South Korea to Shut Off Computers to Stop People Working Late

Megalith

Megalith

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In order to combat the country’s culture of overwork and force employees to leave work on time, South Korea is enacting a shutdown initiative in which all computers will be turned off by 8 PM on Fridays. By next month, computers will be turned off at 7:30 PM, and in May, systems will be turned off at 7:00 PM.

All employees will be subjected to the shutdown, though exemptions may be provided in special circumstances. However, not every government worker seems to be on-board - according to the SMG, 67.1% of government workers have asked to be exempt from the forced lights-out. Earlier this month, South Korea's national assembly passed a law to cut down the maximum weekly working hours to 52, down from 68.
 
68 hours? That's getting beyond ridiculous when you're not talking about the military or time on/time off work
 
South Korean worker productivity is among the lowest in the world for developed countries despite the long hours. They're at work, but they aren't working.

Japanese culture has the same problem. Going home on time/before the boss is seen as lazy, so everybody stretches out their work.
 
I didn't know that. Can you provide a source for that?
 
First of all this is only for Fridays, so it's really not much of a big deal.

It's won't help if they turn them back on a 8:01 :pompous:.

However, if you kill the internet from 8pm-5am, then people would be less motivated to do "work" ;) on the internet, and actually use their time for forced leisure, in the actual world (sounds scary right?).

Besides, why in hell would employers want to disable computers for their work force for any amount of time, ever? Sounds like a rather loose fix for a real cultural problem. I don't know much about the hierarchy in Korean businesses, but I doubt it's as reasonably fair as America where the best employees typically rise to the top. It may be an issue of so many people doing similar jobs that effort no longer matters, and people just coast knowing that they will never make any more money or have the propect in a positive monetary change in their lifestyle / quality of life.

I know in Japan there is a much stronger focus on the bond between employers and employees. If you're the one guy that won't go out with the boss to the bar at night, even if he goes every night of the week, you may as well kiss your carreer prospects goodbye.

However, in places like Spain, they have one of the best work days in the world. Work starts around 10am. Ever afternoon work stops for 1-3 hours for a siesta. People can take a nap, have a long, enjoyable experience somewhere outside of your work, and generally recharge for the day. While they do work a little later, and their night life doesn't really start until close to 10pm (USA it starts from 330-7pm), Workers are much more capable, positive, and motivated during their days, producing a better work force, with less apathetic futility.
 
Wyodiver said:
I didn't know that. Can you provide a source for that?
Click to expand...

There's this.
South Korea ranks near the bottom in labor productivity within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as South Koreans work long hours even while creating little value added, OECD data shows.

“You need more investment in skills, more flexibility in the labor market, more flexibility in the products market,” OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria told Reuters in an interview, adding South Korea’s labor productivity is about 50 percent of that for the best members within the OECD.

South Korea’s gross domestic product value per hour worked stood at $31 in 2015, 48 percent of the United States and the fifth-lowest among the OECD members
Click to expand...

And a bit about why they're so unproductive.
 
DeathFromBelow said:
South Korean worker productivity is among the lowest in the world for developed countries despite the long hours. They're at work, but they aren't working.

Japanese culture has the same problem. Going home on time/before the boss is seen as lazy, so everybody stretches out their work.
Click to expand...

What I was thinking. Maybe if they actually worked they'd probably have 30 hour weeks instead.
 
Nallexi said:
68 hours? That's getting beyond ridiculous when you're not talking about the military or time on/time off work
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I had to take a vacation day to stay out of the 60 range for the week.

The only time I ever hit the 40's was when I burned up the last of my vacation time before I lost it.
 
SamuraiInBlack said:
I had to take a vacation day to stay out of the 60 range for the week.

The only time I ever hit the 40's was when I burned up the last of my vacation time before I lost it.
Click to expand...
I feel your pain, I work a min 50 hours a week (10 hours a day 5 days a week) but some weeks get very busy. This week was 72 hours, but my record is 186 hours in 2 weeks lol.

I also tend to take a lot of time off to prevent burn out when I'm not crazy busy so it balances out.
 
65hrs is a normal week for me, and I get shit done.
Lazy fucks only drive taxes and consumer costs up.
 
Ragenrok said:
I feel your pain, I work a min 50 hours a week (10 hours a day 5 days a week) but some weeks get very busy. This week was 72 hours, but my record is 186 hours in 2 weeks lol.

I also tend to take a lot of time off to prevent burn out when I'm not crazy busy so it balances out.
Click to expand...

