Substitute Holiday

¡±Study hard, work hard¡± or ¡°All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.¡± The question of work-rest balance has become a much-talked-about issue of late with the discussion of adopting a so-called ¡®substitute holiday¡¯ system.

The system is about compensating for public holidays that fall on weekends by allowing a working day off during the week following the public holiday that falls on a Saturday or a Sunday.

When the system is introduced, for instance, many workers won¡¯t have to be disappointed to find Memorial Day (June 6), Liberation Day (Aug. 15) and National Foundation Day (Oct. 3) that overlap or fall on Sundays and Christmas on Saturday this year.

Most employees welcome the move, as the measure can help boost their morale. Especially, it is hailed by those who have complained about public holidays being shortened or canceled out by weekends.

The business sector, on the other hand, is reluctant to accept the government¡¯s decision due to the firm belief that the implementation of the substitute holiday system could lead to a drop in productivity, while raising expenses and weakening corporate competitiveness.

However, figures released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) show that Koreans seem to still work longer than any other people in the world even under the five-day workweek system introduced in 2004. Compared with 1,850 for Japan and 1,798 for the U.S., Koreans worked 2,261 hours in 2007.

It should also be noted that the changing Korean society of today shows that many people prefer more rest to more money earned, placing their personal life and family affairs before their career and professional life. Reflecting this trend, a recent survey shows that 76.7 percent of 1,000 employees support introducing the substitute holiday system.

Analysts also point out that the substitute holiday system would benefit entertainment, leisure and service industry sectors thanks to the increased number of non-working days.

Amid the growing substitute holiday row, voices urging no more delaying of the issue is growing among lawmakers. The National Assembly is to work on this issue soon and decide on the voting of the bill.