82.6% Say 'Dirty Toilets', 31.5% Actually Quit: Survey of 409 Reveals Features of 'Unwanted Offices' Even with Good Pay and Work

"The work and salary are fine. But I never want to go back to that office" — This survey revealed that a staggering 86.8% of people have had such an experience. Tokyo Office Check (https://www.office-check.co.jp/), operated by Property Design Inc., a provider of office relocation and rental brokerage services, conducted an internet survey of 409 working men and women in their 20s to 60s across Japan on the topic of "Features of an office you don't want to work in, even if you have no complaints about the work or salary."

Regarding hygiene issues, the most frequently cited reason for not wanting to work was "dirty toilets" at a striking 82.6%. In terms of atmosphere, "presence of old customs and a vertical society" (68.5%) and "a harsh atmosphere that makes it hard to talk to people" (65.5%) topped the list, indicating that not only the physical environment but also the office's ambiance leads to a strong aversion. Furthermore, 31.5% said they "actually quit" due to the office environment, and combined with those who "seriously considered it" (19.6%), a total of 51.1% have seriously considered or executed leaving a job, highlighting that the office environment can be a direct trigger for turnover even in otherwise good jobs.

■ Survey Overview
Survey Period: April 11, 2026 - April 25, 2026
Survey Method: Internet survey
Survey Target: Men and women in their 20s to 60s nationwide
Valid Responses: 409 (144 men, 265 women)

■ Survey Results Summary
- 86.8% answered that they have felt like not wanting to work due to the office environment, even without complaints about work or salary.
- Top dissatisfaction with location/commute: 1st "Far from station" (51.6%), 2nd "Route with terrible rush hour" (50.4%)
- Top dissatisfaction with interior/facilities: 1st "Building or interior is old and dark" (60.1%), 2nd "No windows, feeling of confinement" (56.7%)
- Top dissatisfaction with cleanliness/hygiene: 1st "Dirty toilets" (82.6%), the highest value across all items.
- Top dissatisfaction with atmosphere/vibe: 1st "Presence of old customs and a vertical society" (68.5%)
- "Actually quit": 31.5%, "Seriously considered it": 19.6% — a total of 51.1% have seriously considered or executed leaving a job.

■ About Respondent Demographics
409 men and women in their 20s to 60s responded to this survey. By gender, 64.8% were female and 35.2% male. By age group, those in their 30s were the largest group at 37.4%, followed by those in their 40s at 27.6% and those in their 20s at 18.1%, with the working-age population forming the core. By occupation, regular employees were the largest group at 44.0%, followed by part-time workers (25.4%) and freelancers (12.2%). Regarding office attendance frequency, "5 days a week or more" was the most common at 47.4%, making this a survey primarily of people who commute to the office daily.

[Gender Breakdown]
Female: 64.8% (265)
Male: 35.2% (144)

[Age Group Breakdown]
20s: 18.1% (74)
30s: 37.4% (153)
40s: 27.6% (113)
50s: 12.7% (52)
60s: 4.2% (17)

[Occupation Breakdown]
Regular Employee: 44.0% (180)
Part-time/Arbeit: 25.4% (104)
Freelancer: 12.2% (50)
Temporary Staff: 6.8% (28)
Contract Employee: 5.4% (22)
Self-employed: 3.7% (15)
Other: 1.5% (6)
Commissioned Employee: 1.0% (4)

[Job Type Breakdown]
Clerical: 29.6% (121)
Other: 17.4% (71)
Service: 11.2% (46)
Professional (e.g., lawyer, civil servant): 10.3% (42)
Customer Service: 9.3% (38)
IT Engineer: 6.8% (28)
Creator: 5.9% (24)
Sales: 5.1% (21)
Marketing: 3.2% (13)
Retail: 0.7% (3)
Planning: 0.5% (2)

Regarding office attendance frequency, "5 days a week or more" was the most common at 47.4% (194). 22.0% (90) were fully remote, providing perspectives from both those who experience the office directly and those drawing on past experiences.

[Attendance Frequency Breakdown]
5+ days/week: 47.4% (194)
Fully Remote (no office attendance): 22.0% (90)
3 days/week: 14.4% (59)
4 days/week: 8.3% (34)
2 days/week: 3.9% (16)
Few times a month: 2.4% (10)
1 day/week: 1.5% (6)

■ Q6. 86.8% have felt like not wanting to work due to office environment even with good conditions
When asked, "Have you ever felt like not wanting to work due to the office environment, even if you had no complaints about your work content or salary?", 86.8% (355 people) answered "Yes." This shows that over 80% have lost motivation to work due to the physical and psychological environment of the office, rather than compensation.

[Response Breakdown]
Yes: 86.8% (355)
No: 13.2% (54)

■ Q7. Location/Commute Issues: 1st "Far from station" (51.6%), 2nd "Rush hour commute" (50.4%)
Regarding "Features of an office's location and commute that make you not want to work" (multiple answers), "Far from station" ranked first at 51.6%, and "Route with terrible rush hour" ranked second at 50.4%, with about half citing the burden of commuting itself as a reason for not wanting to work. These were followed by "Bad security" (40.3%) in third place and "Only bus access" (37.4%) in fourth, highlighting that inconvenient access directly damages the desire to come to the office.

Free-text responses included cases like, "If I missed the shuttle bus from the nearest station, I had to walk up and down a slope for 30 minutes one way because the office was near a hill. I walked so much just to get to work that I was already tired before starting physical labor" (female, 20s). Many comments also mentioned, "The packed train was tough, and I also had to walk a long way from the station, which made me hate it" (female, 40s), showing that the accumulation of commuting burden leads to an overall aversion to the workplace.

[Location/Commute Feature Breakdown (Percentage of Respondents)]
Far from station: 51.6% (211)
Route with terrible rush hour: 50.4% (206)
Bad security: 40.3% (165)
Only bus access: 37.4% (153)
Dark town atmosphere: 25.9% (106)
Convenience store is far: 22.2% (91)
No restaurants nearby: 18.6% (76)
Nothing in particular: 9.5% (39)