Reward workers for work quality, not hours

The majority of Seoul employees feel overworked, and would like to have more days off to enjoy life, according to the results of the Standard Chartered State of Work Life Balance in Seoul 2010 Survey released Friday.

SC survey says flexible hours help work-life balance

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

The majority of Seoul employees feel overworked, and would like to have more days off to enjoy life, according to the results of the Standard Chartered State of Work Life Balance in Seoul 2010 Survey released Friday.

The survey, which collected data from 1,000 respondents last February, showed more than 80 percent of employees in Seoul are having difficulties in achieving a work-life balance.

It once again illustrated that Korean workers log in long hours at the office _ an average of 50.8 hours a week. This is 27 percent higher than the 40 hours recommended by the Korean government and the International Labour Organization. Men are also found to work longer (52.3 hours) than women (48.5 hours).

``Companies in Seoul should change their mindset of not rewarding employees by how many hours they work but really focus on their productivity and quality of work,'' said Winnie Ng, manager of non-profit organization Community Business which worked with KAIST Business School to conduct the survey.

Nearly two-thirds of employees surveyed work overtime regularly or occasionally in an average week, including 17 percent who work overtime every day. The main reason for overtime work is the heavy workload.

Interestingly, 24 percent admitted they only work overtime simply for "face time." The term face time refers to the need to be seen staying late at the office, regardless of how productively the time is being spent.

Respondents said the most difficult challenges to work-life balance are financial stability, job security, longer working hours and lack of flexibility in working hours.

Seoul employees also lack vacation time, with only 48 percent of Seoul employees entitled to paid annual leave at an average of 13.4 days a year.

The Labor Standard Act of Korea clearly states that an employer should grant 15 days of paid leave to an employee who has registered not less than 80 percent attendance during the year, and this applies to workplaces with at least five permanent staff.

Around 32 percent take between six to 15 days of their paid leave, while 35 percent answered they do not even have any paid annual leave.

This unhealthy emphasis on work, at the expense of their personal life, is taking a toll on employees' health and personal relationships. Respondents cited prolonged fatigue, sleepiness and extreme tiredness, lack of time for recreational activities, stress and depression as some of the effects.

What employees want

Having a work-life balance is so important to employees that a third of the respondents would consider leaving their current job for another one that offered better conditions.

``This is the most compelling reason for employees to address the issue of work-life balance because this research suggests that employers are at the risk of losing talent or workforce if they don't address the issue... For companies who want to attract more talent, they should really engage their employees and implement initiatives to have a better work-life balance,'' Ng said.

To address these issues, respondents suggested companies implement a five-day work week and flexible working hours, and give more paid annual leave. ``We can see these top three initiatives are all about having more personal time, and ability to control when they work,'' Ng said.

Companies' response

While some companies are introducing policies to support a better work-life balance, implementation is another matter.

It is important to start at the top in order to effectively change the corporate culture. ``The key in the work life balance is changing the mindset to work smarter, not harder... Start from the top, get the leadership on board and engage the managers in developing strategies for a stronger work-life balance,'' Ng said.

Renault Samsung Motors is one company that has been implementing measures to provide a good work-life balance to its employees.

Jean-Marie Hurtiger, CEO of Renault Samsung Motors, said the company has been encouraging its employees to take their annual vacation leave.

``We talked to the executives, `you have to take the two weeks vacation every year.' But if you just say that, nothing will happen. But if you tell them if you don't use it and you won't get paid, then they start to take vacation days. It's now five years, and we can say all of them are taking their two weeks vacation,'' he said, during a panel discussion on the survey results at the Westin Chosun Hotel, Friday.

Standard Chartered Korea is also making efforts to create a more balanced work and life environment for its employees.

Peter Hatt, executive vice president and head of human resources at Standard Chartered Korea, said employees are required to leave the office by 7 p.m. every Wednesday and Friday. ``We call it Happy Wednesday and Beautiful Friday, and we encourage them to go out and spend more time with their families,'' he said.

However, some employees do not seem to know what to do with the free time off work.

``Based on some male workers' experience, even if they leave work early to go home, there is no role he can play at home because children are studying all the time. When I talk to the 40s and late 30s generation, their key concern is during the weekends is they're having a hard time trying to organize something with the family,'' said Kim Hyun-soo, head of human resources department of OCI Company.

But this should not dissuade companies from pursuing reforms. ``This is not something that we can change in a day. We can start with the big companies and multinational companies. They should be the role models in the community and encourage others to pick up work-life balance initiatives and to see that productivity is rewarded and not just time spent at work,'' Ng said.