At Nexon, there is a separate division that is responsible for the maintenance and operations of the company’s childcare programs. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 8 (Korea Bizwire) — In an industry where the average age falls somewhere around 33, and 30 percent are women, leading gaming companies are taking strides to foster a more family friendly workplace.
Those in the industry point out that Nexon has since last year been carrying out a “Happy Mom” in-house policy, with pregnant employees receiving congratulatory gifts and days off for visits to the OB-GYN granted once every one, two or four weeks depending on the stage of pregnancy.
Women who have recently given birth and work for Kakao Games receive a “diaper cake” made of diapers from their employer. To accommodate mothers returning to work, Kakao Games and NCSOFT both have nursing rooms set up in their offices.
An industry insider familiar with NCSOFT said worker satisfaction was high with the arrangements, adding, “It’s rare for large corporations to have nursing rooms in the workplace.”
Women who have recently given birth and work for Kakao Games receive a “diaper cake” made of diapers from their employer. (Image: Kakao Games)
Promoting family welfare does not end there. It is widely known that the major gaming companies run their own preschools, designed with a systematic educational component and a suitable play environment as well as the capacity to accommodate hundreds of children. At Nexon, there is a separate division that is responsible for the maintenance and operations of the company’s childcare programs.
Adjustments for time spent at the office have also been made to support pregnant employees. At Netmarble, a policy of reduced working hours during pregnancy was initiated for women who avoid taking maternity leave for fear of the harm a prolonged absence would do to their careers. These individuals are given the autonomy to log up to 30 work hours on a schedule of their own choosing.
To engender greater work-life balance, Netmarble, NCSOFT and Nexon are planning to or have already instituted varying levels of flexible-time work arrangements.
S.B.W. (sbw266@koreabizwire.com)
