Summer Vacation Season and Vaccine Shots Overlap... Bank Employees Say "Workload Has Increased" (Comprehensive)

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

On the 5th, a citizen visiting the vaccination center set up at Bukahyeon Culture and Sports Center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, is receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] Kwon Yeon-seo (33, pseudonym), who works at a bank branch in Seoul, recently heard from her branch manager that she could only take one day off for vaccine leave. Although two days off including the vaccination day are allowed, the reason given was a shortage of branch staff 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 custom," 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 people taking vaccine leave. Unlike Janssen, the number of people receiving the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which require two doses, has increased, and many are taking 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 takers as well, it's really tough."

First of all, there seems to be some friction among bank employees in Seoul who are included in the vaccine target group. Internal complaints are arising because vaccine leave cannot be freely taken depending on the branch. There are also voices saying that the workload has increased due to overlap with the summer vacation period.

According to the financial sector on the 13th, a post complaining that vaccine leave was only allowed on the vaccination day was recently posted on Bank A's internal intranet. Most branches guarantee two days off according to guidelines, but the post claimed it was unfair that only one day off was allowed at the branch to which the employee belonged.

On the 9th, citizens are undergoing preliminary examination at the vaccination center set up at Bukahyeon Culture and Sports Center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Earlier, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a third voluntary vaccination plan targeting 319,000 workers at high risk of COVID-19 infection. It received an allocation of 602,000 vaccine doses from the government. The target group included workers in the banking industry, including the four major commercial banks: KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, and Woori Bank.

Specifically, employees aged 49 or younger (born between 1972 and 2003) working at bank branches in Seoul are eligible for vaccination. Contract workers and dispatched personnel such as security guards can also receive Pfizer or Moderna vaccines if they work at a bank. Actual vaccinations are scheduled to take place from mid-August to mid-September. The total number of vaccine recipients is estimated at 11,919 based on the five major banks.

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

At a branch of Bank B, after the Seoul city announcement, all employees including the branch manager spread out a calendar and adjusted work schedules. This was because if summer vacation and vaccine leave overlapped on the same day, normal bank operations would be difficult. However, it is difficult for individuals to freely adjust vaccination dates as they wish, 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 find it difficult to properly take leave due to circumstances. A typical example is when two branches are merged due to branch consolidation. Although bond and work volume doubled, the workforce increased by only 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 depending on the branch," and hinted, "I heard that some branches ask employees to try to schedule their vaccination day on a Friday or weekend."

However, once this vaccination is completed, it is expected that temporary branch closures due to confirmed COVID-19 cases will decrease. Last month, banks strengthened quarantine measures and increased remote work in line with the implementation of social distancing level 4 in the metropolitan area, but a large number of confirmed cases still occurred at headquarters and branches.

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