The idea of a four-day work week is gaining traction in economies like the US and UK, as studies report shorter working hours lead to burnout and increase employee retention without harming productivity.
But South Korea went in the opposite direction. The Asian country is proposing to allow employees to work longer hours – and says the change will encourage households to start families.
On Monday, the South Korean government officially announced plans to revise the country’s cap on maximum working hours, which was first proposed by the country’s president, Yoon Suk-Yeol, in December.
Under a law passed in 2018, South Korean workers can work a maximum of 52 hours a week, combining the standard 40-hour work week with an additional 12 hours of overtime. Employers who violate the restrictions risk fines or even jail time.
But the proposed scheme would allow employers and workers to decide to measure overtime on a monthly, quarterly, or even yearly basis. The government will also expand the maximum amount of overtime that can be worked in a week to 29 hours, meaning a maximum of 69 working hours.
The South Korean government has argued that the new scheme allows for more flexibility, and hopes that workers will work fewer hours.
On Thursday, South Korea’s labor ministry even tried to create new rules as a way to support the country’s fertility rate, which at 0.78 births per woman is the lowest in the world. The minister suggested that workers could work longer hours during the week in exchange for longer holidays elsewhere in the year.
“We can solve serious social problems such as rapid aging and low birth rates by allowing women to choose their working hours more flexibly,” said labor minister Lee Jung-sik, according to the report. Financial Times.
Korean business groups have welcomed the plan, while labor unions and women’s groups have criticized the proposed rules.
“While men will work long hours and be freed from responsibilities and caregiving rights, women will have to do all the work,” the United Korea Women’s Association said in a statement to Reuters.
Unions, too, resist change. “It will be legal to work from 9 a.m. to midnight for five consecutive days,” the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said in a statement, blasting the government for “ignoring workers’ health and rest.”
South Korea’s new rules include provisions against longer shifts, requiring at least 11 hours of rest between workdays.
But it is not clear whether Korean workers can use the proposed flexibility. Only 40% of Korean employees will use all their annual leave in 2020, according to a government survey cited by Financial Times. Korean employees worked an average of 1,915 hours in 2021, the fifth highest number and nearly 200 hours above the global average, according to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
And only 14% of Korean workers belong to a union, possibly limiting their ability to negotiate more flexible hours.
Four day work week
Several countries have launched pilot programs to investigate the effects of the four-day work week. One such pilot program, involving 2,900 employees in the UK, reported significant improvements in employee health and retention with no loss of productivity.
The six-month pilot, which offered full pay to employees who worked only 80% of regular hours, reported a 65% decrease in sick days and a 57% reduction in the likelihood that employees would quit. Almost all companies participating in the trial say they will continue with the current four-day work week.
Other governments are now considering trials of a four-day work week. US lawmakers at the state and federal levels introduced bills to at least try a 32-hour week. And on Thursday, Australian senators called on the state government to trial a shorter working week for its own employees.
But experts warn that the benefits of the four-day work week are mainly for salaried workers. Hourly workers even face the challenge of not having enough hours, or following unstable punctuality schedules.
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