JP7717481B2 - Start and end of work shifts Work shift question server device - Google Patents

Description

This invention conducts a survey on work conditions, particularly mood, under so-called teleworking conditions.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many companies adopted the teleworking work style. Teleworking was thought to be a relatively stress-free way of working, as it allows employees to work from home or any other location of their choice using a device. However, around the time teleworking was introduced and became commonplace in many companies, survey results showed that the number of people experiencing stress increased. The cause of this is still unclear, but it has come to be considered important to pay attention to the physical and mental state of teleworking employees when carrying out teleworking.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-201055

Patent Document 1 describes a map information distribution system that includes a telephone terminal that transmits map request information for a destination location and outputs the transmitted map information in response, a directory assistance server that outputs the telephone number of the destination location based on the map request information, and a map information transmission server that transmits map information based on the telephone number.

However, during online meetings, it was difficult to discuss topics other than those on the agenda, making it difficult to understand and care for the physical and mental state of employees.

In light of these issues, the present invention aims to develop a work-time question server device that can understand and care for the physical and mental state of employees.

Specifically, the present invention provides a work time question server device having a timing unit, a work information reception unit that receives work information, which is information that associates work input, which is one or more of the inputs of start of work, end of work, and during work, with employee identification information and the time on the timing unit, a work information storage unit that stores the received work information, a question storage unit that stores questions that require a choice of answer when the work information is received, a question output unit that outputs the stored questions when the work information is received, a selection result acquisition unit that acquires selection results, which are information that associates choice identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions with employee identification information, and a selection result storage unit that stores the acquired selection results.

The system also provides a work-time question server device that further has an association unit that associates the selection results with the work information that caused the question that resulted in the selection results to be output.

In addition to the above features, the present invention also provides a work time question server device that further includes a work information statistical processing unit that performs statistical processing of multiple pieces of work information in chronological order.

In addition to the above features, the present invention also provides a work-time question server device that further includes a selection result statistical processing unit that performs statistical processing of multiple selection results in a time series.

In addition to the above features, the present invention also provides a work time question server device that further has a work selection result statistical processing section that performs statistical processing of associated work information and selection results in time series.
The present invention further provides the following inventions.
A timing step;
a work information receiving step of receiving work information that associates work input, which is input of one or more of start of work, end of work, and during work, with employee identification information and the time of the timing unit;
a work information accumulation step for accumulating the received work information;
A question item holding step for holding questions for which answers are to be selected from options when accepting work information;
a question output step for outputting the stored questions when accepting work information;
a selection result acquisition step for acquiring a selection result that is information in which option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions is associated with employee identification information;
a selection result accumulation step of accumulating the acquired selection results;
The present invention provides a method for operating a work-time question server device that is a computer having the above functions.
Based on the above operating method, we provide an operating method for a work time question server device that is a computer that further includes an association step of associating the selection result with the work information that caused the question item that resulted in the selection result to be output.
We provide an operating method for a work time question server device that is a computer that further comprises a work information statistical processing step that performs statistical processing of multiple pieces of work information in time series based on the above operating method.
Based on the above-mentioned operation method, there is provided an operation method for a work-time question server device which is a computer further comprising a selection result statistical processing step for statistically processing a plurality of selection results in time series.
An operating method for a work time question server device that is a computer, further comprising a work selection result statistical processing step that performs statistical processing of associated work information and selection results in time series based on the above operating method.
an employee psychology analysis rule storage step for storing employee psychology analysis rules, which are rules for analyzing the statistical processing results from the psychological aspects of employees, based on the above-mentioned operating method;
The present invention provides an operating method for a work-time question server device that is a computer that further includes a psychology analysis step for analyzing the psychological aspects of employees from the stored employee psychology analysis rules and the results of statistical processing.
Based on the above operation method, a timing step and
a work information receiving step of receiving work information that associates work input, which is input of one or more of start of work, end of work, and during work, with employee identification information and the time of the timing unit;
a work information accumulation step for accumulating the received work information;
A question item holding step for holding questions for which answers are to be selected from options when accepting work information;
a question output step for outputting the stored questions when accepting work information;
a selection result acquisition step of acquiring a selection result that is information in which option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions is associated with employee identification information;
a selection result accumulation step of accumulating the acquired selection results;
The present invention provides an operating program for a work-time question server device, which is written so as to be readable and executable by a work-time question server device that is a computer having the above functions.
Based on the above operating program,
An operating program for a work time question server device that is written in a readable and executable manner on a computer that further has an association step that associates the selection result with the work information that caused the output of the question that resulted in the selection result.
Based on the above operating program,
An operating program for a work time question server device is provided, which is written so as to be readable and executable by a work time question server device, which is a computer that further has a work information statistical processing step that statistically processes multiple pieces of work information in a time series.
Based on the above operating program,
The operating program for the work-time question server device is provided, which is written so as to be readable and executable by the work-time question server device, which is a computer that further has a selection result statistical processing step for statistically processing a plurality of selection results in time series.
Based on the above operating program, we provide an operating program for a work time question server device that is written so as to be readable and executable by a computer that further has a work selection result statistical processing step that performs statistical processing of associated work information and selection results in a time series.
an employee psychology analysis rule storage step for storing employee psychology analysis rules, which are rules for analyzing the statistical processing results from the psychological aspects of employees, based on the operating program;
The operating program for the work-time question server device is written so as to be readable and executable by the work-time question server device, which is a computer that further has a psychological analysis step for analyzing the psychological aspects of employees from the stored employee psychological analysis rules and statistical processing results.

In addition to the above features, the present invention also provides a work-time question server device that further includes an employee psychology analysis rule storage unit that stores employee psychology analysis rules, which are rules for analyzing statistical processing results from the psychological aspects of employees, and a psychology analysis unit that analyzes the psychological aspects of employees based on the stored employee psychology analysis rules and statistical processing results.

<Effects of the invention>
As a result of the above, it has been difficult to discuss topics other than those on the agenda during web conferences, making it difficult to understand and care for the physical and mental state of employees.However, it is now possible to provide a work-time question server device that can conduct surveys on work conditions, particularly mood, under so-called teleworking conditions.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a work-time question server device in the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a work-time question server device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a processing flow when using the work-time question server device in the first embodiment. A diagram showing the interface of the work information reception unit A diagram showing an example of output from the question output section An example of a diagram related to the next question when the answer is "Progressing smoothly" from the output example of the question output section. An explanatory diagram of the timing of questions, from among the output examples of the question output section An example of the output from the question output section shows the frequency of answers to questions. An example of the input screen when "Other" is selected from the output example of the questionnaire output section. Diagram showing a list of questions FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a work-time question server device in embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a work-time question server device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 shows a processing flow when using a work-time question server device in embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a work-time question server device in embodiment 3. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a work-time question server device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a processing flow when using a work-time question server device in embodiment 3. A diagram showing an example of the statistics interface An example of the screen when "Stock Research Department" is selected from the statistical information A diagram showing an example of an interface related to the work rate processed in the work status statistical processing unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a menu for viewing information processed in the work status statistical processing unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a work-time question server device in embodiment 4. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a work-time question server device according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a processing flow when using a work-time question server device in embodiment 4. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the specific contents of a selection result statistical processing unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a fifth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a work-time question server device according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 shows a processing flow when using a work-time question server device in embodiment 5. Work information: A diagram showing the "smooth progress rate" of the selection results during work hours FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a sixth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a work-time question server device according to a sixth embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a processing flow when using a work-time question server device in embodiment 6. A specific example of an analysis of the psychological aspects of employees based on the stored employee psychology analysis rules and statistical processing results.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The relationship between the embodiments and the claims is as follows. The present invention should not be limited to these embodiments and may be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

<Hardware that can constitute the present invention>
The present invention is, in principle, an invention that utilizes an electronic computer, but it can also be realized by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The hardware that realizes all or part of the constituent elements of the present invention is composed of the basic components of a computer, such as a CPU, memory, bus, input/output devices, various peripheral devices, and a user interface. The various peripheral devices include storage devices, internet interfaces, internet devices, displays, keyboards, mice, speakers, cameras, videos, televisions, various sensors for understanding production conditions in laboratories or factories, etc. (flow sensors, temperature sensors, weight sensors, liquid volume sensors, infrared sensors, shipment counting machines, package counting machines, foreign body inspection machines, defective product counters, radiation inspection machines, surface condition inspection machines, circuit inspection machines, human presence sensors, devices for understanding worker work conditions (using video, ID, PC work volume, etc.)), CD devices, DVD devices, Blu-ray devices, USB memory, USB memory interfaces, removable hard disks, general hard disks, projector devices, SSDs, telephones, fax machines, copy machines, printing devices, movie editing devices, various sensor devices, etc.

Furthermore, the present system does not necessarily have to be composed of a single unit; it may be composed of multiple units connected via communication. Communication may be via LAN, WAN Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared communication, or ultrasonic communication, and some of the units may be installed across national borders. Furthermore, each of the multiple units may be operated by a different entity, or it may be operated by a single entity. The system of the present invention may be operated by either a single entity or multiple entities. The invention can also be configured as a system that includes, in addition to the present system, a terminal used by a third party and a terminal used by yet another third party. These terminals may also be installed across national borders. Furthermore, in addition to the present system and the aforementioned terminals, devices may be provided for registering related information about third parties, related persons, and databases for recording registration details. These may be provided within the present system, or the present system may be configured to utilize this information by being installed outside the system.

