-o waaakaaa.

The lengths they are going to for this two week sporting event are quite extraordinary to witness.

I'm glad to see the move toward flexible work options in Japan.

For a two week period next year? Right. Once the Olympics are over, it's going to be "back to normal" plus 100 "extra" hours per month to make up for all the missed office time!

Just wait, going to hear the stories of people working "extra" because their businesses gave them these flexible hours during the games, out of a desire to cooperate with Abe!

The last 10 or so years of my professional life, I worked remotely. I have not heard the word, telework before but I'm certain it will require long, unproductive hours spent justifying why you are not in the office spending long, unproductive hours there.

So, less than a sixth of the number of the incoming tourists alone, forgetting about the 8 million regular commuters, will MAYBE be able to stay home and work from there. Meaning it will only be about 560,000 more than now. Great! Oh my god this is going to be such a failure.

A strict carpooling ordinance for rush hours from the government would go a lot further.

Norman Goodman: "A strict carpooling ordinance for rush hours from the government would go a lot further."

Yes and no. Would help with the streets, but would worsen the situation on trains, since a lot of people don't like carpooling and would rather use public transport.

I've been applying for some jobs in Denmark (from London) that could easily be done online (I have a Danish card that allows me to work there)..Nope, they're not interested. 'You have to be in the building'. It's pretty stupid really in today's technological age. Still..hey ho! One day!

This story is also in today's Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/16/thousands-of-tokyo-commuters-told-to-work-from-home-to-avoid-olympic-crush

I'm more interested in seeing how Tokyo functions around and during this time more than the actual games. There is definitely a lot of head shaking as well as hype building up to it.