From April 1st, small and medium-sized enterprises are obliged to set up a consultation desk to prevent power harassment such as bullying and harassment in the workplace.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare defines power harassment as "causing mental and physical pain beyond the proper scope of work", and
specific actions include
"physical attacks" such as hitting and kicking. , ▽
It shows 6 types
such as "mental attack" that repeats severe rebuke for a long time .
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 608 people were certified as industrial accidents in 2020 for depression, etc., and the reason for this was that "power harassment from bosses" was the most common at over 16%, and they were forced to commit suicide. There is also a case.
Under these circumstances, measures to prevent power harassment such as bullying and harassment in the workplace were obligatory for small and medium-sized enterprises from April 1, following large enterprises.
Specifically, after clarifying the content of power harassment and what should not be done, disseminating it in the workplace, establishing a system such as setting up a consultation desk, and confirming the fact of power harassment, the act was performed. We oblige our employees to respond properly.
Disadvantageous treatment such as dismissing an employee who consulted about power harassment is prohibited.
The Labor Bureau gives guidance to companies that have neglected necessary measures, and if it is malicious, such as if it still does not improve, the company name can be announced.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare says, "We would like to continue to inform companies about the law that requires measures to prevent power harassment. We would like to support companies that are taking measures such as providing materials necessary for training in the workplace."
The highest number of consultations between labor and management such as power harassment for 9 consecutive years
Of the consultations between labor and management that were sent to labor bureaus nationwide in fiscal 2020, more than 79,000 cases of bullying and harassment in the workplace, including power harassment, were received.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has established an "individual labor dispute resolution system" in which a committee made up of lawyers, etc., mediates solutions to solve problems between labor and management, and the director of the Labor Bureau gives guidance.
In fiscal 2020, 278,778 consultations were received at the counters of this system, which were set up at labor bureaus nationwide.
Of these, 79,190 cases of bullying and harassment in the workplace, including power harassment, accounted for 22.8% of the total, the highest number for the ninth consecutive year.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said, "We believe that the number of consultations from workers is on the rise due to increased awareness of power harassment. From April, we will inform small and medium-sized enterprises that measures to prevent power harassment are obligatory. At the same time, we would like to take thorough measures, such as providing guidance to companies that violate the rules. "
A series of consultations at the telephone consultation desk set up by a lawyer
The telephone counseling service provided by the Japan Labor Lawyers, which is made up of lawyers who are familiar with labor issues, receives many consultations on power harassment, etc., and the number of consultations in the last year reached about 500.
Power harassment consultations stand out in cases where bosses and others are screaming or ranting, and the consultation records heard by lawyers are "incompetent," "obtrusive, don't need tomorrow," and "you're hiring." There are many words that I don't mind, such as "I didn't."
At the telephone consultation held on March 29, there was a consultation about power harassment, such as "I made a discriminatory remark from my boss", and a lawyer listened to the content and gave advice on future measures. rice field.
Sodai Suzuki, a lawyer of the Japan Labor Lawyer, said, "When I receive a telephone consultation, I feel that there are many cases where power harassment occurs because measures are not catching up with small and medium-sized enterprises with a small number of employees." I am.
On top of that, "While remote work has spread due to the infection control of the new corona, it will be difficult to communicate like we have done face-to-face, and human relationships will worsen, which may lead to troubles. There is also concern that the damage caused by power harassment on the network will increase, such as being scorned by the boss in the chat used by the employees of the company. "
Small and medium-sized enterprises promoting measures to prevent power harassment
There is a growing movement to take measures to prevent power harassment.
A real estate company with about 50 employees in Itabashi-ku, Tokyo has amended work rules, etc. to clearly state the prohibition of power harassment and stipulate strict measures, as well as a system to accept consultations on power harassment from employees. It was maintained.
Also, in March, we held a training on power harassment measures for managers for the first time, showed what kind of words and actions correspond to power harassment, and said that it is important to give instructions based on the individuality of employees.
A male employee in his thirties said, "From a younger age, a little word from my boss can cause atrophy, so if measures such as rule development and training are taken, I can work with peace of mind."
On the other hand, some of the trained managers said, "It's hard to understand where the power harassment comes from, and it's hard to talk to subordinates," and I feel that it's difficult to take measures.
In addition, since the number of people working from home is increasing due to the corona harassment, communication between employees is less than before, communication between employees is limited to letters and voices, it is difficult to convey intentions, and communication between employees cannot be seen from the surroundings. Since it is difficult to notice power harassment, we believe that power harassment is likely to occur and that the damage may become more serious.
Therefore, in the meeting to discuss measures against power harassment, there is an opinion that it is better to record as much as possible so that it will remain as evidence when having a meeting with the online conference system, and cases of power harassment that are likely to occur during telework. There was an opinion that it is necessary to inform about such things in the training.
Hiroyuki Hara, Managing Director of a real estate company, said, "There are still issues, but I think that measures to prevent power harassment are important in terms of preventing employee turnover and hiring, so I would like to continue to work on them."
Issues such as low awareness of managers From private questionnaires
There are voices pointing out issues such as low awareness of managers in advancing measures to prevent power harassment.
From November to December last year, En Japan, a comprehensive human resources service company, conducted a questionnaire survey via the Internet and received responses from 497 companies.
According to this, 84% (416 companies) answered that they "know" about the "Power Harassment Prevention Law" that obliges small and medium-sized enterprises to take measures from April, an increase of 7 points from the 2020 survey. I did.
66% of companies answered that they are taking measures against power harassment.
45% of companies have less than 50 employees, but 90% of companies have more than 1000 employees, and companies with more employees are more likely to take measures.
In addition, when asked about specific measures in multiple answers,
▽ "Establish a consultation desk in-house" was the most common at 80%,
followed by
▽ "Establish penal provisions in work rules" at 56%.
On the other hand, when asked about the issues in advancing countermeasures in multiple answers,
▽ "Low awareness and understanding of power harassment by managers" was 55%
▽ "The standards and boundaries of power harassment are ambiguous" was 43%
. rice field.
According to the questionnaire, "Even if there is power harassment by managers, the awareness of managers who can be careful is low and it is difficult to deter. It is said that it is natural in the old days." It is difficult to draw a clear line because of the problem of consciousness. "