As shown in Figure 2, a computer consists of a chipset, CPU, non-volatile memory, main memory, various buses, BIOS, various interfaces, a real-time clock, and other components configured on a motherboard. These operate in cooperation with an operating system, device drivers, and various programs. The various programs and data that make up the present invention are configured to efficiently utilize these hardware resources to perform various processes.

Chipset
A "chipset" is a set of large-scale integrated circuits (LSIs) mounted on a computer motherboard that integrates a bridging function, i.e., a communication function between the CPU's external bus and the standard bus that connects memory and peripheral devices. It can be configured as a two-chipset or a single-chipset. The northbridge is located closer to the CPU and main memory, while the southbridge is located farther away and interfaces with relatively slower external I/O.

(Northbridge)
The northbridge includes a CPU interface, memory controller, and graphics interface. Most of the functions of a conventional northbridge can be performed by the CPU. The northbridge is connected to the main memory slot via a memory bus, and to the graphics card slot via a high-speed graphics bus (AGP, PCI Express).

(Southbridge)
The southbridge connects to the PCI interface (PCI slot) via a PCI bus and handles I/O functions such as ATA (SATA), USB, and Ethernet interfaces, as well as sound functions. Incorporating circuits supporting PS/2 ports, floppy disk drives, serial ports, parallel ports, and ISA buses, which do not require or are not capable of high-speed operation, would hinder the speed of the chipset itself. Therefore, these functions can be separated from the southbridge chip and placed in a separate LSI called a super I/O chip. Buses are used to connect the CPU (MPU) to peripheral devices and various control units. Buses are connected by the chipset. The memory bus used to connect to main memory may instead adopt a channel structure for increased speed. A serial bus or a parallel bus can be used as the bus. While a serial bus transfers data one bit at a time, a parallel bus transmits the original data itself or multiple bits extracted from the original data as a single block and simultaneously over multiple communication paths. A dedicated line for the clock signal runs parallel to the data line, synchronizing data demodulation on the receiving side. It is also used as a bus to connect the CPU (chipset) to external devices, and includes GPIB, IDE/(Parallel) ATA, SCSI, PCI, etc. Because there is a limit to how fast it can be increased, in PCI Express, an improved version of PCI, and Serial ATA, an improved version of Parallel ATA, the data line can be a serial bus.

<CPU>
A CPU sequentially reads, interprets, and executes a sequence of instructions called a program stored in main memory, outputting signal-based information to the main memory. The CPU functions as the center of computation within a computer. A CPU consists of a CPU core, which is the center of computation, and its peripheral components, including registers, cache memory, an internal bus connecting the cache memory to the CPU core, a DMA controller, a timer, and an interface with the bus connecting to the north bridge. A single CPU (chip) may have multiple CPU cores. Processing may also be performed by a graphics interface (GPU) or FPU in addition to the CPU.

<Non-volatile memory>
(HDD)
The basic structure of a hard disk drive consists of a magnetic disk, a magnetic head, and an arm on which the magnetic head is mounted. SATA (formerly ATA) can be used as the external interface. A high-performance controller, such as SCSI, is used to support communication between hard disk drives. For example, when copying a file to another hard disk drive, the controller can read the sectors, transfer them to the other hard disk drive, and write them. This does not access the host CPU's memory, which means there is no increase in the CPU load.

<Main memory>
The CPU directly accesses and executes various programs in main memory. Main memory is volatile memory and uses DRAM. Programs in main memory are loaded from non-volatile memory onto main memory upon receiving a program startup command. The CPU then executes the program according to various execution commands and execution procedures within the program.

<<Operating System (OS)>>
An operating system is used to manage the computer's resources so that applications can use them, to manage various device drivers, and to manage the computer itself (the hardware). Small computers sometimes use firmware as their operating system.

≪BIOS≫
The BIOS instructs the CPU to execute procedures for starting up the computer hardware and running the operating system. It is typically the first piece of hardware the CPU reads when it receives a computer startup command. The BIOS contains the address of the operating system stored on disk (non-volatile memory). The BIOS is loaded into the CPU, which then loads the operating system into main memory, placing it into operation. The BIOS also has a check function that checks the presence or absence of various devices connected to the bus. The check results are stored in main memory and made available to the operating system as appropriate. The BIOS may also be configured to check for external devices, etc.

The above is a configuration that is commonly used in the descriptions of hardware configurations in all embodiments in this specification.

<Satisfying the utility of the laws of nature in this invention>
This invention functions through the collaboration of computers, communications equipment, and software. It not only enables ICT to process processes previously performed by project participants in person, but also uses ICT to determine the effectiveness of complex project-related information exchanges, procedures, authentication, and settlements. It also supports the accumulation, retention, and exchange of useful information that fulfills all necessary requirements, which would normally require skilled personnel. Because of this, it qualifies as a business model patent. Furthermore, various identification information, risk information, issue information, and task information are retained and processed in various parts. From this perspective, the claimed invention utilizes a law of nature when resources such as computers are considered based on the matters described in the claims and specification, as well as the common general knowledge related to those matters.

<The significance of utilizing the laws of nature required by patent law>
The Patent Act requires that an invention be industrially applicable and contribute to the development of industry. This requirement ensures that the invention is industrially applicable. In other words, the invention must be industrially useful; that is, the effects of the invention declared in the application must be reproducible with a certain degree of certainty through the practice of the invention. From this perspective, the application of the laws of nature is interpreted as the use of the laws of nature to achieve the functions of each of the invention's defining features (invention elements), which constitute the invention's effects. Furthermore, the effect of an invention is sufficient if it has the potential to provide a specific utility to users who use the invention; it should not be viewed in terms of how users feel or think about that utility. Therefore, even if the effect users gain from this system is a psychological effect, that effect itself does not fall within the scope of the required application of the laws of nature.

<Outline of First Embodiment>
The work-time question server device of this embodiment asks questions to employees not only at the start and end of work, but also during telework, making it possible to more accurately grasp the physical and mental state of employees while they are working.

More specifically, this embodiment provides a work-time question server device that has the functions of receiving a timekeeping unit and work information, which is information that associates work input, which is input of one or more of the following: start of work, end of work, and during work, with employee identification information and the time on the timekeeping unit; storing the received work information; holding questions that prompt employees to select an answer from options when receiving the work information; outputting the questions that have been held when receiving the work information; obtaining selection results, which are information that associates option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions with employee identification information; and storing the obtained selection results.

The following describes the functional configuration, hardware configuration, and processing flow of the work-time question server device in this embodiment.

<Configuration of First Embodiment>
The work time question server device of this embodiment is a work time question server device that has a timing unit, a work information receiving unit, a work information accumulation unit, a question item holding unit, a question item output unit, a selection result acquisition unit, and a selection result accumulation unit.

<Embodiment 1: Brief Description of Functional Block Diagram>
1 is a diagram illustrating the functions of a work time question server device having the above configuration according to embodiment 1. The work time question server device (0100) of this embodiment has a timing unit (0101), a work information reception unit (0102) that receives work information, which is information in which work input, which is one or more of the inputs of start of work, end of work, and during work, is associated with employee identification information and the time on the timing unit, a work information storage unit (0103) that stores the received work information, a question storage unit (0104) that stores questions for which an answer is to be selected from options when receiving work information, a question output unit (0105) that outputs the stored questions when receiving work information, a selection result acquisition unit (0106) that acquires selection results, which are information in which option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions is associated with employee identification information, and a selection result storage unit (0107) that stores the acquired selection results.

<First Embodiment: Description of Configuration>
<Embodiment 1: Description of Configuration: Timekeeping Unit>
The "timekeeping unit" has the function of acquiring time information indicating the time and outputting that time information to the work information receiving unit (described later). The time can be acquired externally or internally, but since a large deviation from standard time can be problematic, it is preferable to configure the system so that time information can be acquired as close to standard time as possible. For example, a timekeeping unit that generates time information internally in principle but accesses accurate external time information at predetermined intervals to correct the deviation is preferable. The external time information acquisition source may be a standard time server, a server that outputs time information from the company where the employee works, or the work time question server device (server of this embodiment). Note that the time information of employees working overseas should use the standard time of their workplace, and corrections may be made by connecting to a standard time server operated by a third party at the workplace. Alternatively, the employee may be configured to acquire the standard time of the workplace corresponding to the work time question server device of this embodiment. This configuration includes a work location selection unit and a standard time output unit that outputs the standard time of the selected work location in response to a request at predetermined intervals from the employee's registered terminal. In addition, if the terminal used by the employee has the function of acquiring geographical information, for example, if the terminal is equipped with a GPS function, the server of this embodiment can acquire GPS information from the terminal and automatically select and output the standard time information for the location determined by the GPS information of the registered terminal.

