Online productivity in the Japanese workplace: The role of work formats, task types, and remuneration systems

The rapid expansion of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted extensive research on remote work practices. However, the implications of telework for productivity across different task types and work formats remain under-explored. This study investigates how perceived productivity in an online environment varies by (1) work formats (individual vs. group), (2) task types (routine vs. creative) and (3) remuneration systems (seniority-based vs. performance-based), with a focus on the Japanese workplace. Drawing on a stratified survey of 500 employees across diverse industries, we examine comparative perceptions of online versus face-to-face productivity. Our findings reveal three key patterns. First, online productivity is significantly lower for group work than for individual work. Second, within group format, creative tasks are associated with lower perceived productivity compared to routine ones. Third, organizations operating under seniority-based wage system report consistently lower online productivity than those using performance-based system. Together, these findings point to a “telework dilemma,†wherein employees value telework but perceive it to be less effective—especially for collaborative, creative tasks—under traditional organizational structures. The study contributes to the literature on virtual work and organizational design by identifying structural and task-related contingencies that shape the effectiveness of remote work.