Seoul City Shortens Workplace Harassment Resolution Period from 90 to 30 Days... Support Extended to Private Businesses

Public Institutions Shorten Harassment Handling Period from 90 to 30 Days... All Cases Handled with Victim-Centered Approach
Private Sector Matches Labor Attorneys and Investigation Experts with Small Businesses for Prevention Education and Organizational Culture Consulting

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City has introduced support measures to actively prevent workplace harassment, which has emerged as a serious social issue, including excessive workload dumping, unreasonable orders, inappropriate reprimands, and neglect, and to prioritize protecting victims. All cases will be handled quickly with a victim-centered approach, and a strong safeguard will be established to prevent secondary harm and recurrence.

On the 10th, Seoul City announced that although the "Workplace Harassment Prohibition Act" has been in effect since July 2019, 32.5% of workers have experienced workplace harassment, and 9 out of 10 do not report the harassment but endure the damage. It stated that many people are still exposed to harassment defenselessly, which led to the preparation of these measures.

The core of the public sector is "shortening the processing period" and "confidentiality of reporters." The average processing period of 90 days can add mental and physical pain to victims, so the goal is to investigate and handle cases within 30 days by deploying all possible infrastructure. Currently, when workplace harassment occurs, three Citizen Human Rights Protectors conduct investigations and processing, but since they also handle a wide range of human rights violations beyond harassment, it inevitably takes a long time to process cases.

To shorten the processing period, the plan is to immediately form an investigation committee upon receiving a report and promptly start investigation and processing. The investigation committee will be composed of external experts with high human rights awareness to conduct objective investigations, minimizing internal staff involvement to thoroughly block exposure of the victim's identity.

Once a report is received, the victim and perpetrator will be immediately separated, and the situation will be adjusted and resolved prioritizing the victim's opinions. Also, a zero-tolerance principle will be applied to perpetrators of harassment, and the level of punishment will be strengthened. To prevent secondary harm, the "Workplace Harassment Secondary Damage Prevention Rules," which define the scope of perpetrators and disadvantages, will be established, and sanctions and punishments for secondary perpetrators will be strengthened. Additionally, the currently recommended "workplace harassment prevention education" will be changed to mandatory education. The education will mainly cover the definition of harassment, its impact on the organization, reporting methods, and follow-up measures.

Starting this year, support will also begin for private workplaces that face difficulties due to lack of knowledge about handling procedures or budget shortages even when workplace harassment occurs. For small private businesses where workplace harassment has occurred, professional investigators such as labor attorneys will be matched free of charge to help smoothly form and operate investigation committees. Priority support will be given to businesses with fewer than 30 employees, which are relatively disadvantaged.

In addition, professional instructors for "workplace harassment prevention education" will be dispatched free of charge, and organizational culture improvement consulting will be conducted within workplaces to prevent the occurrence of workplace harassment in advance. The education will broadly cover all processes from labor sensitivity diagnosis practice to sharing laws and cases related to workplace harassment, reporting methods, handling processes, and follow-up management.

A workplace harassment reporting and counseling call center (Labor Counseling Integrated Call Center 1661-2020) will also be operated. It features customized counseling according to the type and situation of harassment damage and connects effective relief programs.

When a worker who has suffered harassment applies for counseling through the call center, an in-depth consultation on the damage content is conducted first. Depending on the counseling results, if legal relief is needed, free legal support from the Seoul Labor Rights Center will be linked, and if psychological relief is needed, the counseling experts at the Seoul Emotional Labor Workers Rights Protection Center will be connected to assist psychological healing.

Han Young-hee, Seoul City’s Labor, Fairness, and Coexistence Policy Officer, said, "Even though more than two years have passed since the Workplace Harassment Prohibition Act was enacted, many endure without reporting due to difficulties in proving the damage and concerns about secondary harm." She added, "Seoul City will expand support not only to public sector workers but also to private sector workers, and provide intensive support so that victims can return to their daily lives as soon as possible through thorough investigation and relief within a short time when harassment occurs."

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