Government Holds YouTube Briefing on Flexible Working Hours... Obligation to Provide 11 Consecutive Hours of Rest

Joint 'Labor Standards Briefing Session' Held on the 26th by Ministry of Employment, IBK Industrial Bank, and Korea Federation of SMEs
Key Points on Flexible Working Hours, Continuous Rest for Selective Working Hours, and Wage Compensation Obligations
Guidance on Essential Labor Management for Businesses... Lee Jae-gap: "Establishing Revised Laws in the Workplace"

Minister Lee Jae-gap of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government will hold an online briefing session on labor standards ahead of the implementation of the revised flexible working hours and selective working hours systems scheduled for the 6th of next month.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor, IBK Industrial Bank, and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business announced on the 24th that they plan to hold a 'Labor Standards Briefing' via YouTube for one hour starting at 2 p.m. on the 26th. Since the flexible working hours and selective working hours systems will be fully implemented from the 6th of next month for companies with 50 or more employees (and from July 1 for those with 5 to less than 50 employees), the briefing aims to reduce trial and error during the implementation.

The session will inform about the introduction of the 3 to 6-month flexible working hours system, the extension of the settlement period for the selective working hours system in new product and new technology research and development (R&D) fields from one month to three months, among other details. It will explain the obligation to provide 11 consecutive hours of rest between working days when implementing the flexible and selective working hours systems, and emphasize that companies must prepare wage compensation plans and report them when introducing the flexible working hours system. The day before, the Ministry of Employment and Labor reviewed and approved the 'Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act' at the Cabinet meeting, which stipulates that companies with 50 or more employees introducing the 3 to 6-month flexible working hours system from the 6th of next month will be fined between 800,000 and 3 million KRW if they fail to report wage compensation plans to the ministry.

The briefing will cover changes related to working hours systems as well as key labor management issues for companies. IBK Industrial Bank and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business will utilize their experience in supporting labor management for their clients and members. Additionally, detailed explanatory materials will be prepared and uploaded on the webpage by the 10th of next month.

Lee Jae-gap, Minister of Employment and Labor, said, "Even amid COVID-19, labor laws must be properly observed in the workplace," and added, "I hope the briefing will be of great help."

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