Half of power harassment victims in Japan reluctantly accept it: survey

TOKYO -- Two out of three young and mid-career employees in Japan have been victims of power harassment, and half of them have reluctantly accepted it, a survey conducted by Workport Inc., a Tokyo-based staffing service provider, has shown.

The questionnaire was conducted from March 13 to 21, targeting men and women in their 20s to 40s registered with Workport's service, and 661 people responded. The ratio of people who said they had been victims of power harassment reached 65.5%, around the same level as the 66.6% in the 2022 survey and the 65.2% in 2023.

The most common form of victimization, with multiple answers permitted, was "verbal abuse and insults" at 78.5%, followed by "undervaluing abilities and not recognizing achievements" at 44.3%, and "imposition of excessive or harsh work" at 37.2%. "Sexual or physical discrimination or harassment" was at 9.9% and "assault or injury" was at 4.8%.

On the other hand, the most common response to power harassment was to "put up with it without talking to anyone" at 46.4%. Some 59.1% of the respondents said that the "problem wasn't solved" by seeking help from their superiors, co-workers, or consultation services, far more than the 12% who said that the problem was resolved. Some 55.7% of the respondents answered that their employers were not taking measures to prevent power harassment, an increase from last year's survey.

A law to prevent power harassment was enacted for large companies in 2020, and it was expanded to include small and medium-sized companies in 2022, making preventive measures mandatory. A representative from Workport commented, "In most cases, even if measures are being taken, they are not working. To prevent these measures from becoming mere skeletons, it is necessary to take steps to protect victims, such as the intervention of external organizations."

(Japanese original by Shu Furukawa, Business News Department)