<Embodiment 1: Description of Configuration: Work Information Receiving Unit>
The "work information receiving unit" is configured to receive work information, which is information associating work input, which is one or more of the following: start of work, end of work, and working hours, with employee identification information and the time of the clock unit. Because teleworking provides a relatively flexible work environment, work start and end times are often flexible. For example, a core time is often established to allow employees to work freely. Therefore, the work start and end times are received to realize an environment in which each employee can freely choose their own start and end times. These two pieces of information are important for labor management and are used to prove that employees are spending the required working hours on work. However, unlike regular attendance work, when employees physically clock in to the office, they are generally physically bound to the workplace once they arrive at the office. However, when employees work from home or other selected work locations, they cannot be physically bound. Therefore, teleworking requires employees to input one or more signals or pieces of information indicating their work status during work hours. Also, as will be described later, questions are posed to the employee and they are asked to answer them, which proves that the employee is not a robot.

<Embodiment 1: Description of Configuration: Work Information Receiving Unit: Work Information>
As mentioned above, "work information" is information that associates work input, employee identification information, and time.

"Work input" refers to one or more of the following inputs: start of work, end of work, and work in progress. These input screens may appear by clicking an icon on the screen of the employee's registered device, or the registered device may be configured to automatically display the input screen at a specified time. In particular, the start of work input screen may be configured to appear, for example, when the device is turned on, based on the time information from the clock. For example, the start of work input screen can be configured to appear if the device is turned on between 6:00 AM and 1:00 PM. End of work input can also be configured to be automatically input based on the device's shutdown operation. Of course, the input screen can also be configured to appear automatically by operating an icon. Even if a user has input that their work is over, there may be situations where they need to return to work due to the need to respond to an emergency. In such cases, an input such as "restart work after work has ended" may be prepared. Other input options may also be available, such as participation in a video conference, going out, traveling, or coming to the office (real, not virtual). These inputs can be selected from a work input selection menu and accepted. Furthermore, since it is not possible to enter "at work" status from the terminal when attending a meeting, going out, traveling, or coming to the office, it is preferable to configure the system to avoid randomly displaying a screen asking whether the user is at work.

The on-duty input screen can also be configured so that it appears when an icon is operated, but it can also be configured so that the screen appears randomly between the start and end of a shift using random numbers or other methods. This configuration makes it possible to collect information on whether an employee is actually working or is actually away from the terminal doing something else. Since employees declare that they are on duty, they must enter the on-duty information that appears randomly, which motivates them to stay at their terminal.

The work time question server device can also be configured to have a work information reception unit interface appearance timing control unit that controls the display timing of the work information reception unit interface, which appears randomly. For example, it can be configured so that the administrator can set the number of times it appears during work hours, the general interval time, and the frequency of appearance depending on the work content. It can also be configured so that the employee can set it as well. The interface of the work information reception unit interface appearance timing control unit can also be configured to be displayed and enabled on the terminal used by the employee.

It would also be preferable to be able to measure the time between when an interface prompting employees to enter information about their work hours is displayed on the employee's terminal screen and when the employee enters information indicating that they are at work. This timing can be understood as the delay time after the interface is launched, and can be used as information on how focused the instructor is on their work. The system can be configured to acquire input about their work hours, including this delay time, and include it in the work information.

<Embodiment 1: Description of Configuration: Work Information Storage Unit>
The "work information storage unit" has the function of storing the received work information. Preferably, the work information is stored in association with employee identification information, which is the employee's identification information, position identification information, which identifies the employee's position in the organization, and department identification information, which identifies the department the employee belongs to within the company where he or she works. If the work-time question server device is a platform used by multiple companies, the information is stored in association with company identification information, which identifies the company. Statistical processing can be performed based on these associations. By statistically processing the start of an employee's shift, the response status to work input during work, and the end of work, information such as the type of work the employee is doing within the company or how the company's characteristics are reflected in comparison with information from multiple companies can be obtained from the statistical processing. Furthermore, statistical processing of the aforementioned delay time can also provide statistical information on employee concentration.
<Embodiment 1: Description of configuration: work information storage unit: storage interval>
The interval at which communication to accumulate work information from the terminal used by the employee to the work time question server device is carried out dynamically when new work information is input. Conversely, it would be a waste of communication resources to have the terminal communicate with the work time question server device to inform it that there is no new work information when no new work information has been input. However, when new work information is input, it is preferable to immediately send that information to the work time question server device so that the information accumulated in the work time question server device is kept up to date.

<Embodiment 1: Description of Configuration: Question Item Storage Unit>
The "questionnaire storage unit" has a function to store questions for which answers are to be selected from options when accepting work information.
Examples of questions include questions asking about the employee's mood at the time, questions asking about the employee's physical condition, questions asking about the employee's lunch plans today, questions asking about the employee's dinner plans today, questions asking about the employee's plans to go out today, questions asking about the employee's meeting plans today, questions asking about the employee's overtime plans today, questions asking about the employee's overtime plans next week, questions asking about the employee's overtime plans this week, questions asking about the employee's overtime plans next month, questions asking about the employee's overtime plans this month, questions asking about the employee's plans to work on a holiday next week, questions asking about the employee's plans to work on a holiday this week, questions asking about the employee's plans to work on a holiday next month, questions asking about the employee's plans to work on a holiday this month, questions asking about the employee's quota for tomorrow, questions asking about the employee's quota for today. Questions asking about the employee's quota for next week, questions asking about the employee's quota for this week, questions asking about the employee's quota for next month, questions asking about the employee's quota for this month, questions asking about the employee's plans for health checkups, questions asking about the employee's plans for detailed examinations, questions asking about the employee's plans for smoking today, questions asking about the employee's plans for drinking today, questions asking about the employee's plans for eating today, questions asking about the employee's plans for taking paid leave, questions asking about the employee's experience of harassment in the workplace, questions asking about the employee's worries, questions asking about the employee's requests to the workplace, questions asking about the employee's plans to participate in events, questions asking about the employee's predicted moods of their colleagues, questions asking about the employee's predicted physical condition of their colleagues, questions asking about the employee's plans for lunch today Questions asking about the employee's colleagues' dinner plans today, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' plans to go out today, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' meeting plans today, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' overtime plans today, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' overtime plans next week, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' overtime plans this week, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' overtime plans next month, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' overtime plans this month, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' holiday work plans next week, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' holiday work plans this week, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' holiday work plans next month, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' holiday work plans this month, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' quota for tomorrow, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' quota for today, questions asking about the employee's colleagues' quota for next week Examples of such questions include, but are not limited to, questions asking about the employee's coworker's schedule, questions asking about the employee's coworker's quota for this week, questions asking about the employee's coworker's quota for next month, questions asking about the employee's quota for this month, questions asking about the employee's coworker's plans for a health checkup, questions asking about the employee's coworker's plans for a detailed examination, questions asking about the employee's coworker's plans for smoking today, questions asking about the employee's coworker's plans for drinking today, questions asking about the employee's coworker's plans for eating today, questions asking about the employee's coworker's plans for taking paid leave, questions asking about whether the employee's coworker has experienced harassment in the workplace, questions asking about whether the employee's coworker has any worries, questions asking about whether the employee's coworker has any requests for the workplace, and questions asking about the employee's coworker's plans to attend events.

Furthermore, in the case of telework, since it is difficult to determine the type of work an employee is currently doing, the system may be configured to allow the employee to select the type of work they are doing. In order to automatically and appropriately output questions regarding the type of work, the system may be configured to associate company identification information with business attribute information indicating the company's business attributes and store it in the company information storage unit, and to associate attribute information (employee attribute information, job position attribute information, department attribute information) with employee identification information, employee position identification information, and department identification information, and to associate this attribute information with job identification information that identifies the type of work, thereby outputting options.

For example, if the company attribute is systems development, jobs such as systems planning, flow design, programming, debugging, and sales would be associated with the attribute. It would also be good to have options common to former employees, such as creating work reports, adjusting schedules, and web conferencing.

