"Reduce Customer Anxiety"... Expansion of Vaccine Leave in the Financial Sector

Accelerating in Line with Government Recommendations
Positive Outlook Even in Areas Yet to Adopt

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The financial sector is accelerating the introduction of COVID-19 vaccine leave. This is because the government is recommending companies to provide their own sick leave or paid leave for office workers receiving vaccinations in the second half of this year. Additionally, due to the nature of jobs that often involve customer interaction, the number of COVID-19 vaccine leave cases in the financial sector is expected to increase.

According to the financial sector on the 28th, KakaoBank, an internet-only bank, started offering paid vaccine leave from the previous day. Regardless of any adverse reactions to the vaccine, employees can take two days of paid leave on the day of vaccination and the following day. Also, for same-day vaccination using leftover vaccines (canceled reservation vaccines), leave can be applied for and used on the same day.

Among financial holding companies, Woori Financial Group and KB Financial Group have introduced paid vaccine leave. Woori Financial Group allows up to three days off. Paid leave can be used on the day of vaccination, and if there are adverse reactions, employees can take an additional two days off without submitting any separate documents. KB Kookmin Bank allows paid vaccine leave on the day of vaccination and the following day, and if adverse reactions occur, an additional day off can be taken. Other financial holding companies are also positive about introducing such leave. Shinhan Financial Group plans to follow the results of labor-management consultations at Shinhan Bank, while Hana Financial Group and NH Nonghyup Financial Group are currently reviewing internally.

In internet banks, K Bank is conducting internal discussions to introduce paid vaccine leave. Since its parent company KT decided to introduce vaccine leave of up to three days starting from the 20th, there is a high possibility of a positive outcome.

Among big tech companies, Naver Financial is implementing paid vaccine leave following Naver's decision. Kakao Pay is also positively reviewing the introduction. Toss is effectively providing vaccine leave. A Toss representative explained, "Since we currently offer unlimited leave, employees can use this leave." Toss's unlimited leave policy only requires notifying the schedule on the mobile bulletin board without supervisor approval. Additionally, among card companies, Samsung Card, Woori Card, and Hyundai Card have introduced vaccine leave.

The financial sector expects vaccine leave to spread throughout the industry. A financial sector official explained, "Due to the nature of the work, including call centers, there are many cases involving customer interaction," adding, "Most financial companies are trying to introduce it as much as possible to reduce customers' anxiety."

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