South Korea changes civil servants’ working hours to give them nine hours of rest
Ministry of Personnel Management changes the rules. Long working hours are a social problem. The work week is set at 40 hours. off-duty communication with employees is discouraged. The new guidelines are also designed to improve family ties.
Seoul (AsiaNews) – South Korea's government offices will be asked to ensure that their employees get at least nine hours of rest after work under the government's new initiative to help improve the health of civil servants.
Social media and phone communications with government employees during off-duty hours will be discouraged under the so-called ‘2017 Guideline on Government Office Revamp’ unveiled by the Ministry of Personnel Management.
The guideline recommended a 40-hour workweek and flexible adjustment of work hours within a range of 4 to 12 hours.
The ministry explained that an employee who returns home at 1 am due to overtime, for instance, can be allowed to report to work by 10 am later that same day.
Long working hours in the country’s public and private sectors have been blamed for various social ills.
The guideline is also designed to promote closer family relations. Civil servants with children younger than high school age will receive an extra two days of vacation a year to attend school events.
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