<Embodiment 1: Description of Configuration: Question Output Unit 1>
The "questionnaire output unit" has the function of outputting the stored questions when accepting work information. The questions are output in a format where the answer is obtained by selecting from options. This is because processing the selection results requires relatively simple calculations. However, in addition to questions that require answers from options, questions that require answers in free-form may also be added.
Furthermore, the number of questions required for each reception of work information need only be one, and the system can also be configured to ask multiple questions. The multiple questions may be configured to be selected and output depending on the answer to the previous question. This is to obtain more in-depth information from the previous answer. Furthermore, the questions do not necessarily have to be questions consisting of text only, but may also be questions consisting of photographs or pictures. For example, they may be something like a psychological test or an emotional test. For example, a photograph of a seaside landscape on a southern island may be presented, and the question "How do you feel about this landscape?" may be posed. The response options may be, for example, degrees of "refreshing,""brightness,""youth,""transparency,""coolness,""heat,""energy,""dynamism,""tranquility,""freshness,""experience,""immaturity,""success,""victory,""calmness,""nobility,""elegance,""brilliance,""solidity,""lightness,""agileness,""smoothness,""grandeur,""profundity,""motherhood,""fatherhood,""dignity,""strictness,""warmth,""kindness,""strictness,""sense of accomplishment,""satisfaction,""cleanliness,""maturity,""wandering,""stagnation,""storm,""rain,""cloudy,""sunny,""evolution,""progress,""green,""eco,""recycled,""sharp,""mild,""big,""infinite,""eternity,""peace,""security,""safety,""rich,""highspeed,""carefullyselected,""cute,""stylish,""cool,""strong,""soft," or a list of several of these may be displayed, allowing the viewer to select the impression they get from the picture.
Furthermore, the multiple questions output do not necessarily have to be output independently when a single piece of work information is received, but can be configured to be output in association with a question posed during the previous work information input. For example, if the answer selected for the previous question was "I'm tired today," and there was a break after that, a follow-up question such as "Did you recover from fatigue during the break?" could be output as a question when the work information is received during the work shift after the break. Furthermore, questions can be selected not only based on the answer to a question posed by a single employee, but also based on the answers to questions posed to other employees within the same company. Examples of other employees include answers from employees in the same department or employees in other departments closely related to the work. For example, if an employee in a previous process is running late, a question could be asked of the employee in this process, such as, "The previous process is actually behind schedule, but can the delay be made up in this process?"
<Embodiment 1: Description of Configuration: Question Output Unit 2>
The "question output unit" can output questions for each individual worker, but if the worker is part of a group, it can also be configured to output common questions for all group members, with the answers to those common questions serving as a source of information for understanding the working status and psychological state of the group as a whole. For example, by asking all group members the question "How is the progress?", it is possible to understand how the group members as a whole feel about the progress of the tasks assigned to their group.

<Configuration explanation: Selection result acquisition unit>
The "selection result acquisition unit" has the function of acquiring selection results, which are information that associates option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions with employee identification information. It is preferable that the selection results are also configured to be acquired in association with various types of identification information, just like the work information. This is because meaningful information can be acquired later through statistical processing according to the attributes of the associated identification information.

<Embodiment 1: Description of Configuration: Selection Result Storage Unit>
The "selection result storage unit" has the function of storing the acquired selection results. The selection results are associated with various types of identification information as described above, and are statistically processed using information on various attributes to which the various types of identification information are associated, and can be used for various analyses such as the progress of a business or project, whether or not a problem has occurred, the status of problem resolution, the progress of various tasks that make up a project, and the occurrence of new tasks.
It is also important to obtain and organize information such as the psychological state of employees who are teleworking, the degree of accumulated fatigue among employees, and the relationships between employees.

Figure 4 shows the interface of the work information reception unit. In this example, "Kawaguchi Mayumi" has selected "Start of Work" at 14:05 on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. In addition to "Start of Work," other options include "Working," "Break," "End of Work," and "Other." Having users select from predefined options like this facilitates statistical processing and eliminates ambiguous times when it's unclear whether a person is working or on break. Furthermore, when workers work remotely in groups, it's preferable to configure the system so that each member's work status is notified to other members. Since it's inefficient to request a chat with members who aren't working, knowing which workers are working promotes efficient communication, such as chat. Furthermore, it's preferable to configure the system so that calls are made to members who are displayed as working. It is preferable to set up a member status screen that displays a list of member photos and their work status, and if a member's status indicates that they are working, they can communicate directly using their work terminal by clicking on an icon below the photo requesting a chat or a call. It is also effective to further associate indicators that measure each worker's level of busyness or psychological well-being with the photo.

Figure 10 shows a list of questions. As an example, the question information stored in the question information storage unit includes questions such as a question asking about the worker's mood at that time, a question asking about the worker's physical condition, a question asking about the worker's lunch plans for today, a question asking about the worker's dinner plans for today, a question asking about the worker's plans to go out today, a question asking about the worker's meeting plans for today, a question asking about the worker's overtime plans for today, a question asking about the worker's plans to work on a holiday this week, a question asking about the worker's quota for today, a question asking about the worker's plans to undergo a health check, a question asking about the worker's plans to undergo a detailed examination, a question asking about the worker's plans to smoke today, a question asking about the worker's plans to drink today, a question asking about the worker's plans to eat today, a question asking about the worker's plans to take paid leave, a question asking about the presence or absence of harassment in the workplace, a question asking about the presence or absence of worries of the worker, a question asking about the presence or absence of requests of the worker to the workplace, a question asking about the worker's plans to participate in an event, and a question predicting the mood of the worker's colleagues. Questions asking about the health of the working colleague, questions asking about the working colleague's lunch plans for today, questions asking about the working colleague's dinner plans for today, questions asking about the working colleague's plans to go out today, questions asking about the working colleague's meeting plans for today, questions asking about the working colleague's overtime plans for today, questions asking about the working colleague's plans to work on the weekend this week, questions asking about the working colleague's quota for today, questions asking about the working colleague's health checkup plans, questions asking about the working colleague's precision Examples of questions include questions about test plans, questions about the employee's colleagues' smoking plans for the day, questions about the employee's drinking plans for the day, questions about the employee's dining plans for the day, questions about the employee's plans to take paid leave, questions about whether the employee's colleagues have experienced harassment at work, questions about whether the employee's colleagues have any worries, questions about whether the employee's colleagues have any requests for the workplace, and questions about the employee's plans to attend events.

Figure 5 shows an example of the output from the question output unit. For example, a question such as "Please select: How is your teleworking progressing?" regarding the progress of teleworking is output, and the screen displays options such as "Delayed," "Progressing smoothly," "Suspended," and "Completed." The user typically makes a selection from these options.

Figure 6 is an example of the output from the question output section, showing a diagram related to the next question when the answer is "Progressing smoothly." In this example, the content is for "Kawaguchi Mayumi" at "16:20" on "May 18, 2022." By asking the question "This is a question for those whose teleworking is progressing smoothly," users are prompted to select numerical values for "Kawaguchi Mayumi's current progress on all of her tasks today" and "the current progress on all of Kawaguchi Mayumi's parts of the project, including the tasks." This allows for a more precise understanding of how smoothly things are progressing. While whether something is progressing smoothly or not is somewhat subjective for the person in charge, by having them enter the degree of progress on a task-by-task basis, the degree of smoothness can be grasped as an objective numerical value.

Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram of the timing of questions, among the output examples from the questionnaire output section. As a premise, in telework, whether or not people can concentrate on their work, and the degree of this ability, varies depending on the time of day. Moreover, this depends on the individual; some people are most focused at the beginning, others are able to concentrate closer to the end, and still others experience a sudden surge of concentration after some kind of stimulus, such as a client call or an internal meeting. Taking into account the relationship between individual personality and work efficiency, in order to identify optimal work patterns, it is desirable to ask questions at multiple time periods, such as 10:00, 12:00, 1:00, 3:00, and 5:00, rather than at fixed times. In the figure, for Mayuko Kawaguchi, whose normal work hours are from 9:00 to 18:00, questions would be designed to be asked at key time periods, such as the start of work at 10:00, the break at 12:00, the end of the break at 1:00, and the end of work at 6:00. Of course, this is just one example; the idea is that the timing of questions can be freely selected according to intention. Also, the diagram is not necessarily the output interface, but is used for convenience of explanation.

Figure 8 shows the frequency of responses to questions from an example output by the questionnaire output section. In the figure, Kawaguchi Mayumi's work status check system offers options such as "Enter at the start of work," "Enter at least two times during work," "Enter at the start of break," "Enter at the end of work," and "Enter if there's anything else," from which she can choose. The selection is essentially made by the labor management side, and the input results can be used to understand the work situation (progress, etc.) and to determine optimal working hours. Understanding optimal working hours can vary, such as whether someone can concentrate in the morning, when arriving at work, or during periods of concentration (just before a break, just before the end of work, just before a meeting, etc.). In telework, improving and maintaining concentration is important, and this system aims to accurately understand each individual's individuality.

Figure 9 shows an example of the input screen when "Other" is selected from the example output of the questionnaire output section. The figure shows an example of a screen in the middle of Mayumi Kawaguchi entering the specific details of her "Other" selection in the free input field: "My printer is out of ink. I'll go buy some at a nearby convenience store. I'll be back when..." This type of function makes it possible to report work status in the event of a situation that is not typically anticipated.

<Hardware configuration>
The figure shows an example of the hardware configuration in this embodiment. The hardware configuration of the work-time question server device in this embodiment will be described with reference to the figure.

As shown in the diagram, the present invention can basically be configured with a general-purpose computer program and various devices. The computer basically operates by loading a program stored in non-volatile memory into main memory, and then executing processing using the main memory, CPU, and various devices. Communication with devices is carried out via an interface connected to a bus line. Possible interfaces include a display interface, keyboard, and communication buffer.

As shown in this diagram, the system contains a "timekeeping program," a "work information reception program" that receives work information, which associates work input (one or more of the following): start of shift, end of shift, or during work) with employee identification information and the time in the timing unit, a "work information storage program" that stores the received work information, a "question storage program" that stores questions for which employees are asked to select an answer when work information is received, a "question output program" that outputs the stored questions when work information is received, a "selection result acquisition program" that acquires selection results, which associate option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions with employee identification information, and a "selection result storage program" that stores the acquired selection results. These programs are loaded into main memory based on a series of program execution commands and executed based on operation start commands. This computer is configured so that non-volatile memory, main memory, CPU, and interfaces (e.g., display, keyboard, communications, etc.) are connected to a bus line to enable mutual communication.

