The government is discussing ways to reduce actual working hours for healthcare workers while maintaining continuity of medical services and patient safety during a visit to Severance Hospital, which is piloting a four-day workweek.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that Minister Kim Young-hoon visited Severance Hospital in the Seodaemun District of Seoul on July 16 to tour the ward implementing the four-day workweek and hold a meeting with hospital management, labor representatives, and experts. The meeting addressed improving the working environment in hospitals, including reducing actual working hours, protecting the health of night shift workers, and preventing workplace harassment.
The hospital's labor and management agreed to pilot the four-day workweek through a collective agreement in 2022. The program began in 2023 in three wards at Severance Hospital and Gangnam Severance Hospital, with plans to gradually expand participation to six wards, including Yongin Severance Hospital.
The pilot program recruits volunteers considering the characteristics of the wards and the personal circumstances of workers, such as childcare, health, education, and work-life balance. Participants work 32 hours over four days in a rotating six-month cycle. Additional staff are assigned to each ward to maintain continuity of medical services and minimize work gaps. Salaries are maintained at 90% of the previous total, and annual leave is based on the existing five-day workweek standard.
Initial evaluations of the pilot program have shown positive results. The resignation rate for nurses with less than three years of experience dropped from 19.5% to 7.0%, and physical burnout improved from 79.7 to 40.1. The rate of presenteeism, where employees come to work despite being ill, decreased from 86.4% to 55.2%. The average number of sick days taken fell from 3.05 to 2.2, and satisfaction with work-life balance increased from 3.7 to 6.2.
During the meeting, participants discussed the achievements and areas for improvement in the four-day workweek implementation, the management of substitute staff, and financial support measures. They also addressed strategies for protecting the health of night shift workers and improving workplace culture to prevent harassment, often referred to as 'taewoom' in nursing.
Minister Kim stated, "Since medical services are directly related to the lives of citizens, it is crucial to create a working environment where workers can stay healthy while prioritizing patient safety and the quality of care. The Severance Hospital case demonstrates the potential for reducing actual working hours while enhancing the quality of medical services through labor-management cooperation." He added, "We will work with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to develop ways to directly support healthcare settings and create flexible working hour models suited to the conditions of each workplace. We will also focus on preventing workplace harassment and fostering a healthy organizational culture through workplace innovation consulting and labor education programs."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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