Improvement Methods for Work Motivation in Telework

Teleworking spread rapidly with the spread of COVID-19 infection at the end of 2019. However, negative opinions about teleworking, such as “motivation to work has decreased,” have also become apparent. It is expected that telework will continue even after COVID-19 ends, given the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s projects to promote telework and constant requests for its continuation. In order to sustain telework in the future, it is crucial to address negative opinions about telework, especially regarding work motivation. This paper proposes a method to increase work motivation for telework. Specifically, a questionnaire survey was conducted among teleworking companies, the results were analyzed, and work motivation enhancement methods were proposed and evaluated. The survey revealed problems such as poor communication and reduced physical activity. The main improvement methods identified were “regular 1-on-1 meetings” and “physical exercise”, etc. These methods are expected to contribute to the promotion of sustainable telework.