<Processing flow>
3 is a diagram showing the processing flow when using the work time question server device in this embodiment. The processing flow of this embodiment is a method of operating the work time question server device, which is a computer that has a work information reception step (S0301), a work information accumulation step (S0302), a question item retention step (S0303), a question item output step (S0304), a selection result acquisition step (S0305), and a selection result accumulation step (S0306). Each step will be explained below.

The "work information reception step" is a stage in which work information is received, which is information that associates work input, which is one or more of the following: start of work, end of work, and during work, with employee identification information and the time of the timing unit.

The "work information accumulation step" is the stage where the received work information is accumulated.

The "questionnaire storage step" is the stage where questions for which answers are selected from options are stored when accepting work information.

The "question output step" is the stage in which the questions stored above are output when work information is received.

The "selection result acquisition step" is the stage in which the selection result, which is information that associates option identification information that identifies answer options for the selected questions with employee identification information, is acquired.

The "selection result accumulation step" is a stage in which the acquired selection results are accumulated.
<Embodiment 2>

<Outline of Second Embodiment>
In addition to the above-described embodiments, this embodiment provides a work-time question server device that has the feature of having a function to associate the selection result with the work information that caused the output of the question that resulted in the selection result. This association makes it possible to know the employee's psychological changes and fatigue level. In addition, the unique characteristics and reactions of the employee are accumulated as information, which helps the company propose work styles, such as telework, that are more suited to the employee.

<Functional Configuration of Second Embodiment>
11 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of this embodiment. The work time question server device (1100) of this embodiment is characterized by having a timing unit (1101), a work information receiving unit (1102), a work information accumulation unit (1103), a question item holding unit (1104), a question item output unit (1105), a selection result acquisition unit (1106), a selection result accumulation unit (1107), and an association unit (1108). This explanation will exclude functions that have already been explained.

<Embodiment 2: Association Unit>
The "association unit" has the function of associating the selection result with the work information that caused the output of the question that resulted in that selection result. The selection result is the answer to the question that has already been explained, and the work information, as already explained, is the association of the inputs of "start of work,""duringwork," and "end of work" with "employee identification information" and "time." In particular, if the question is psychological or about fatigue, the work input of "during work," the time, and the answer to the question will be associated, and by sequentially tracking and analyzing this, it is possible to obtain changes in the employee's status from the start of work to the end of work.
<Embodiment 2: Storage unit (not claimed)>
"Storage Unit" In this embodiment, it is desirable to configure the storage unit to store the results associated by the association unit. By storing the association between selection results and work information, it is possible to statistically process the results and obtain information that will improve employee work practices. For example, it is possible to obtain, through statistical analysis, what kind of work style is desirable to reduce employees' psychological pressure and slow the rate at which that pressure increases. This is done by preparing and outputting questions to measure psychological pressure, and including options for these questions that allow for the acquisition of multiple levels of psychological pressure. Since the employee's psychological pressure can be obtained based on the options selected, it is possible to measure changes in the increase in psychological pressure over time. This can be done by statistically processing the accumulated associated results for all employees of all companies (to the extent that information can be obtained).

In addition, when statistical processing is performed, it is possible to obtain results that show trends according to the attribute information of each company. For example, the attributes of employees and the attributes of work differ between sales-based companies, logistics companies, and systems development companies, so trends will emerge in the results of statistical processing. By using statistical results by attribute, it is possible to obtain information on how to employ instructors that is appropriate for each company's attributes.

Furthermore, by performing similar statistical processing on physical fatigue, it is possible to obtain information on how to minimize the integrated value of physical fatigue over the course of a day without reducing the amount of work.

In addition, for occupations where the work is completed by desk work, a workload measurement unit that measures the workload can be installed in the computer used by the employee, and the workload can be associated with the time. By synchronizing this with the results associated by the association unit, the relationship between the degree of fatigue and work efficiency can be obtained, making it possible to devise methods for reducing physical fatigue without reducing work efficiency.

To this end, the work-time question server device can be equipped with multiple programs for how to have employees work, and with the company's consent, it can be set up to have employees work in accordance with the multiple programs and determine whether working in accordance with those programs is more efficient. It can also be configured to improve the program based on the feedback results. This can also be done using artificial intelligence.

<Embodiment 2: Statistical Analysis Unit (not claimed)>
As mentioned above, the "Statistical Analysis Department" statistically analyzes the accumulated work information and responses to questionnaires, thereby making it possible to obtain macro or micro changes in the psychological pressure of employees over time, as well as changes in physical fatigue over time, and by experimentally implementing various work programs, it becomes possible to explore and find ways to have employees work efficiently, cheerfully, and energetically.

<Hardware configuration>
Figure 12 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the work-time question server device in this embodiment. As shown in this diagram, the computer is configured on a motherboard and consists of a chipset, CPU, non-volatile memory, main memory, various buses, BIOS, various interfaces, a real-time clock, and other components. These operate in cooperation with an operating system, device drivers, various programs, and the like. The various programs and data that make up the present invention are configured to efficiently utilize these hardware resources to execute various processes.

Here, the "main memory" reads out programs that perform various processes so that the "CPU" can execute them, and also provides a work area for those programs. Furthermore, this "main memory" and "HDD" are each assigned multiple addresses, and programs executed by the "CPU" can exchange data and perform processing by identifying and accessing these addresses.

As shown in this diagram, the system contains a "timekeeping program," a "work information reception program" that receives work information, which associates work input (i.e., one or more of the following): start of shift, end of shift, or during shift) with employee identification information and the time in the timing unit, a "work information storage program" that stores the received work information, a "question storage program" that stores questions for which employees are asked to select an answer when work information is received, a "question output program" that outputs the stored questions when work information is received, a "selection result acquisition program" that acquires selection results, which associate option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions with employee identification information, and a "selection result storage program" that stores the acquired selection results. These programs are loaded into main memory based on a series of program execution commands and executed based on operation start commands. This computer is configured so that non-volatile memory, main memory, CPU, and interfaces (e.g., display, keyboard, communications, etc.) are connected via a bus line to enable mutual communication. Furthermore, in addition to the first embodiment, it is equipped with an "association program" that associates the selection results with the work information that caused the output of the questions that resulted in the selection results.

<Processing flow>
13 is a diagram showing the processing flow when using the work time question server device in this embodiment. The processing flow of this embodiment is a method of operating the work time question server device, which is a computer that has a work information reception step (S1301), a work information accumulation step (S1302), a question item retention step (S1303), a question item output step (S1304), a selection result acquisition step (S1305), a selection result accumulation step (S1306), and an association step (S1307). Of these steps, each step except for the association step is the same as in embodiment 1.

The "association step" is a stage in which the selection result is associated with the work information that caused the output of the question that resulted in that selection result.

<Embodiment 3>

<Outline of Embodiment 3>
This embodiment is based on embodiment 1 or embodiment 2, and is a work time question server device that also has the function of performing statistical processing on multiple pieces of work information in a time series. Note that statistical processing is not limited to time series, but can also be performed on a time section at a certain time.

<Functional Configuration of Third Embodiment>
Fig. 14 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of this embodiment. The work time question server device (1400) of this embodiment is characterized by having a timing unit (1401), a work information reception unit (1402), a work information accumulation unit (1403), a question item holding unit (1404), a question item output unit (1405), a selection result acquisition unit (1406), a selection result accumulation unit (1407), and a work information statistical processing unit (1408). This explanation will exclude functions that have already been explained.

<Embodiment 3: Description of Configuration: Work Information Statistical Processing Unit>
The "work information statistical processing unit" has the function of performing statistical processing of multiple pieces of work information in chronological order. The work time question server device is connected to the terminals of many employees and receives and collects a large amount of work information at the work information reception unit. The collected work information is stored in the work information storage unit. The work information stored in the work information storage unit makes up various populations. The smallest unit is the work information of an individual employee, but populations can be made up by department, business division, business establishment, or company. It is also possible to make populations by multiple companies that combine the work information of multiple companies. This is because the work time question server device can be configured to function as a platform used by multiple companies.

<Embodiment 3: Description of configuration: work information statistical processing unit: statistical processing>
Statistical processing of work information mainly obtains the average, distribution, and variance of work start times, and the average, distribution, and variance of work end times. This makes it possible to obtain, for example, the average length of work hours per employee or the average length of break times.

