According to reports from South Korea's Chosun Ilbo, more and more large companies in South Korea are encouraging their employees and executives to leave work on time. The intention behind this is to improve work efficiency and productivity by balancing work and family life. Some companies even deduct bonuses from department executives who frequently work overtime.
Samsung announced that starting from October, a trial operation of the "plus day" system will be implemented where all employees leave work at 5 PM on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. The purpose of this is to inject energy into both the workplace and home through rest. On the first implementation of the "plus day" system on the 16th, personnel department staff even conducted office inspections to ensure everyone had left work.
LG Electronics also began encouraging employees to leave work on time this year by broadcasting reminders over the internal PA system at 6 PM every 25th of the month when salaries are paid. Additionally, each business division designates a "family day" and allows all executives and employees to leave between 5 PM and 6 PM.
Some companies forcibly require employees to leave after working hours by cutting off the company's internal network. Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance has been operating a "home-run system" since August this year, which cuts off the network power at 6:30 PM every Wednesday. At 6 PM, when all departments' working hours end, a warning is issued stating "the network will be cut off soon," and the power is then cut off 30 minutes later.
SK Innovation has been mandatorily requiring employees to leave work before 7 PM through an "anti-overtime campaign" since the second half of this year. SK Innovation also plans to regularly announce the names of departments that frequently work overtime on the internal network and impose personnel penalties such as reducing bonuses for department executives who frequently work overtime.