Contrary to "power harassment," a term for abusive behavior by superiors in Japanese workplace culture, "white harassment" — the idea that excessive consideration toward subordinates can also constitute harassment — is emerging as a new workplace issue.
According to the Sankei Shimbun, a growing perception is spreading through corporate Japan that "white harassment" occurs when superiors, overly conscious of their subordinates' workload, withhold important tasks or minimize their assignments, ultimately depriving them of opportunities for growth.
In Japan, the prefix "hara," taken from the beginning of the English word "harassment," is attached to various types of workplace harassment. Harassment that abuses a superior's authority is called "power harassment," sexual harassment is "seku-hara" (sexual harassment), and abusive behavior by customers is "kasu-hara" (customer harassment). When a subordinate harasses a superior, the term "reverse power harassment" is also used.
Now, "white harassment" — referring to behavior that limits an employee's growth opportunities through excessive consideration — has emerged as well, drawing attention as a new type of workplace harassment.
In a survey conducted last December by Japanese job information company Mynavi of 1,446 full-time employees in their 20s to 50s who had joined their companies as mid-career hires within the past year, 13.6% of respondents said they had experienced white harassment. The proportion who said they were familiar with the term white harassment also reached 57%, with the highest awareness among those in their 30s at 61%.
Specific examples included accounts such as "A senior colleague handled all the work I was supposed to do in advance" and "I was told to leave at the regular time even though my work was not finished." While the intent was to reduce workload, the employees themselves felt they had lost opportunities to gain experience.
Employees who experienced white harassment also showed a high intention to change jobs. Among those who had experienced it, 71.4% said they were considering changing jobs within the next year, 23.3 percentage points higher than the 48.1% among those who had not.
Experts analyzed that dissatisfaction can grow when an employee's desire for growth clashes with a superior's consideration. An official at a career management research firm explained, "When a gap arises between the desire to grow and thrive within an organization and the consideration from those around you, employee satisfaction can decline."
An official at another human resources management company said, "The recent atmosphere of strictly managing working hours has actually backfired, and there are cases where employees with a strong desire for growth continue working in secret, without their company's knowledge."
Companies are also taking action. Beverage manufacturer Suntory Holdings, viewing that behavior showing excessive consideration for subordinates can harm employees' growth opportunities against its intent, is reportedly conducting in-house training to prevent it.
Meanwhile, Japan has been enforcing the so-called "Power Harassment Prevention Act," which mandates the prevention of and response to workplace harassment, starting with large companies in 2020 and expanding to all companies from 2022. The revised Labor Policy Comprehensive Promotion Act defines workplace harassment as including not only physical and psychological attacks but also ostracism, imposing excessive workloads, giving instructions unrelated to work, and invasion of privacy.
