Gwangjin-gu Supports Employees Stressed from Work with Health Checkups and Psychological Counseling

Providing Non-Face-to-Face Education Such as Online Healing Camps and Remote Home Training Courses

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) is providing various welfare supports for employees exhausted from prolonged COVID-19 work.

First, the district connects and supports professional psychological counseling centers to heal employees' mental health. This psychological counseling support was prepared for employees suffering mental distress from various stresses arising from civil service work and COVID-19 duties.

The counseling areas include ▲workplace (job stress, communication among colleagues, etc.) ▲personal (depression, anxiety disorders, etc.) ▲family (marital issues, child-rearing, etc.), with support up to 4 sessions per person. This program, which started in June, ended early due to high participation from employees.

Additionally, to take care of physical health, comprehensive health checkups for employees are also promoted. To encourage regular health checkups, designated (contracted) medical institutions and examination costs are supported to promote employee health and create a healthy workplace atmosphere.

The support covers 200,000 KRW per person when using the designated medical institution's health checkup package. Notably, this year the number of institutions expanded to 15 locations across 13 institutions. Flu vaccination costs are also supported for employees whose immunity has declined due to prolonged COVID-19.

An employee who received psychological counseling amid the exhausting COVID-19 work said, “As the seemingly endless COVID-19 situation continues, work-related stress and psychological stress have intensified. Feeling frustrated, I applied for counseling and found great help in having comforting conversations with experts.”

Since group training previously supported could not be held due to social distancing, the district switched to an online healing camp. In 2021, the online healing camp has been held four times so far, offering diverse programs such as ▲Real Humanities ▲Photo Therapy ▲Leather Craft ▲Cutting Board Making, allowing employees to apply according to their preferences.

Song Min-ju, an administrative officer who participated in the training, said, “It was nice to be able to heal comfortably at home away from the workplace,” adding, “Recently, many interesting courses have been created, making them very popular among employees.”

Along with this, the district is launching a non-face-to-face home training class that employees can easily follow at home after work. Pre-registration is required, and the class is held every Wednesday from 8 PM to 9 PM for 100 participants at home.

The classes include core muscle strengthening using circling, posture correction using towels, full-body strength training with dumbbells, and exercises using tools and chairs. Necessary exercise equipment is delivered to participants’ homes after a demand survey. This class has gained great popularity as gyms and indoor sports centers have been inaccessible due to COVID-19.

The district is also working on improving the work environment alongside daily welfare. The current government building is the oldest, completed in 1967, and aging, with ongoing issues of insufficient space.

Therefore, the district rents nearby offices and expands existing buildings to provide an optimized work environment. Since 2018, exclusive workspaces for six departments and one team have been secured. Additionally, to support efficient work, the “Gwangjin Family Shelter” was created, providing sports facilities and rest areas, and outdoor exercise equipment was installed around the district office. For the safety of employees handling civil service tasks, emergency bells were installed in each civil service room, and security systems and intercoms were installed by building.

Last year, three special recharge leave days related to COVID-19 quarantine were granted to encourage employees’ efforts, and two special leave days will be granted this year as well.

Moreover, the district has promoted small employee encouragement events such as supporting employees with children taking the college entrance exam and encouraging employees on their way to work.

To celebrate and encourage new employees entering public service, congratulatory flowers are presented at the appointment ceremony, and service communication training is provided to help them adapt to their work.

Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “Because there are about 1,400 Gwangjin family members, we have been able to overcome difficulties during COVID-19 together,” adding, “We are always trying to find ways to help employees who are working hard even a little.” He continued, “If we all put our heads together and gather wisdom, we can overcome any difficulty, so we always prioritize employee welfare and focus on understanding employees’ minds.”

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