By Lee Kyung-min
The Ministry of Labor and Employment said Thursday it is studying ways to improve workers' "right to disconnect" from technology as part of efforts to guarantee them full and uninterrupted rest after work.
The move reflects criticism that the "always-on" culture enabled and perpetuated by digital devices results in burnout, sleeplessness, exhaustion and depression.
The ministry said various measures are under review including banning the use of Kakao Talk, a popular chatting app, to assign employees work during their time off.
In particular, the ministry is reviewing a section of an employment law, under which companies with over 50 workers must negotiate with the employees about their right to ignore any communication attempts made by employers, including calls, text messages and emails.
The worker-friendly law was introduced by former French Labor Minister Myriam El Khomri, who commissioned a report in 2015 on the health impact of "info-obesity," which she said was the primary reason why many workers were suffering.
However, the ministry remains cautious about prompt and strict implementation of such a measure given the rigid hierarchical corporate structure in Korea.
It will conduct multiple studies to reflect the opinions of both management and labor before setting up a revision, with the process expected to take at least a few months.
The move comes amid repeated criticism that workers are under consistent and extreme pressure stemming from Korean culture that takes such a practice for granted.
According to data from the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) last year, workers spent an average of 11.2 hours per week checking electronic and communication devices during their time off.
More than 74 percent of workers surveyed said they received work-related orders after their official working hours ended. About 60 percent of them said they were under extreme stress because of this.
The legislative push for a law revision began last year.
Rep. Shin Kyung-min of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea submitted a revision of the Labor Standards Act in June last year to ban work assignments from being given to employees via text messages or social media after work.
Shin said the revision would help workers rest in the evenings as well as during the weekend, which would ultimately increase worker productivity.
Similarly, 15 members of the Seoul Metropolitan Council submitted a revision to a related ordinance last October to ban after-work messenger services among public workers of the city government, which is still pending at the council.
The revision states that the municipal workers' privacy should not be infringed upon by phone calls, text messages, social networking channels or other communication tools after work.
The Ministry of Labor and Employment said Thursday it is studying ways to improve workers' "right to disconnect" from technology as part of efforts to guarantee them full and uninterrupted rest after work.
The move reflects criticism that the "always-on" culture enabled and perpetuated by digital devices results in burnout, sleeplessness, exhaustion and depression.
The ministry said various measures are under review including banning the use of Kakao Talk, a popular chatting app, to assign employees work during their time off.
In particular, the ministry is reviewing a section of an employment law, under which companies with over 50 workers must negotiate with the employees about their right to ignore any communication attempts made by employers, including calls, text messages and emails.
The worker-friendly law was introduced by former French Labor Minister Myriam El Khomri, who commissioned a report in 2015 on the health impact of "info-obesity," which she said was the primary reason why many workers were suffering.
However, the ministry remains cautious about prompt and strict implementation of such a measure given the rigid hierarchical corporate structure in Korea.
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It will conduct multiple studies to reflect the opinions of both management and labor before setting up a revision, with the process expected to take at least a few months.
The move comes amid repeated criticism that workers are under consistent and extreme pressure stemming from Korean culture that takes such a practice for granted.
According to data from the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) last year, workers spent an average of 11.2 hours per week checking electronic and communication devices during their time off.
More than 74 percent of workers surveyed said they received work-related orders after their official working hours ended. About 60 percent of them said they were under extreme stress because of this.
The legislative push for a law revision began last year.
Rep. Shin Kyung-min of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea submitted a revision of the Labor Standards Act in June last year to ban work assignments from being given to employees via text messages or social media after work.
Shin said the revision would help workers rest in the evenings as well as during the weekend, which would ultimately increase worker productivity.
Similarly, 15 members of the Seoul Metropolitan Council submitted a revision to a related ordinance last October to ban after-work messenger services among public workers of the city government, which is still pending at the council.
The revision states that the municipal workers' privacy should not be infringed upon by phone calls, text messages, social networking channels or other communication tools after work.
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