I don't miss my 16+ hour days at all, or that gig. I was doing a minimum of 10 hours on Saturdays then too. That gig made me learn how good bourbon tastes. Good riddance to that job.

I only have two weeks worth of vacation now. I got shafted on that part. I should renegotiate and see if I can get another week if I don't find a less chaotic employer soon.
 
SamuraiInBlack said:
I don't miss my 16+ hour days at all, or that gig. I was doing a minimum of 10 hours on Saturdays then too. That gig made me learn how good bourbon tastes. Good riddance to that job.

I only have two weeks worth of vacation now. I got shafted on that part. I should renegotiate and see if I can get another week if I don't find a less chaotic employer soon.
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Try 112 hour weeks for months straight :p

Compddd said:
What is the point of existing?
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Why [H] of course!
 
Compddd said:
What is the point of existing?
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To be a slave, slave, now get back to work! :D

I know the feeling of this, though, and back in my previous job, I was lucky to get a single day off in a month.
My dad, back in the 1980s, worked (REAL work, not a wimpy office or corporate job) nearly 24/7 literally 18-22 hours per day, and was lucky to have a few days off in an entire year.

I'm a workaholic, and what he did makes me look and feel like a total pussy.
Today's generations, or at least the majority of them, really don't know what its like to actually work, and I see many of them complain that they have to work upwards of ~20 hours a week...

Looks like the previous posters in this thread know how to work - mind if I get a shot at that bourbon when you're all finished? :cool:
 
Red Falcon said:
To be a slave, slave, now get back to work! :D

I know the feeling of this, though, and back in my previous job, I was lucky to get a single day off in a month.
My dad, back in the 1980s, worked (REAL work, not a wimpy office or corporate job) nearly 24/7 literally 18-22 hours per day, and was lucky to have a few days off in an entire year.

I'm a workaholic, and what he did makes me look and feel like a total pussy.
Today's generations, or at least the majority of them, really don't know what its like to actually work, and I see many of them complain that they have to work upwards of ~20 hours a week...

Looks like the previous posters in this thread know how to work - mind if I get a shot at that bourbon when you're all finished? :cool:
Click to expand...

What kind of job has you working 22 hours a day 7 days a week? Sounds like BS to me.

I work hard in the hours I am paid to be at my job but I value my home life to not work 50 hours a week when I am paid for 35. What is the point of working long hours if you never have any time off to enjoy the fruits of your labour? I say work to live, not live to work!
 
DeathFromBelow said:
Japanese culture has the same problem. Going home on time/before the boss is seen as lazy, so everybody stretches out their work.
Click to expand...
I think that's a problem in every office. The person who is seen leaving early is always called out, but the one who is just "there" all the time doing nothing is left alone.

I can't stand doing nothing for even 10 minutes. I don't understand how can some people waste their time like that.
 
Summoner said:
What kind of job has you working 22 hours a day 7 days a week? Sounds like BS to me.

I work hard in the hours I am paid to be at my job but I value my home life to not work 50 hours a week when I am paid for 35. What is the point of working long hours if you never have any time off to enjoy the fruits of your labour? I say work to live, not live to work!
Click to expand...

Exactly. Some weeks I work 70 hrs, most others I work 40-50. After spending aagood part of my younger days burning all nighters, I've realized you should fwork to enjoy life. Hard work for the sake of hard work is a sickness.

A guy at work was constantly applauding himself for only taking 5 days of vacation in a year. I finally lost my shit with him last week and asked him if he thought he was some monument to hard work, gave him an earful on the industrial revolution. People literally fought and died so you don't need to work 14 he days 365 a year. It's both moronic and disrespectful to work like youre a 19th century factory worker if you are afforded the right not to.
 
I've had jobs where it was common to work while on vacation, come in to the office sick (thanks - spread that shit around), and work 12+ hour days. When everyone else is doing it, you better be on board or be prepared to find a new job (which might be a good thing anyway).
It's funny how a lot of us (me included) feel awkward leaving before the boss leaves. Even if I come in earlier, I still have an apprehension to leaving earlier than everyone else.
 
Red Falcon said:
To be a slave, slave, now get back to work! :D

I know the feeling of this, though, and back in my previous job, I was lucky to get a single day off in a month.
My dad, back in the 1980s, worked (REAL work, not a wimpy office or corporate job) nearly 24/7 literally 18-22 hours per day, and was lucky to have a few days off in an entire year.

I'm a workaholic, and what he did makes me look and feel like a total pussy.
Today's generations, or at least the majority of them, really don't know what its like to actually work, and I see many of them complain that they have to work upwards of ~20 hours a week...

