Financial Company Employees' 'Non-Face-to-Face Customer Abuse' Victim Protection to Be Mandated

"Financial Companies Must Implement Separation and Treatment Support"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyo-jin] A plan is being promoted to obligate financial companies such as banks, insurance companies, securities firms, card companies, and savings banks to take protective measures for employees who suffer from 'non-face-to-face customer abuse.'

On the 18th, according to the financial sector and political circles, Song Ok-ju, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, introduced a partial amendment bill to the Bank Act, Insurance Business Act, Capital Markets and Financial Investment Business Act, Specialized Credit Finance Business Act, and Mutual Savings Banks Act on the 16th, containing such provisions.

Under the current Bank Act and related laws, financial companies are obligated to take measures such as separating the victim employee from the abusive customer and replacing the person in charge to protect employees who directly deal with customers from verbal abuse, assault, sexual harassment, and other misconduct by customers.

Financial companies must also implement protective measures such as counseling and treatment support for victim employees and establish a permanent grievance handling system.

Recently, with the advancement of IT technology and the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the proportion of non-face-to-face customer service using telephones, the internet, and mobile communication networks has increased. However, current laws limit the scope of protected 'customer service employees' to those who directly interact with customers, leading to criticisms that protective measures for employees handling non-face-to-face customer service are insufficient.

Accordingly, Representative Song included in the amendment bill provisions to change the definition of 'employees who directly interact with customers' protected under current law to 'employees who respond directly or through information and communication networks as defined by the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection,' and to change the term 'employees who directly interact with customers' to 'customer service employees' as a related note.