"Why Is It Only Our Branch for One Day?"... Bank Employees Complain About Vaccine Leave

Financial Groups and Labor Union Guidelines Guarantee Two Days of Vaccine Leave
Some Branches Complain "Can't Use Leave Properly" on Site
Workload Increases as Summer Vacation Overlaps, Employees Complain

Vaccinations are underway at the vaccination center set up at Bukahyeon Culture and Sports Center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 9th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Kwon Yeon-seo (33, pseudonym), who works at a bank in Seoul, recently heard from her branch manager that she could only take one day off for vaccine leave. Although employees are allowed to take two days off including the day of vaccination, the reason given was a shortage of staff at the branch due to many people taking leave. Kwon said, "Even employees who took their first vaccine leave only rested for one day and then worked, so it became a branch practice," adding, "I feel pressured and think I will have to work the day after the vaccination as well."

Kwon Jun-ryeol (32, pseudonym), a bank clerk who received the Janssen vaccine early as a civil defense worker, recently experienced a significant increase in workload due to many employees taking vaccine leave. Unlike Janssen, the number of people receiving the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which require two doses, has increased, leading many to take four days off. Kwon complained, "I have no choice but to get vaccinated," but added, "Banks usually take annual leave in blocks of one to two weeks during the summer, but with vaccine leave on top of that, it's really tough."

There seems to be some friction among bank employees in Seoul who are eligible for vaccination. Internal dissatisfaction is arising because vaccine leave cannot be freely taken at each branch. There are also voices saying that the workload has increased due to the overlap with the summer vacation period.

According to the financial sector on the 13th, a post complaining about only being able to take vaccine leave on the day of vaccination was recently uploaded on Bank A’s internal intranet. While most branches guarantee two days off according to guidelines, the post claimed it was unfair that the employee could only take one day off at their branch.

Earlier, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a third voluntary vaccination plan targeting 319,000 workers at high risk of COVID-19 infection. They were allocated 602,000 vaccine doses from the government. The target group includes employees of the four major commercial banks?KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, and Woori?as well as other banking industry workers. Those born between 1972 and 2003 who work at banks can receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Contract workers and dispatched personnel such as security guards are also prioritized for vaccination.

Field Branch Staff: "Workload Makes It Difficult to Properly Use Leave"

At one branch of Bank B, after the Seoul city announcement, all employees including the branch manager spread out a calendar to adjust work schedules. This was because if summer vacation and vaccine leave overlapped on the same day, normal banking operations would be difficult. However, vaccination schedules are hard to adjust freely according to the employee’s preference, and some employees ended up getting vaccinated during their leave period while adjusting schedules.

Major financial groups have been preparing and announcing vaccine leave guidelines since May. Most bank headquarters and financial labor union guidelines guarantee two days of vaccine leave. If side effects continue, an additional day off can be taken.

Accordingly, most bank employees take two days off, but some branches reportedly find it difficult to properly use leave due to circumstances. A typical example is when two branches are merged. Although bonds and workload double, the staff only increases by three to four people, so the more people take leave, the heavier the workload for the remaining staff.

An official working at a bank branch in Seoul said, "The problem is that discretion is too large at each branch," and hinted, "I heard that some branches ask employees to try to schedule their vaccination day on a Friday or weekend."

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