7 out of 10 Office Workers Say They Are "Enduring" at Work
Job Stress and Conflicts with Bosses... Workers "Consider Quitting but Find It Difficult"
Experts Advise "Thorough Consideration of Desired Job and Aptitude"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] # Office worker A (24), a contract employee, recently reversed her decision to resign. This is because the employment market has frozen due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), and voluntary resignation disqualifies one from receiving unemployment benefits. A said, "The work itself is fine, but I was considering quitting because of harassment from my boss," adding, "Since about half a year remains on my contract, I thought a lot about it, but given the current situation, the phrase 'just endure it' doesn't come out for no reason, so I decided to hold off for now." A also said, "You have to complete one year to receive severance pay, and you can get unemployment benefits if the contract expires," and lamented, "There are times when it's hard to endure when the boss makes personal attacks or swears, but what else can I do but endure it?"
Recently, as employment difficulties have spread due to the impact of COVID-19, more office workers are postponing decisions to change jobs or resign and are 'jonbeo'-ing at their workplaces. Jonbeo is a slang term combining words meaning 'very' or 'a lot' with 'enduring,' commonly used in gaming, Bitcoin, and stock markets.
Among office workers, it is used to mean enduring as much as possible at the current workplace despite reasons such as job mismatch, health deterioration, stress, or workplace harassment. It means suppressing stress and enduring work life for practical reasons such as livelihood maintenance.
According to a survey, office workers cited economic conditions and job search difficulties as the main reasons for deciding to jonbeo.
Last year, a job platform Saramin surveyed 1,272 office workers about 'office worker jonbeo,' and 68.9% of respondents answered that they are "jonbeo-ing at work." They cited reasons such as 'economic reasons' (59.7%), 'difficulty in moving to companies with better conditions' (45.7%), 'other companies don't seem much different' (25.6%), and 'anxiety about the future' (21.1%).
Also, 84.3% of office workers answered that "there are times when it is hard to endure work life." The reasons given included 'low salary' (29.5%), 'lack of work-life balance' (16.8%), 'harassment or discrimination by superiors' (13.5%), 'job mismatch' (9%), and 'physical limitations' (7.8%). It was found that 78% of all respondents expressed "an intention to change jobs."
Citizens are hurrying their steps to work at the Gwanghwamun intersection in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
Summarizing the situation, a considerable number of office workers are currently employed but are looking for good job opportunities. In fact, most office workers are found to be contemplating resignation.
According to a survey conducted on the 7th by the employment portal Incruit targeting 665 office workers, 89.5% of all respondents answered that they have "considered resigning." Reasons cited included 'nagging from superiors' (15.0%), 'interpersonal stress' (14.3%), 'salary' (13.0%), 'tasks that do not fit aptitude' (9.3%), 'work intensity' (9.1%), and 'office politics' (7.8%).
B (29), an office worker in their second year, said, "The work doesn't suit me at all, and since I can't get proper feedback, I feel a sense of self-doubt every day, wondering 'what am I doing here?'" He added, "I'm enduring to build experience to move to a related industry, but each day is very tough."
He said, "Honestly, I want to take a break and prepare for a job change more leisurely, but since I have fixed expenses, I have no choice but to keep working," and lamented, "Seeing all my acquaintances endure like this makes me think 'I'm not the only one,' but it also makes me sad."
Experts advised that office workers need to take enough time to explore their aptitudes and interests.
Professor Kwak Geum-ju of the Department of Psychology at Seoul National University pointed out, "Workplace and work are different concepts, and it is because of this difference that people regret right after joining and contemplate changing jobs."
Professor Kwak explained, "A workplace is an activity to earn money, and one does not find important values for oneself there, whereas work means something one likes and finds fulfilling. (Because of the gap between the two) problems arise from thinking that one is doing work for livelihood rather than meaningful work," adding, "In this case, job satisfaction inevitably decreases. One must seriously consider what they want."
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