South Korea: Reversing Workaholic Culture | God's World News

South Korea: Reversing Workaholic Culture

04/26/2018
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    A tired-looking currency trader at work in Seoul—South Koreans are notorious for their long work hours. (AP)
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    Lawmakers at the South Korean National Assembly—They are trying to change the nation’s workaholic culture. (AP)
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    What if those computers just shut down at a reasonable hour? (AP)
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    A small family enjoys a traditional meal in Jeongseon, South Korea. (AP)
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South Korea wants employees to stop working so hard. Earlier this year, the country’s national assembly cut the work week from 68 to 52 hours. Now the government has introduced a new program. To help stop a “culture of working overtime,” South Korea is turning off computers.

In the 1980s and 90s, South Korea competed with other Asian countries for technology dominance. Their long, hard efforts fueled an economic boom. But today many people—including Lee Jung-min, an economics professor in Seoul—believe the “longer-is-better approach” is “no longer sustainable.”

Workers in South Korea log serious hours. Government minister Chung Hyun-back calls the country’s working hours “inhumanely long.” It’s not uncommon for employees to toil 12 hours per day. Government employees in Seoul work about 1,000 hours per year more than workers in other developed countries.

Experts say South Korea’s long work hours sometimes cause accidents as employees become tired or careless. Further, a study published in 2016 by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) asserts that “long hours mean people have less time to have children.” (South Korea has one of the lowest birth rates in the world.) Other analysts cite illnesses and a decrease in output as workers struggle beyond their ability to perform well.

Recently, the South Korean government stepped in with an interesting way to get workers to call it quits. Government computers power down early on Friday evenings. Officials believe that will help employees leave work on time.

The government in Seoul implemented the computer shutdown in three phases this spring. In March, all computers turned off by 8:00 pm. (Yep, that’s early for them.) In April, computers switched off by 7:30 pm twice a month. Then in May, the force-quit began in earnest. Computers shut down by 7:00 pm every Friday.

According to a Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) statement, the mandatory stoppage applies to all employees. Exceptions will apply only to unusual situations.

You’d imagine the workers would be delighted for an employer-endorsed get-out-of-work-early excuse, right? But according to the SMG, over 67% of government workers dislike the early cut-off. Getting South Koreans to relax will take more than pulling a computer plug.

Hard work is a good thing. The Bible admonishes people to “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” (Colossians 3:23) Still, the wisest human said there was “a time for every matter under heaven”—including work and rest. (Ecclesiastes 3) As Philippians 4:11 says, the trick is being content whatever the situation.