South Korea may require pregnant civil servants work from home
Photo by Gije Cho
South Korea recently decided to trial a program were pregnant government employees are required to work from home once a week.
The plan is to test the program starting with Ministry of Personnel Management employees, and eventually expand to other government departments. Pregnant workers will work in the office Monday through Thursday, and from home on Friday. Additionally, the expectant mothers can continue with this schedule until their children turn eight.
Employees can go into the office if necessary.
Reportedly, the government wants to “create a family-friendly work environment, an organization culture based on autonomy and trust, and a digital work environment.”
The head of the Ministry of Personnel Management said “We will transform the public sector into an organization that works flexibly and efficiently while achieving results.”
The policy was apparently already in place, but few used it prior to the mandate.
The government has also encouraged remote work from popular vacation spots, with approval from workers’ departments. Again, the goal is to promote a work-life balance.
South Korea has struggled with declining birthrates for years and has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates. These policies seem to be focusing on encouraging families, parenting, work-life balance, and flexibility.
Another government official stated “While there may be departments that cannot keep up with the changes in the public sector, if we establish the system and actively encourage it, the number of civil servants using it will gradually increase. Even now, with just a laptop, one can work from anywhere, making it possible to achieve results efficiently without investing as much time as before.”
