[Aju News DB]
Under a campaign led by Seoul City Mayor Park Won-soon, a new municipal ordinance was adopted to end the practice of sending work orders to off-duty employees via social media messaging services.
The ordinance spelled out the right to disconnect from work in a society know for long working hours amid growing complaints about a stressful work environment that requires workers to get off-hours orders via social media.
South Koreans are known for long working hours, ranked second among OECD countries after Mexico. After work hours, they commonly receive work-related messages sent via social media messaging apps like Kakao Talk, the country's largest mobile messenger app with more than 42 million monthly active users.
The practice attracted attention from the government of President Moon Jae-in, a liberal leader who has stressed the importance of rest in a society known for long working hours and short vacations.
In August, the labor ministry launched a study on the after-work use of mobile messaging and other forms of social media. A 2015 survey showed employees spent up to 11.3 hours per week on handling after-hours work orders sent out through social media.
The ministry would look into overseas cases. In January, a new law took effect in France, requiring companies to establish hours when staff should not send or answer emails.
Some European companies have taken measures to reduce the risks of burnout and overwork for employees. The German labor ministry enacted an only slightly less sweeping ban in 2014, prohibiting managers from calling or emailing staff after work hours, except in an emergency.
With more than 90 percent of its population having smartphones, South Korea has a different working environment and ethics. Instead of legalizing a ban, the labor ministry hopes to draw up voluntary guidelines.
Bills have already been proposed in South Korea's parliament to recognizes the time spent on dealing with work-related orders given via social media as overtime, or ban employers from sending work-related messages after work hours.
With more than 90 percent of its population having smartphones, South Korea has a different working environment and ethics. Instead of legalizing a ban, the labor ministry hopes to draw up voluntary guidelines.
Bills have already been proposed in South Korea's parliament to recognizes the time spent on dealing with work-related orders given via social media as overtime, or ban employers from sending work-related messages after work hours.
