Japan Business Insurance Now Covers Rogue Staff

While customer abuse, workplace bullying, and viral employee pranks create headaches for Japanese companies, insurance firms are digging up new business opportunities, offering fresh products to better guard enterprises against such risks, Tomohiro Tsujimoto reported for Mainichi Shimbun.

Photo Insert: Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. offers a particular insurance plan for businesses to protect them from such disruptive behavior.

Problem cases in Japan include one where a convenience store worker climbed inside a freezer and posted the image on social media, and an incident in which a part-time restaurant worker served dishes using food waste and posted the video online.

Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. offers a special insurance plan for businesses to protect them from such nuisance behavior.

The special coverage is optional under "Business Master Plus," a comprehensive insurance plan for small and medium-sized firms that covers equipment failure and labor accidents.

The special plan additionally covers costs to replace equipment due to workers' misconduct and damage arising from the suspension of operations in such cases.

Damage from "customer harassment," where workers face abuse or unreasonable demands from customers and clients, is also covered under the plan. Such harassment sometimes leads to employees leaving their jobs.

According to a labor ministry survey conducted in October 2020, customer harassment accounted for 19.5% of staff complaints fielded by companies, after power harassment at 48.2%, and sexual harassment at 29.8%.

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The ministry guidelines call on companies to take measures against these forms of abuse.

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