The 8,000-strong workplace to get increased commuter budget of JPY150,000 per worker
Yahoo Japan will be giving their employees the freedom to work from anywhere in the country starting this April, according to reports, at the same time increasing the commuting budget for every employee per month. In a report from Bloomberg, the 8,000-strong workplace will be getting an increased commuter budget of JPY150,000 per worker, lifting the company' previous daily cap.
Employees will also get the luxury of getting flown in to work using a plane if they are required to report to the workplace, according to a company statement. Yahoo has been giving its staff a remote work option since 2014, reports said, but the option to commute using a plane is a new perk for employees.
Kentaro Kawabe, president of SoftBank Group's Z Holdings where Yahoo Japan is unit, said on Twitter that 90% of their employees working from home did not report any changes to their performance. This is why they expanded their remote work options to staff, he added.
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However, the executive clarified that he is not denying the power of the office, which is why made it possible for employees to travel by plane in case they need to report on-site. According to him instead of keeping staff at the office, they are focusing on improving the well-being of workers as well as the motivation and creativity that come out of it.
In addition, in-person communication will still be pushed, with social gatherings to be subsidised by JPY5,000 per employee a month. The move from Yahoo is a shift from other companies that are attempting to bring back employees on-site, a move that has been blocked once again by the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan has reported 10,000 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, according to Xinhua News Agency, adding that this is the first time that new infections reached such heights since September.
