Employers must notify workers within 14 days of approving reduced hours for child-rearing
Reemployment support obligation to expand to firms with 500 or more workers next year
Starting Nov. 27, corporate representatives, business owners and their relatives employed at the same workplace will face fines of up to 10 million won ($7,460) for committing workplace sexual harassment. Employers who approve reduced working hours for employees with young children will also be required to notify those workers within 14 days of receiving the request.
The government approved amendments to the enforcement decrees of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act and the Aged Workers Employment Promotion Act at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.
Workplace harassment fines extended to corporate heads' relatives
Until now, fines for workplace sexual harassment were imposed only on business owners. Harassment committed by corporate representatives, supervisors or fellow workers was handled through internal disciplinary procedures. Critics had long argued that objective investigations and appropriate discipline were difficult when the perpetrator was a relative of the business owner or corporate head.
An amendment to the Equal Employment Opportunity Act passed in May broadened the scope of fine liability to include corporate representatives and supervisors or workers who are relatives of business owners or corporate heads. The new enforcement decree defines covered relatives as spouses and blood relatives or relatives by marriage within the fourth degree of kinship who work at the same establishment.
A business owner or corporate representative who commits harassment faces a fine of 3 million won, while a relative who is a supervisor or worker faces 2 million won. If a person harasses the same individual on multiple occasions, or if there are two or more victims, a fine of 5 million won applies regardless of the perpetrator's position. Anyone fined for harassment within the past three years who reoffends must pay 10 million won.
A new notification obligation will also apply when employers approve reduced working hours for child-rearing purposes. The system allows workers with children aged 12 or younger, or in sixth grade or below, to reduce their weekly hours to between 15 and 35. Previously, employers were only required to notify workers in writing when denying such a request. Starting Nov. 27, employers who approve the request must also inform the worker in writing or electronically within 14 days of receiving it.
Reemployment support for workers 50 and older to reach firms with 300-plus staff by 2029
More employers will be required to provide reemployment support services — including career counseling and job placement — to workers aged 50 and older who face involuntary separation. The current threshold of 1,000 or more employees will drop to 500 or more starting July 1 next year, and further to 300 or more from July 1, 2029.
The ways employers can fulfill this obligation will also become more flexible. Employers who adjust working hours or otherwise accommodate workers so they can participate in vocational training or other employment programs will be recognized as having met their reemployment support obligations.
fact0514@heraldcorp.com
