Seoul may ban after-work messages to workers on popular messaging app
City's legislature wants to make after-work messages illegal in an effort to reduce work-related stress
By Lee Kyung-min
It is common these days for company workers to assign duties or share work-related information via chatting apps, mostly KakaoTalk. But the round-the-clock conversation tools often put pressure on employees because such conversations are often held after work.
In an effort to help reduce workers’ stress caused by constant work assignments delivered via mobile devices, 15 members of the Seoul Metropolitan Council recently submitted a revision to a related ordinance to ban after-work messenger services among public workers of the city government, they said Thursday.
Under the revision, Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) employees should be guaranteed the right to rest. It specifically said that their privacy should not be infringed upon by phone calls, text messages, social networking channels or other communication tools after work.
Councilor Kim Kwang-soo of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said the revision is to guarantee workers’ basic rights protected under the Constitution.
“Of course SMG officials must always be prepared for the needs of citizens, but many of them are working under conditions that infringe on their right to rest,” he said.