Looks like the previous posters in this thread know how to work - mind if I get a shot at that bourbon when you're all finished? :cool:
Click to expand...

People go get educations so they don't have to be a "shovel operator" their entire life. I'm sure people in office jobs can appreciate those that work hard, but given the choice they picked the option that was better for them. The thing that a lot of people probably don't correlate is that the previous generation needed to work more hours to get the same job done. The amount of efficiency that has gone up considerably, and just about anyone can enjoy the benefits of it. 100 years ago it was likely common place to dig a trench by hand. That meant a few guys spending hours or days getting the work done. 1 person sitting in the cab of a backhoe can outwork those 5 guys with shovels. That analogy holds true to just about every market out there. Just because the previous generation worked longer hours doesn't mean they actually got more work done. You could have worked hard and did a lot of things, but that doesn't necessarily mean you reached the same goal any faster. (Which is kind of the point of this thread, but in a different form)
 
Summoner said:
What kind of job has you working 22 hours a day 7 days a week? Sounds like BS to me.
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I guess this pussy generation has no clue what it means to actually work, as proven by quite the ignorant statement.
He worked jobs. Plural.

My grandfather would work for DAYS on end, and great grandfather stopped school at the third grade in order to work in a logging camp in order to provide for his family.
This is why anyone over the age of 40 makes fun of "millennials" (gen-Y and beyond) for having no clue how the real world works or operates, and has operated, especially in the 20th century - it's like some fantasy to them that "didn't really happen" or something.

I work hard in the hours I am paid to be at my job but I value my home life to not work 50 hours a week when I am paid for 35. What is the point of working long hours if you never have any time off to enjoy the fruits of your labour? I say work to live, not live to work!
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That's fantastic that you have that option.
However, many people do not have that option and are forced to work any job they can in order to provide for their families or loved ones, and don't really have much of a choice; again these are things that people do in the real world, not just those who are fortunate enough to be in your shoes.

What's the point of working long hours?
Um, survival, preventing starvation, providing for one's family (both direct and extended), providing for one's children so they can potentially live better lives than their parents did - if you don't know or understand any of these concepts, then you must be living quite the self-centered and hedonistic life, and I can't say I really envy you.

Also, you only work 35 hours a week?
You realize that isn't even classified as full time... real cute.

If you are only actually getting paid for 35 hours a week, but are actually working 50, that sounds like you are getting the shaft.
But please, tell me more about how people who worked 80-150+ hours per week, without choice I might add, should try to have your wonderful work life since you apparently know everything! :LOL:

bman212121 said:
People go get educations so they don't have to be a "shovel operator" their entire life. I'm sure people in office jobs can appreciate those that work hard
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There are more forms of physical labor out there than simply a "shovel operator".
Also, if all one knows is school/college and then and office job, then they have absolutely no way of knowing or appreciating real physical labor unless they have been there and done that for a living or to provide for their family with no choice.

Nearly everyone I have met or worked with who have only gone to school and then had a job without any form of real physical labor, have had absolutely zero concept of such jobs or what they entail, let alone actually appreciate them.
"Then let them eat cake." - This is basically the mindset I get from those kinds of individuals, and its not insightful, nor intelligent, in the least.
 
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Red Falcon

I think anyone would agree that the survival of their loved ones and themselves is of the utmost importance and warrants do anything possible to meet that goal. I myself have been lucky enough to only need one job. But I think its shortsighted to say that people, by virtue of the circumstances of their birth, are incapable of doing what it takes to survive.

The argument of not sacrificing life for work is usually made with the understanding that the basic needs of your family are being met. Which in the case of the linked article seems to be the case.

At the end of the day I am for more freedom, not less. I don't want anyone telling me how much I have to or don't want to work. If I want to make the sacrifices today for my future thats on me.

Lastly i've done both physical and mental labor, and I have to say a non-stop 8 hour work day of problem solving and critical thinking leaves much more exhausted than an 8 hour day of lifting and moving heavy items in the muggy summer heat of Florida.

But that's just me.
 
DeathFromBelow said:
South Korean worker productivity is among the lowest in the world for developed countries despite the long hours. They're at work, but they aren't working.

Japanese culture has the same problem. Going home on time/before the boss is seen as lazy, so everybody stretches out their work.
Click to expand...
If you work someone for more than 40 hours for very long, you will soon get 40 hours of work even if that person is clocked at 60 or 70. 60 hour week work on a short basis but not prolonged. <strike>Life</strike> Laziness finds a way.
 
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