R&D PROJECTS

Project Overview

Changes in work styles during the COVID-19 pandemic increased the risk of isolation and loneliness among workers

The increase in interpersonal distance, the spread of telework, and the progress in digital transformation (DX) during the COVID-19 pandemic made the work style of workers more autonomous and decentralized, resulting in reduced communication in companies and organizations. This trend is expected to continue further in the post-COVID-19 era. New work patterns are also emerging, such as working in metaverse offices. Amid the spread of these new work styles, there is an increasing risk of workers falling into an “isolated” state disconnected from social networks or subjectively falling into a state of “loneliness.” This situation negatively impacts companies and organizations, causing reduced productivity and increased turnover.

Establish the concept and tools for “Connected Workplace for Worker Well-being” and aim for their social implementation

This project will study the conceptual framework of “Connected Workplace for Worker Well-being” through stakeholder meetings and interviews with representatives of management, labor unions, human resources, occupational health professionals, and the government. In addition, we will clarify the mechanism of the occurrence of worker isolation and loneliness by organizing/integrating relevant theories of psychology, business administration, medicine, and information engineering, conducting interview surveys of displaced workers, foreign workers, and other minority workers, and through social network experiments. We will also develop evaluation indicators by analyzing the relationship between organizational characteristics of companies/workplaces and the risk of isolation and loneliness. We will study evaluation indicators to detect early signs of isolation and loneliness by collecting data over time, such as employee location information, the use status of online communication tools, and communication behavior in metaverse offices. Furthermore, to prevent isolation and loneliness in workplaces, we will develop 1) measures at an organizational level, 2) education for supervisors, and 3) programs for individuals, conducting effectiveness evaluation and demonstration experiments to spread and implement them in society.

Q&A

Please tell us more about the social vision this project aims to achieve for the primary prevention of social isolation and loneliness.

What we call a “Connected Workplace for Worker Well-being” is a workplace where diverse workers are respected as colleagues and can play active roles without falling into isolation and loneliness. These workplaces are important not only for workers but also for companies and organizations. we aim to create a society where workers can actively work without falling into isolation and loneliness by getting companies/organizations nationwide to embrace and spread the concept of “Connected Workplace for Worker Well-being,” from which both workers and companies/organizations can benefit.

What are the biggest challenges (bottlenecks) in achieving the social vision above?

The challenge is how we can get companies and organizations nationwide to understand the importance of the “Connected Workplace for Worker Well-being” and embrace it after completing this project. We believe it is practical to spread this concept in connection with business frameworks such as human capital management and “Business and Human Rights.” Also, some workers may want to stay alone. Another challenge for us is finding a way to get such workers to participate in the initiative of “Connected Workplace for Worker Well-being” while respecting individual workers’ values and choices.

Participating/Cooperating Institutions

• The University of Tokyo, Keio University, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, Waseda University, Kyushu University, Yokohama City University, Konan University, Quare C Cube Co., Ltd., Nagoya University, Japan Productivity Center, Fujitsu General Limited, Okamura Corporation, SB Atwork Corp., oVice Co., Ltd., Plus Eye, Cancer Solutions, and others.

Report

• FY2022 Research and Development Report (Japanese) (PDF: 676KB)

Project Website and Others

• The Connected Workplace for Worker Well-being: Social Implementation of Inclusive Organizations to Prevent Social Isolation and Loneliness