<Embodiment 3: Description of configuration: Work information statistical processing unit: Statistical processing: Specific example 1>
In statistical processing, in addition to general statistical processing using the mean, variance, standard deviation, t-distribution, F-distribution, chi-squared distribution, etc., Bayesian statistics can also be used. When using Bayesian statistics, it becomes possible to predict the future, so it is useful for matters where problems should be avoided in advance.
<Embodiment 3: Description of configuration: Work information statistical processing unit: Statistical processing: Specific example 2>
Furthermore, if the work input screen is displayed randomly between the start and end of a shift using random numbers or other methods, it is possible to statistically analyze the time elapsed between the display of the work input screen and the reception of the on-duty input. The time lag between the display of the work input screen and the reception of the on-duty input serves as a measure of the degree to which an employee is able to concentrate on their work using the terminal. Therefore, by plotting this time lag on the horizontal axis and frequency on the vertical axis, it is possible to grasp, for example, the degree to which an employee is focused on their work while on-duty. This statistical analysis can also utilize general statistical methods such as mean, variance, standard deviation, t-distribution, F-distribution, and chi-squared distribution, as well as Bayesian statistics. Bayesian statistics allows for future predictions, making it useful for issues that need to be avoided in advance.

<Embodiment 3: Description of configuration: work information statistical processing unit, statistical processing, etc.>
(1) The time term for statistical processing may be one day, one week, one month, three months, six months, twelve months, a quarter of a business year, or a half of a business year, but is not limited to these, and any appropriate term may be selected.
(2) Analysis not based on time series Analysis not based on time series can also be performed.

Figure 17 shows an example of a statistical information interface. For example, at "May 18, 2022" and "16:11," Marunouchi Macro Economic Information Services offers options such as "Executives," "Planning Department," "General Affairs Department," "Human Resources Department," "Stock Research Department," "Foreign Exchange Research Department," "Loan Research Department," and "Sales Headquarters." Essentially, you select the department you want to aggregate from among these. Having the options available in advance saves you time and effort.

Figure 18 shows an example of the screen that appears when "Stock Research Department" is selected from the statistical information. This is the screen that appears when "Stock Research Department" is selected in Figure 17. The titles on this screen include "Position," "Name," and "Status (Work Details)." Taro Kiyama, whose title is "Manager," is "At Work," Hiroshi Tanaka, whose title is "Japanese Stock Manager," is "At Work," Junko Mita, whose title is "US Stock Manager," is "At Work," Futoshi Sato, whose title is "EU Stock Manager," is "On Break," Kiichi Nakai, whose title is "Chinese Stock Manager," is "At Work," and Mayumi Kawaguchi, whose title is "Japanese Government Bond Stock Manager," is "At Work (Out of Office)." By listing the work status of each employee in the Stock Research Department in this way, it is possible to grasp their working status.

Figure 19 shows an example of an interface related to work rates processed by the work status statistical processing unit. The work rate resulting from statistical processing is shown as "96.3%." In addition to work rates, other information such as "start time" and "break start time" is also shown. In this figure, the start time is shown in a mountain shape with "9:30" at the center and "6:00" and "13:00" at both ends. The break start time is shown in a mountain shape with "12:30" at the center and "9:00" and "15:00" at both ends.

Figure 20 shows an example of a viewing menu for information processed by the work status statistical processing unit. This screen displays a viewing menu that includes, but is not limited to, "Attendance Rate," "Attendance Time," "Break Start Time," "Mood Distribution," "Physical Condition Distribution," and "Telework Progress Distribution." In this example, for "Attendance Rate," "Attendance Time," and "Break Start Time," it is possible to calculate the average or median using existing statistical processing methods. On the other hand, "Mood Distribution," "Physical Condition Distribution," and "Telework Progress Distribution" are calculated based on a combination of factors, such as the difference from the previous day's or the person's average workload or work capacity, the person's environment, and the person's characteristics (e.g., work capacity decreases on bad weather days but increases on good weather, or work capacity decreases when dealing with customers over the phone but increases on days when they can concentrate on work). Therefore, it is desirable to review the accumulated data and review the analysis results to determine whether the analysis rules are correct. It would be even better if this could be done using AI.

<Hardware configuration>
Figure 15 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a work-time question server device in this embodiment. As shown in this diagram, the computer is configured on a motherboard and consists of a chipset, CPU, non-volatile memory, main memory, various buses, BIOS, various interfaces, a real-time clock, and other components. These operate in cooperation with an operating system, device drivers, various programs, and the like. The various programs and data that make up the present invention are configured to efficiently utilize these hardware resources to execute various processes.

Here, the "main memory" reads out programs that perform various processes so that the "CPU" can execute them, and also provides a work area for those programs. Furthermore, this "main memory" and "HDD" are each assigned multiple addresses, and programs executed by the "CPU" can exchange data and perform processing by identifying and accessing these addresses.

As shown in this diagram, the system contains a "timekeeping program," a "work information reception program" that receives work information, which associates work input (i.e., one or more of the following): start of work, end of work, and work in progress, with employee identification information and the time of the timing unit, a "work information storage program" that stores the received work information, a "question storage program" that stores questions for which employees are prompted to select an answer when work information is received, a "question output program" that outputs the stored questions when work information is received, a "selection result acquisition program" that acquires selection results, which associate option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions with employee identification information, and a "selection result storage program" that stores the acquired selection results. These programs are loaded into main memory based on a series of program execution commands, and executed based on operation start commands. This computer is configured so that non-volatile memory, main memory, CPU, and interfaces (e.g., display, keyboard, communications, etc.) are connected via a bus line, allowing for mutual communication. In addition to the components of embodiment 1, the system also contains a "work information statistical processing program" that performs statistical processing of multiple pieces of work information in a chronological order.

<Processing flow>
16 is a diagram showing the processing flow when using a work question server device in this embodiment. The processing flow of this embodiment is a method of operating a work question server device, which is a computer that has a work information reception step (S1601), a work information accumulation step (S1602), a question item retention step (S1603), a question item output step (S1604), a selection result acquisition step (S1605), a selection result accumulation step (S1606), and a work information statistical processing step (S1607). Of these steps, each step except for the work information statistical processing step is the same as in embodiment 1.

The "work information statistical processing step" is a stage in which multiple pieces of work information are statistically processed in chronological order.

<Fourth Embodiment>

<Outline of Fourth Embodiment>
<Mainly regarding claim 4>
This embodiment provides a work-time question server device based on any one of the above-described embodiments 1 to 3, and further characterized by having a function for statistically processing multiple selection results in time series.

<Functional Configuration of Fourth Embodiment>
21 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of this embodiment. The work time question server device (2100) of this embodiment is characterized by having a timing unit (2101), a work information receiving unit (2102), a work information accumulation unit (2103), a question item holding unit (2104), a question item output unit (2105), a selection result acquisition unit (2106), a selection result accumulation unit (2107), and further a selection result statistical processing unit (2108). The following explanation will exclude functions that have already been explained.

<Fourth embodiment: Description of configuration: Selection result statistical processing unit>
The "selection result statistical processing unit" has the function of statistically processing multiple selection results in a chronological order. Selection results are employees' responses to questions, and statistical processing of the selection results is performed to obtain, for example, measurement of work efficiency in teleworking, sales, business trips, etc., measurement of employee health information, measurement of employee psychological state, collection of information on the working environment, how to take breaks, length of working hours, acquisition of paid leave, clarification of work and project policies and goals, status of resolving and improving work and project issues, progress of awareness change to new working styles, status of consultation and guidance with superiors and subordinates, and status of understanding of the actual situation of work and projects.

The reason for using a chronological series is that these situations change over time, and by knowing trends, such as whether the situation is improving or worsening, employers and supervisors can take measures in advance. For example, when measuring an employee's psychological state through questions, if it is found that the psychological state is worsening over time, measures can be taken to prevent further deterioration. If the psychological state is deteriorating, it is possible to prevent further deterioration by, for example, instructing the supervisor to reduce the workload, assigning a support person, or postponing deadlines.

<Fourth embodiment: Selection result statistical processing unit and other configurations>
The statistical processing of the selection results may be performed in a non-chronological order (not described in the claims). For example, information representing the psychological state four hours after the start of work for all periods may be collected, and the psychological state four hours after the start of work may be statistically processed in a time section. For example, the statistical processing result may show that the work efficiency of employees tends to decrease four hours after the start of work.

Figure 24 is a diagram showing an example of the specific contents of the selection result statistical processing unit. The figure shows an example of an output interface for "Today's task progress of the Credit Investigation Department" and "Today's project progress of the Credit Investigation Department." The former is an example of a case where progress gradually increased from 6:00, exceeded 50% around 14:00, and was completed around 16:00. The latter is an example of a case where the project started in September 2021, went through a preparatory period, exceeded 50% around April 2022, and was completed in early May.

<Hardware configuration>
Figure 22 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a work-time question server device in this embodiment. As shown in this diagram, the computer is configured on a motherboard and consists of a chipset, CPU, non-volatile memory, main memory, various buses, BIOS, various interfaces, a real-time clock, and other components. These operate in cooperation with an operating system, device drivers, various programs, and the like. The various programs and data that make up the present invention are configured to efficiently utilize these hardware resources to execute various processes.

Here, the "main memory" reads out programs that perform various processes so that the "CPU" can execute them, and also provides a work area for those programs. Furthermore, this "main memory" and "HDD" are each assigned multiple addresses, and programs executed by the "CPU" can exchange data and perform processing by identifying and accessing these addresses.

