Two out of three office workers are reporting they receive work-related communications even after leaving the office. (Image courtesy of Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Korea Bizwire) – A recent survey has shed light on the persistent challenge of maintaining work-life balance in South Korea’s demanding corporate culture, with two out of three office workers reporting they receive work-related communications even after leaving the office.
The survey, conducted by Global Research on behalf of the workplace rights organization Gabjil 119, polled 1,000 workers nationwide between September 2 and 10. The results, released on October 21, paint a picture of a workforce struggling to disconnect from their professional duties.
According to the findings, one in four employees (23.3%) reported being unable to leave work on time. The ability to clock out punctually varied significantly across age groups, with workers in their 50s and above most likely to leave on time (81.5%), while those in their 20s struggled the most (69.7%).
When asked about the reasons for staying late, respondents cited excessive workload (54.9%) and office culture (36.1%) as the primary factors.
The survey also revealed that the workday often extends beyond office hours, with approximately two-thirds of employees receiving work-related communications after leaving the office. This trend was most pronounced among workers in their 20s (71.5%) and least common among those in their 50s (53.6%).
Notably, less than half of the respondents considered these after-hours communications as urgent or critical to company operations, raising questions about the necessity of such practices.
Gabjil 119, advocating for workers’ rights, called for urgent legal and institutional reforms to protect employees’ right to rest. “We need to institutionalize the right to disconnect from work,” a spokesperson for the organization stated, emphasizing the importance of establishing clear boundaries between work and personal time.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
