From October next year, in Japan, companies must record and record conversations, request evictions, and ban access to customers who are “gapjil,” and report them to the police if they are guilty. If a company does not properly deal with “customer abuse,” the government will provide guidance and recommendations for correction and even disclose the company’s name.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 10th, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced guidelines including specific examples and corporate countermeasures to prevent “customer abuse.”
Customer overuse means harming the working environment of workers with words and actions that are beyond the permissible range according to social norms.
The revised Labor Policy Comprehensive Promotion Act, enacted in June earlier, imposed an obligation to prevent customer abuse. Previously, there was an obligation to prevent “workplace harassment” or “sexual harassment,” but it did not include any information on customer abuse. There is no criminal punishment regulation in the amendment, but if a company does not have a response system, it will receive administrative guidance. The amendment will take effect in October next year.
Ahead of its implementation, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare prepared specific guidelines to prevent customer overwhelming and presented them to a subcommittee of the Labor Policy Council held on the same day.
The guidelines specified acts of threatening to post malicious evaluations on the Internet, such as social media, hidden cameras, and unauthorized filming as typical examples of customer bullying.
It also mentioned that spitting at employees or making sexual demands, persistent repetition of the same question, and making insulting comments regarding sexual orientation or gender identity can be included in customer abuse.
As countermeasures that companies should take, not leaving the response to only one employee, and recording and recording conversations with customers were mentioned. Even if the customer explains enough, if repeated requests continue, it is recommended to request eviction or terminate the phone. Acts that constitute crimes, such as assault, injury, and intimidation, must be reported to the police.
In the case of malicious customers, warnings were sent or prohibited from entering were cited as examples. If the corporate response to customer abuse is insufficient, the government provides corrective guidance and recommendation, and if the company does not comply, the company name can be disclosed.
On the other hand, objectively, it stipulated that actions within the acceptable range of social norms do not correspond to customer abuse at the customer’s legitimate request.
EJ SONG
US ASIA JOURNAL