As shown in this diagram, the system contains a "timekeeping program," a "work information reception program" that receives work information, which associates work input (i.e., one or more of the following): start of work, end of work, and work in progress, with employee identification information and the time of the timing unit, a "work information storage program" that stores the received work information, a "question storage program" that stores questions for which employees are prompted to select an answer when work information is received, a "question output program" that outputs the stored questions when work information is received, a "selection result acquisition program" that acquires selection results, which associate option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions with employee identification information, and a "selection result storage program" that stores the acquired selection results. These programs are loaded into main memory based on a series of program execution commands and executed based on operation start commands. This computer is configured so that non-volatile memory, main memory, CPU, and interfaces (e.g., display, keyboard, communications, etc.) are connected via a bus line, allowing for mutual communication. In addition to the components of embodiment 1, the system also includes a "selection result statistical processing program" that performs statistical processing of multiple selection results in a time series.

<Processing flow>
23 is a diagram showing the processing flow when using the work time question server device in this embodiment. The processing flow of this embodiment is a method of operating the work time question server device, which is a computer that has a work information reception step (S2301), a work information accumulation step (S2302), a question item retention step (S2303), a question item output step (S2304), a selection result acquisition step (S2305), a selection result accumulation step (S2306), and a selection result statistical processing step (S2307). Of these steps, each step except for the selection result statistical processing step is the same as in embodiment 1.

The "selection result statistical processing step" is a stage in which multiple selection results are statistically processed in time series.

<Embodiment 5>

<Outline of Fifth Embodiment>
<Mainly regarding claim 5>
This embodiment provides a work-time question server device based on any one of embodiments 1 to 4, characterized by the function of associating the selection result with the work information that caused the question that resulted in the selection result to be output.

<Fifth Embodiment: Functional Configuration>
25 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of this embodiment. The work time question server device (2500) of this embodiment is characterized by having a timing unit (2501), a work information receiving unit (2502), a work information accumulation unit (2503), a question item holding unit (2504), a question item output unit (2505), a selection result acquisition unit (2506), a selection result accumulation unit (2507), an association unit (2508), and a work selection result statistical processing unit (2509). The following explanation will exclude functions that have already been explained.

<Fifth embodiment: Work selection result statistical processing unit>
The "work selection result statistical processing unit" has the function of performing statistical processing of associated work information and selection results in chronological order. As described above, work information is one or more of the following inputs: start of work, during work, and end of work. However, if work starts at 10:00 AM and break (determined by the absence of a response during work) begins at 1:00 PM, the work information may also include information indicating three hours of work after work started. Furthermore, work information may be configured to accept inputs such as break start and break end in addition to work start, during work, and end of work. In this case, if the break starts at 1:00 PM and ends at 2:00 PM, information indicating a one-hour break can also be considered work information. In this way, the system can be configured to primarily measure work status, work duration, and break duration, and statistically process selection results in association with these. For example, if work information is input during work three hours after the start of work, and the answer to the question output at that time indicates psychological fatigue, the associated information "3 hours after start of work: psychological fatigue" is used for statistical processing.
By making similar associations for a large number of employees, correlation information regarding the length of working hours and the degree of psychological fatigue can be obtained through statistical processing.

Figure 28 shows the "smooth progress rate" of work information selections made during work hours. The figure uses the Government Bond Research Department as an example. At 14:11, the smooth progress rate is around 75%. What can be inferred from this graph is that the smooth progress rate was around 58% at 9:00 a.m., when the shift started, and continued to rise until around 11:00 a.m. The smooth progress rate then dropped off just before the break, but remained at a high level after the break. While this is only an example and the graph may not always look like this, it shows that employees feel a high sense of "smooth progress" before breaks and in the afternoon. Therefore, it is possible to consider holding web conferences or other appropriate work activities during the morning hours, when employees are not feeling that things are going smoothly, rather than working alone. Furthermore, the "75%" percentage mentioned above is not simply a "YES" or "NO" response from employees to the question, "Are you doing well?" It could also be calculated based on factors such as how smoothly the work is progressing or the progress of specific tasks. By doing so, you can get a more accurate idea of the "progression rate."

<Hardware configuration>
Figure 26 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a work-time question server device in this embodiment. As shown in this diagram, the computer is configured on a motherboard and consists of a chipset, CPU, non-volatile memory, main memory, various buses, BIOS, various interfaces, a real-time clock, and other components. These operate in cooperation with an operating system, device drivers, various programs, and the like. The various programs and data that make up the present invention are configured to efficiently utilize these hardware resources to execute various processes.

Here, the "main memory" reads out programs that perform various processes so that the "CPU" can execute them, and also provides a work area for those programs. Furthermore, this "main memory" and "HDD" are each assigned multiple addresses, and programs executed by the "CPU" can exchange data and perform processing by identifying and accessing these addresses.

As shown in this diagram, the system contains a "timekeeping program," a "work information reception program" that receives work information, which associates work input (i.e., one or more of the following): start of shift, end of shift, or during shift) with employee identification information and the time in the timing unit, a "work information storage program" that stores the received work information, a "question storage program" that stores questions for which employees are asked to select an answer when work information is received, a "question output program" that outputs the stored questions when work information is received, a "selection result acquisition program" that acquires selection results, which associate option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions with employee identification information, and a "selection result storage program" that stores the acquired selection results. These programs are loaded into main memory based on a series of program execution commands and executed based on operation start commands. This computer is configured so that non-volatile memory, main memory, CPU, and interfaces (e.g., display, keyboard, communications, etc.) are connected via a bus line to enable mutual communication. In addition to the features of embodiment 1, this system also includes an "association program" that associates selection results with the work information that caused the output of the questions that resulted in those selection results. It also includes a "work selection result statistical processing program" that performs statistical processing of the associated work information and selection results in chronological order.

<Processing flow>
27 is a diagram showing the processing flow when using a work time question server device in this embodiment. The processing flow of this embodiment is a method of operating a work time question server device, which is a computer that has a work information reception step (S2701), a work information accumulation step (S2702), a question item retention step (S2703), a question item output step (S2704), a selection result acquisition step (S2705), a selection result accumulation step (S2706), an association step (S2707), and a work selection result statistical processing step (S2708). Of these steps, each step except for the work selection result statistical processing step is the same as in embodiment 2.

The "work selection result statistical processing step" is a stage in which associated work information and selection results are statistically processed in chronological order.

<Embodiment 6>

<Outline of Sixth Embodiment>
<Mainly regarding claim 6>
In addition to the above-described embodiment, this embodiment provides a work-time question server device that has the characteristic of storing employee psychology analysis rules, which are rules for analyzing statistical processing results from the psychological aspects of employees, and analyzing the psychological aspects of employees based on the stored employee psychology analysis rules and statistical processing results.

<Functional configuration>
29 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of this embodiment. The work time question server device (2900) of this embodiment is characterized by having a timing unit (2901), a work information receiving unit (2902), a work information accumulation unit (2903), a question item holding unit (2904), a question item output unit (2905), a selection result acquisition unit (2906), a selection result accumulation unit (2907), a work information statistical processing unit (2908), and further an employee psychology analysis rule holding unit (2909), and a psychology analysis unit (2910). The following explanation will exclude functions that have already been explained.

The "employee psychology analysis rule storage unit" has the function of storing employee psychology analysis rules, which are rules for analyzing statistical processing results from the psychological perspective of employees. These psychology analysis rules are rules that associate selection results with information indicating psychological states, or information that associates combinations of selection results with information indicating psychological states. Multiple employee psychology analysis rules are provided to be optimized according to the employee's job type and role within the company, and are associated with employee attributes and company attributes. Different employee psychology analysis rules can be designed to be used for each employee and each company. The system can also be configured to refine employee psychology analysis rules using deep learning based on psychology analysis results and psychology analysis results obtained by other means. Multiple psychology analysis rules can be provided for the same employee, and the results of analysis using multiple psychology analysis rules can be used to refine each other's rules using deep learning.

The "psychological analysis unit" has the function of analyzing the psychological aspects of employees based on the stored employee psychological analysis rules and statistical processing results. The psychological aspects of employees obtained as a result of these analyses may be configured to be fed back to the employees, or may be configured to be used by the human resources department or general affairs department to understand the state of employees.

Figure 32 shows a specific example of an analysis of employee psychological aspects using the stored employee psychology analysis rules and statistical processing results. Each graph shows the percentage of employees who selected the options shown in Figure 5 when asked about the progress of their teleworking efforts. The graph shows the trend from 9:00 AM when the current time is 2:11 PM. The percentage of employees who responded that they were behind schedule was approximately 10% just before 2:00 PM, the percentage of employees who responded that they were progressing smoothly was approximately 81% around 2:00 PM, the percentage who responded that they were suspended was 7% around 2:00 PM, and the percentage who responded that they were completed was approximately 2% around 2:00 PM. In this case, the average fatigue level of all respondents can be calculated as f1(A) + f2(B) + f3(C) + f4(D), where A% represents the percentage of employees who were behind schedule, B% represents the percentage of employees who were progressing smoothly, C% represents the percentage of employees who were suspended, and D% represents the percentage of employees who responded that they were completed. Here, function f1 calculates the fatigue level of those who are behind based on the percentage of respondents who answered that they are behind. Function f2 calculates the fatigue level of those who are progressing smoothly based on the percentage of respondents who answered that they are progressing smoothly. Function f3 calculates the fatigue level of those who are currently on hold based on the percentage of respondents who answered that they are on hold. Function f4 calculates the fatigue level of those who have already completed their tasks for the day based on the percentage of respondents who answered that they are complete. Graph (e) shows the overall trend in fatigue level and a prediction line for fatigue level after 2:00 PM. This prediction line is calculated by inputting the current trend in fatigue level into this function, using a fatigue prediction function stored in the work-time question server device that predicts future fatigue level based on past fatigue level trends. This fatigue prediction function can also be configured to be constantly refined using deep learning techniques that modify it based on actual fatigue level data.

