"Scolded for Going Home During Lunch Break: Frustration of a 30s Office Worker"

Netizens Engage in 'Gapronulbak' Debate Over Break Time Usage Methods

A story about a man in his 30s who was scolded by his boss for resting at home during the company lunch break sparked a heated debate among netizens.

On the 3rd, a post titled "Is it wrong to go home during the company lunch break?" was uploaded to an online community.

A, who identified himself as a man in his 30s with 4 months of work experience, began the post by saying, "The total company lunch break is 1 hour and 30 minutes," and "Employees either eat at the company cafeteria or freely go to cafes to rest."

A, whose home is 5 minutes away from the company, said, "I have been resting at home during lunch breaks all this time." However, A said he was troubled because his boss B did not approve of this.

A said that B scolded him, saying, "How dare you go home during the lunch break given by the company."

[Image source=Pixabay]

In response, A questioned, "Isn't the lunch break legally my free time?"

B replied to A's question, "You have no sense," and said, "It is free time, but there is also the company atmosphere, and you have to conform to it. Why would you go home? In my 20 years of working, I have never seen anyone go home during lunch break," he scolded.

A concluded the post by saying, "Is it really not allowed to go home during lunch break? I am very embarrassed after hearing my boss's words."

Netizens who read this story sympathized with A, saying, "During legally mandated break times, the boss has no right to interfere with whatever you do," "It's natural that the boss has never seen anyone go home in 20 years. Usually, people don't go home during lunch break because their homes are too far," and "The boss is too narrow-minded. In our company, no one says anything even if you go home."

On the other hand, some pointed out, "It is normal to at least report to the company when going out," and "If there is a company atmosphere, you should conform to it."

According to Article 54 of the Labor Standards Act, if the working hours are 4 hours, a break of at least 30 minutes must be given during working hours, and if the working hours are 8 hours, a break of at least 1 hour must be given. The same law states that break time is to be freely used by workers.

However, a 2016 interpretation by the Ministry of Government Legislation (Legal Interpretation 16-0239) stated that even during break time, restrictions on the use of break time may be imposed to maintain minimum order, such as maintaining continuity of work and responding efficiently to emergencies.

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