"Working from Home Does Not Mean 'Wolgeup Lupang': Surge in Anxiety Complaints"

COVID-19 Spread... 4 out of 10 Companies "Implementing Remote Work"
Employees "Widespread Negative Perception of Remote Work... Excessive Work Pressure"
Ministry of Employment and Labor Recommends Active Use of Flexible Work Systems to Prevent COVID-19

On the morning of the 13th, citizens wearing masks are boarding and alighting the subway at Gangnam Station on Seoul Subway Line 2 for their commute. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] "Working from home is not the same as taking annual leave."

A (28), an office worker who has been working from home since last month, said, "I don't understand why people think working from home means slacking off. In fact, because of that perception, I end up working more than when I go to the office."

A added, "It's true that it's more convenient since I don't have to commute, but it's just that the commuting time has been cut and the workplace has changed. We attend meetings via video calls and continuously work together through phone calls and messages, so why am I treated as if I'm not working? It's unfair," she added.

As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spread, companies began implementing work-from-home policies around March to prevent infection, but more office workers are expressing anxiety. This is because supervisors or management view working from home as a form of vacation or believe employees are not working properly while resting.

Many are worried about being labeled as so-called "monthly salary loafers" or "salary thieves," meaning people who receive pay without working. This social phenomenon is pointed out as a result of the still widespread negative perception of working from home.

The reason companies are adopting work-from-home policies is that the risk of infection through droplets and close contact is high in poorly ventilated, enclosed office spaces, and infection can spread through public transportation during commuting. Recently, more than 40% of companies surveyed expressed willingness to implement work-from-home policies.

According to a survey conducted by the job platform Saramin on the 11th targeting 1,089 companies, 40.5% responded that they "are already implementing or planning to implement work-from-home." Companies cited "proactive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19" as the main reason for adopting work-from-home.

Not only private companies but also public officials have started mandatory rotating work-from-home. The Ministry of Personnel Management announced on the 12th that it had delivered guidelines for flexible work for public officials to 55 central administrative agencies to prevent the spread of COVID-19. According to the guidelines, public officials will be assigned to remote work on a rotating basis according to a set percentage per department.

Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), citizens wearing masks on their way to work are seen exiting Yeouido National Assembly Station in Seoul on the morning of the 25th of last month.

Among them, some office workers revealed that they are stressed by the distorted views of supervisors and management. They said, "Since working from home breaks away from the traditional practice of commuting to work, there seems to be a lot of concern about work efficiency," but "it is unfair and unpleasant to be treated as if we are slacking off and not working."

B, a worker in their 30s, said, "Because of outdated perceptions, I can't even dream of working from home." He added, "At the end of last month, there was internal criticism about whether we should work from home, and we held several meetings. However, those with decision-making power thought 'people don't work when working from home,' so it was canceled. People often joke that 'we probably can't work from home until there is a confirmed case.'

Survey results show that workers' concerns are not unfounded. According to a March survey by the employment portal Incruit, 70.2% of 891 workers said, "We are not working from home despite the spread of COVID-19." Respondents cited reasons such as "(the company) believes it will affect sales decline" (7.5%) and "thinking work efficiency will decrease when working from home" (5.5%). This shows a strong negative perception that "work efficiency decreases when working from home."

Meanwhile, Lee Jae-gap, Minister of Employment and Labor, urged active use of flexible work systems, family care leave, and annual leave to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

At the COVID-19 Employment and Labor Countermeasures Meeting held on the 24th of last month at the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office in Jung-gu, Seoul, Minister Lee recommended, "Please actively use flexible work systems to reduce the possibility of infection spread due to congestion during commuting hours." Flexible work systems include staggered commuting hours and remote/work-from-home systems.

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