Seocho-gu Implements 'Work from Home, Staggered Commute, and 5-Shift Lunch Hours'... Social Distancing Measures

Starting from the 16th, the 5-shift system for remote work reducing office density and minimizing interpersonal contact, the 5-shift staggered commuting system, and the 5-shift lunch hour system will be fully implemented

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seocho-gu (Mayor Eunhee Jo) will take the lead in social distancing, the best preventive measure to block the spread of COVID-19, by launching a staggered work-from-home system, staggered commuting system, and staggered lunch hours system, each divided into five groups, starting from the 16th. This is the first initiative of its kind by a local government to reduce office density and minimize face-to-face contact.

Earlier, on the 12th, the Ministry of Personnel Management recommended that central government officials work in shifts from home through the "Flexible Work Implementation Guidelines for Public Officials to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19."

The district plans to continue this system until the situation stabilizes, targeting 1,066 employees excluding those in public health centers, key COVID-19 response departments, field workers, and civil service departments to ensure no disruption in public services.

First, the work-from-home system divided into five groups will be implemented by having one-fifth of each department’s personnel work from home each day from Monday to Friday to reduce office density. The schedule is dispersed so that team members are not concentrated on specific days, and it is prohibited for employees in the same work group to work from home on the same day.

In particular, employees commuting via Guro Station and Sindorim Station, near call centers where COVID-19 cluster infections occurred, are required to work from home until the 27th.

The staggered commuting system divides commuting times into five slots?7 AM, 8 AM, 9 AM, 10 AM, and 11 AM?to minimize contact with many people on public transportation during peak hours. Employees can choose their preferred commuting time and leave after completing an 8-hour workday.

The staggered lunch hour system is coordinated with the staggered commuting system to reduce congestion in the cafeteria and minimize close contact situations, thereby lowering the risk of infection.

Previously, the district has paid close attention to the safety of employees and visitors by implementing fever checks upon entering the government building, attaching antibacterial films to elevator buttons, providing hand sanitizers, and installing transparent partitions with COVID-19 encouragement messages on each cafeteria table.

Additionally, a dedicated epidemiological investigation team has been formed to complete investigations and disinfection within 24 hours after confirmed cases, and all efforts are mobilized to block community spread through rapid disclosure of movement paths via "COVID-19 News" text messages.

Seocho-gu Mayor Eunhee Jo stated, “Unlike central government officials, district officials are responsible for frontline projects and direct contact with residents. To prevent administrative paralysis, which is the main body of disaster response and quarantine, we have implemented a flexible work triple five-group system for staggered work, commuting, and lunch hours. Through this, we will strongly promote social distancing and take the lead in overcoming COVID-19.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.