<Hardware configuration>
Figure 30 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a work-time question server device in this embodiment. As shown in this diagram, the computer is configured on a motherboard and consists of a chipset, CPU, non-volatile memory, main memory, various buses, BIOS, various interfaces, a real-time clock, and other components. These operate in cooperation with an operating system, device drivers, various programs, and the like. The various programs and data that make up the present invention are configured to efficiently utilize these hardware resources to execute various processes.

The "main memory" reads out programs that perform various processes and allows the "CPU" to execute them, while also providing a work area for those programs. Furthermore, multiple addresses are assigned to the "main memory" and "HDD," and programs executed by the "CPU" can exchange data and perform processing by identifying and accessing those addresses.
As shown in this diagram, the computer system stores a "timekeeping program," a "work information reception program" that receives work information, which associates work input, which is one or more of the inputs for start of work, end of work, and during work, with employee identification information and the time of the timing unit, a "work information storage program" that stores the received work information, a "question storage program" that stores questions for which employees are asked to select an answer from options when receiving work information, a "question output program" that outputs the stored questions when receiving work information, a "selection result acquisition program" that acquires selection results, which are information that associates option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions with employee identification information, and a "selection result storage program" that stores the acquired selection results. These programs are loaded into main memory based on a series of program execution commands, and executed based on operation start commands. This computer is configured so that non-volatile memory, main memory, CPU, and interfaces (e.g., display, keyboard, communication, etc.) are connected to a bus line and can communicate with each other. In addition to the components of embodiment 1, the computer system also includes a "work information statistical processing program" that performs statistical processing of multiple pieces of work information in a time series. Furthermore, the system also stores an "employee psychology analysis rule storage program" that stores employee psychology analysis rules, which are rules for analyzing the statistical processing results from the psychological aspects of employees, and a "psychological analysis program" that analyzes the psychological aspects of employees based on the stored employee psychology analysis rules and the statistical processing results.

<Processing flow>
31 is a diagram showing the processing flow when using a work time question server device in this embodiment. The processing flow of this embodiment is a method of operating a work time question server device, which is a computer that has a work information reception step (S3101), a work information accumulation step (S3102), a question item retention step (S3103), a question item output step (S3104), a selection result acquisition step (S3105), a selection result accumulation step (S3106), a work information statistical processing step (S3107), an employee psychology analysis rule retention step (S03108), and a psychology analysis step (S03109). Note that of these steps, each step except for the employee psychology analysis rule retention step and the psychology analysis step is the same as in embodiment 1.

The "employee psychology analysis rule retention step" is the stage in which employee psychology analysis rules, which are rules for analyzing the statistical processing results from the psychological aspects of employees, are retained.

The "psychological analysis step" is a stage in which the psychological aspects of employees are analyzed based on the stored employee psychological analysis rules and the results of statistical processing.

CPU: 0201
System bus: 0202
Non-volatile memory: 0203
Main memory: 0204

Claims (18)

A timing unit;
a work information receiving unit that receives work information that associates work input, which is input of one or more of start of work, end of work, and during work, with employee identification information and the time of the timing unit;
A work information reception interface appearance timing control unit that randomly controls the display timing of the interface that receives work information;
a work information storage unit that stores the received work information;
A question storage unit that stores questions for which answers are to be selected from options when accepting work information;
A question output unit that outputs the stored questions when accepting work information;
a selection result acquisition unit that acquires a selection result, which is information in which option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions is associated with employee identification information;
a selection result storage unit that stores the acquired selection results;
the information receiving unit is configured to receive at least one of the work inputs during working hours, and the questions output by the question output unit at that time include at least questions regarding understanding the physical and mental state of the employee;
Work-time question server device. The work-time question server device of claim 1 further comprises an association unit that associates the selection result with the work information that caused the question that resulted in the selection result to be output. The work time question server device according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a work information statistical processing unit that performs statistical processing of multiple pieces of work information in chronological order. The on-duty question server device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a selection result statistical processing unit that performs statistical processing of multiple selection results in chronological order. The work time question server device described in any one of claims 2 to 4 further comprises a work selection result statistical processing unit that performs statistical processing of associated work information and selection results in chronological order. an employee psychology analysis rule storage unit that stores employee psychology analysis rules, which are rules for analyzing the statistical processing results from the psychological aspects of employees;
6. The working-time question server device according to claim 3, further comprising a psychological analysis unit that analyzes the psychological aspects of employees based on the stored employee psychological analysis rules and the results of statistical processing. A timing step;
a work information receiving step of receiving work information that associates work input, which is input of one or more of start of work, end of work, and during work, with employee identification information and the time of the timing unit;
A work information reception unit interface appearance timing control step that randomly controls the display timing of the interface that receives work information;
a work information accumulation step for accumulating the received work information;
A question item holding step for holding questions for which answers are to be selected from options when accepting work information;
a question output step for outputting the stored questions when accepting work information;
a selection result acquisition step for acquiring a selection result that is information in which option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions is associated with employee identification information;
a selection result accumulation step of accumulating the acquired selection results,
The work information receiving step is configured to receive at least one work input during working hours, and the questions output in the question output step at that time include at least questions related to understanding the physical and mental state of the employee.
A method for operating a work-time question server device, which is written so as to be readable and executable by the work-time question server device, which is a computer. The method for operating a work-time question server device, which is a computer as described in claim 7, further includes an associating step for associating the selection result with the work information that caused the question that resulted in the selection result to be output. A method for operating a work time question server device that is a computer as recited in claim 7 or claim 8, further comprising a work information statistical processing step that performs statistical processing of multiple pieces of work information in time series. A method for operating a work time question server device that is a computer as recited in claim 7 or claim 8, further comprising a work information statistical processing step that performs statistical processing of multiple pieces of work information in time series. A method for operating a work-time question server device that is a computer according to any one of claims 7 to 9, further comprising a selection result statistical processing step that performs statistical processing of multiple selection results in time series. A method for operating a work time question server device that is a computer as described in any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising a work selection result statistical processing step that performs statistical processing of associated work information and selection results in chronological order. an employee psychology analysis rule holding step for holding employee psychology analysis rules, which are rules for analyzing the statistical processing results from the psychological aspects of employees;
A method for operating a work-time question server device that is a computer as described in any one of claims 9 to 11, further comprising a psychological analysis step of analyzing the psychological aspects of employees based on the stored employee psychological analysis rules and statistical processing results. A timing step;
a work information receiving step of receiving work information that associates work input, which is input of one or more of start of work, end of work, and during work, with employee identification information and the time of the timing unit;
A work information reception unit interface appearance timing control step that randomly controls the display timing of the interface that receives work information;
a work information accumulation step for accumulating the received work information;
A question item holding step for holding questions for which answers are to be selected from options when accepting work information;
A question output step for outputting the stored questions when accepting work information;
a selection result acquisition step of acquiring a selection result that is information in which option identification information that identifies answer options for the output questions is associated with employee identification information;
a selection result accumulation step of accumulating the acquired selection results,
The work information receiving step is configured to receive at least one work input during working hours, and the questions output in the question output step at that time include at least questions related to understanding the physical and mental state of the employee.
An operating program for the work-time question server device, which is written so as to be readable and executable by the work-time question server device, which is a computer. An operating program for a work-time question server device, written in a readable and executable manner on the work-time question server device, which is a computer according to claim 13, further comprising an association step for associating the selection result with the work information that caused the output of the question that resulted in the selection result. An operating program for a work time question server device, written in a readable and executable manner on the work time question server device, which is the computer described in claim 13 or claim 14, further comprising a work information statistical processing step for statistically processing multiple pieces of work information in a time series. An operating program for a work-time question server device, written in a readable and executable manner on the work-time question server device, which is a computer according to any one of claims 13 to 15, further comprising a selection result statistical processing step for statistically processing multiple selection results in time series. An operating program for a work time question server device written in a readable and executable manner on a work time question server device that is a computer described in any one of claims 14 to 16, further comprising a work selection result statistical processing step that statistically processes associated work information and selection results in a time series. an employee psychology analysis rule holding step for holding employee psychology analysis rules, which are rules for analyzing the statistical processing results from the psychological aspects of employees;
An operating program for a work-time question server device that is written in a manner that can be read and executed by a work-time question server device that is a computer described in any one of claims 15 to 17, further comprising a psychological analysis step that analyzes the psychological aspects of employees based on the stored employee psychological analysis rules and statistical processing results.