"I Took Annual Leave, But Manager Kim Keeps Calling"... Office Workers Still Handle Work During Vacation

[Financial News] One in two office workers has received work-related contact from the company while on vacation. More than half of those contacted were found to have actually handled work at their vacation spot or at home, or even gone into the office.
According to Yonhap News Agency on the 2nd, Gabjil 119 commissioned polling firm Global Research to survey 1,000 office workers nationwide aged 19 and older from June 1 to 9. The results showed that 48.8% of respondents said they had received work-related contact while on vacation.
Among those who received such contact, 53.5% said they actually handled work even during vacation. Of them, 37.7% dealt with work immediately at their vacation spot, home, or a cafe, while 15.8% said they went to the office or returned to the work site.
By contrast, only 15.8% said they informed the company that they were on vacation and postponed the work.
By respondent group, 61.2% of those earning at least 5 million won a month said they received work-related contact during vacation. By position, middle managers recorded the highest rate at 69.8%, and 57.1% of respondents with five or more years of service said the same.
In other words, many office workers spent their vacation still tied to the company and unable to fully rest.
In July and September 2024, two amendments to the Labor Standards Act were proposed. They aimed to ban work instructions delivered outside working hours through phone calls, text messages, KakaoTalk, and other channels. However, the bills have remained pending in the National Assembly for nearly two years without being processed.
Jeong Hee-seong, a labor attorney at Gabjil 119, said, "Contacting workers about work during non-working hours, such as while on vacation or after work, violates their right to rest and amounts to abusive behavior that forces unpaid labor." He added, "To build a workplace culture where people can fully enjoy vacation and rest without worrying about appearances, the right not to be connected needs to be clearly guaranteed by law."
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter