'I am grateful that I can restart working'
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Kim Jung-mi
By Lee Kyung-min
Barista Kim Jung-mi, Starbucks Coffee’s Gimpo branch assistant manager, greatly appreciates the chance to rejoin the workforce after returning to the job she loves after six years.
She began working for the coffee chain in November 2000 and left in October 2007 after getting married.
She was rehired under the “returning-mom” program, which is part of a joint effort by Starbucks Coffee and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to boost female workforce participation amid the country’s quickly aging population.
Under the program, female employees work between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., with a paid 30-minute break.
They are regular workers who receive full company benefits, including incentives and bonuses, and the company helps them pay their children’s tuition. Those who wish to increase their hours can work a maximum of eight a day.
Alongside Kim, 71 moms who quit work after marriage and childbirth have returned, Starbucks said. The company received a presidential commendation in recognition of its efforts last month.
Had it not been for the program, Kim would have lived an incomplete life, she said.
“I love coffee, which is why I became a barista in the first place,” she said. “But I had to leave after having three children ― two boys and a girl. Child-rearing is simply impossible without mom staying at home full time.
“I love my children, but I did not want to waste my expertise as a barista, which has been my lifelong passion. The four-and-a-half-hour shift is perfect for me to maintain balance between home life and workplace.”
She hopes that more companies will offer similar programs for mothers.
"There are many women who worked before marriage quit working,” Kim said. “Of course some of them chose to do so and become fully devoted moms. But I think many others are unable to work because companies simply do not hire women who have been out of work for years.”
Having a job gives her more confidence, which helps her set a good example for her children, she said.
“I feel happy and grateful that I am being paid while doing the work I love,” Kim said. “And it helps me with my self-confidence, because I feel I am financially capable.
“Children, especially when they are young, are easily influenced by the mood their mom is in. I think my positive and energetic attitude rubs off on my children.”