7 in 10 workers get no extra pay for covering parental leave: survey
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Most Korean workers who took on additional duties while colleagues were on parental leave or working reduced hours for childcare received no extra compensation, with 7 in 10 going unpaid for the added workload.
According to a survey released by workplace advocacy group Gabjil 119 on Sunday, 47.8 percent of 1,000 workers said their workloads had increased due to colleagues taking maternity or parental leave. The survey was conducted nationwide from Sept. 1 to 7.
The results suggest that employers are shifting the burden of staffing shortages caused by parental leave or reduced working hours onto existing employees rather than hiring replacements or adjusting workloads.
Of the 478 respondents who reported taking on additional duties, just 29.5 percent said they had received extra compensation, such as allowances, while the remaining 70.5 percent received no additional pay.
Awareness of government subsidies aimed at compensating workers who take on extra duties was also limited.
Only 37 percent of respondents were aware of the government’s workload-sharing subsidy for parental leave, while 29.5 percent knew of a similar program for reduced working hours for childcare. Another 29.7 percent were familiar with a subsidy covering duties taken on during a colleague’s paternity leave.
Under the programs, the government provides subsidies to employers who pay additional allowances to workers covering for colleagues on leave or working reduced hours.
However, only 12.4 percent of respondents said their workplaces actively informed employees about the subsidy programs and put them to use.
Another 46.4 percent said their employers had informed workers about the programs but had not implemented them, while 41.2 percent said their workplaces neither provided information about the programs nor made use of them.
The findings have raised concerns that placing additional workloads on existing employees without adequate compensation could discourage workers from taking parental leave or using childcare benefits for fear of burdening their colleagues.
Such practices could also undermine efforts to promote work-life balance, as family-friendly policies risk losing their effectiveness if the burden of covering for employees on leave falls largely on their coworkers.
"The government should strengthen support for hiring replacement workers and expand measures to compensate employees who take on additional duties," a Gabjil 119 official said.
"It should also raise awareness of these programs among workers and employers and ensure they are effectively implemented in workplaces."