A company sports day in the 1980s, once a common sight. Such events were justified as a way to boost team spirit and morale. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — A popular bakery chain’s plan to close for a day to hold an employee sports festival has ignited an unexpected debate over changing attitudes toward workplace bonding in South Korea.
Sungsimdang, a renowned bakery in the central city of Daejeon known for drawing tourists from across the country, announced that it would shut its stores on November 3 for its annual “One Family Sports Day.”
The notice prompted a flood of comments on social media — many praising the company for prioritizing employee morale, others questioning whether staff would prefer a day off instead.
Some commenters celebrated the gesture as a refreshing return to a once-common workplace tradition. “This deserves to be sent as an emergency alert nationwide,” one user quipped. Another wrote, “A company with this kind of culture is admirable.”
Yet critics argued that compulsory camaraderie can feel like an obligation, not a reward. “Just split the event budget and give everyone a day to rest,” one user wrote. Others dismissed corporate sports days as a relic of the past, out of step with modern work-life expectations.
Company outings and sports festivals were long seen as routine in Korea, often held on weekends and at times organized informally by supervisors. But the advent of the 52-hour workweek and worker protections introduced during the pandemic have markedly shifted norms.
Unpaid weekend events have largely disappeared, and pressuring employees to attend outside work hours can now be deemed workplace harassment.
A notice announcing the closure of all Sungsimdang locations, the bakery widely regarded as the most famous in South Korea. (Image captured from the Sungsimdang website)
In a quick online poll of office workers, 63 percent said they would still rather attend a weekday retreat than remain at their desks, though nearly a quarter said they would prefer to be given the day off entirely.
Labor experts said the distinction lies in whether participation is mandatory. Events held during paid working hours and tied to performance expectations may legally count as work. Voluntary gatherings — especially those that replace a workday — fall into a gray area that many companies try to navigate cautiously.
As attitudes evolve, the larger question persists: in the era of work-life balance, is collective fun still fun when it is organized by the employer?
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
