Relationship Between Infection or Close Contact With COVID-19 and Workplace Mistreatment Among Japanese Workers

Objective: Discriminatory treatment against those with emerging infection is a long-standing problem. The present study investigates whether workers infected or in close contact with COVID-19 were susceptible to workplace mistreatment during the pandemic in Japan. Methods: This Internet-based cross-sectional study analyzed a total of 18,170 workers aged 20 to 60 years in Japan in December 2020. Odds ratios (ORs) for workplace mistreatment were estimated. Results: For workers with close contact or infection, ORs for workplace mistreatment in a model adjusted for socioeconomic factors were 7.64 (95% CI: 5.52-10.6, P < 0.001) and 10.7 (95% CI: 8.44-13.6, P < 0.001), respectively. Conclusions: Workers with infection or close contact were significantly more likely to experience workplace mistreatment. Actions against workplace mistreatment for workers with emerging infection are still required.