Taean County Significantly Improves Employee Welfare System... "Boosting Morale"

Introduction of "Special Self-Reflection Leave" This Year
Expansion of Maximum Overtime Hours

Chungnam Taean County is undertaking a major overhaul of its service and welfare systems to boost morale and foster pride among new public officials and staff. Photo shows the exterior of Chungnam Taean County Office. /Taean County

Taean County in South Chungcheong Province is launching a comprehensive overhaul of its service and welfare policies to boost morale and pride among its staff, including newly appointed public officials.

The county will introduce a “Special Self-Reflection Leave” system starting this year to minimize the recent nationwide trend of early-career public officials leaving their posts and to provide high-quality administrative services to residents. In addition, the maximum allowable overtime hours and the basic welfare points for all employees will be increased.

Specifically, the county will change the existing “Long-Term Service Leave,” previously granted only to officials with over 10 years of service, to “Special Self-Reflection Leave.” This will provide at least three days of leave to officials with more than one year of service. Newly appointed employees with less than five years of service will receive the “Newcomer Support Points,” worth 100,000 won in Taean County welfare points.

Furthermore, the monthly cap on overtime hours eligible for compensation will be significantly raised from 45 to 67 hours, improving conditions for hardworking officials. The basic welfare points provided will also be increased from 900,000 to 1,000,000 won, ensuring the county’s welfare benefits are on par with those of other municipalities.

Welfare improvement measures for employees facing childbirth and childcare will also be implemented.

Starting this year, the maximum monthly childcare leave allowance will be increased from 1.5 million won to up to 2.5 million won (for the first to third months), and welfare points ranging from a minimum of 500,000 won (for the first child) to a maximum of 2 million won (for the fourth child or more) will be provided.

Additionally, to ensure employees do not face disadvantages in promotion due to childcare leave, the entire period of childcare leave will be recognized as promotion experience, and overtime work will be permitted during early morning or night hours even on days when childcare time is used.

Moreover, the county plans to expand the scope of proxy duty allowances for those covering for employees on leave and extend the period for using marriage-related congratulatory leave from 30 days to 90 days. These diverse measures are part of the county’s efforts to improve employee satisfaction.

A county official stated, “At a time when the departure of early-career public officials is accelerating nationwide, expanding welfare policies for public officials will lead to more stable administrative operations and increased satisfaction among residents. We will continue to discuss and implement further improvements to ensure our employees can work in a better environment.”

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