Government Encourages Remote Work Activation in Companies... Infrastructure Development and Labor Management Cost Support (Update)

Preventing the Resurgence of COVID-19 and Pursuing Work-Life Balance

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Since the COVID-19 pandemic has not completely ended, the government has decided to support the activation of telecommuting in companies to prevent a resurgence.

On the 4th, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that it received a report from the Ministry of Employment and Labor on measures to promote telecommuting in companies. The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to continue efforts to activate telecommuting, citing concerns about a resurgence of COVID-19 following the lifting of social distancing measures.

First, to introduce and expand telecommuting, customized consulting for workplaces will be provided free of charge for 12 weeks, and telecommuting-related support systems will be closely linked to encourage companies to adopt telecommuting.

When companies utilize telecommuting, one-on-one direct consultations for companies and workers will be strengthened to quickly resolve any difficulties encountered on site.

To alleviate the cost burden of introducing telecommuting, up to 20 million KRW will be supported for infrastructure construction costs when purchasing necessary programs and equipment for telecommuting. Additional personnel and labor management costs incurred by employers due to telecommuting will also be continuously supported, with up to 3.6 million KRW available per year depending on the number of times workers use telecommuting (remote work).

To strengthen on-site promotion of telecommuting, the contents of various telecommuting support systems will be reflected and guided in workplace response guidelines, and focused telecommuting campaigns will be conducted through various organizations and the Work-Life Balance Regional Promotion Group.

In addition, central government ministries and local governments have been urged to actively inform about the necessity and effectiveness of telecommuting, and cooperation plans will be reviewed if there are projects that can be linked or joint campaigns possible to promote telecommuting.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Accident Response Headquarters, explained, "For quarantine reasons, during the time we live with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future, it is more desirable to telecommute where possible," adding, "We judged that it is a necessary measure to establish telecommuting in feasible areas for overall working conditions, new corporate culture, and work-life balance."

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