Education Specialist Company EK Group, Industry-First Adoption of '4.5-Day Workweek'

Education specialist EK Group (Chairman Lee Hee-joo) will introduce the industry's first "4.5-day workweek" starting this August. Employees will work as usual from Monday to Friday morning, and those who complete their target tasks can leave freely on Friday afternoon.

In response to changes in work styles such as the 52-hour workweek system and the COVID-19 pandemic, EK Group decided to focus not on "how much you work" but on "how you work," aiming to ▲improve employees' quality of life ▲maximize work efficiency and autonomy ▲build mutual trust and coexistence.

Taking sufficient rest during the increased holidays is expected to enhance creativity and foster skill growth through self-development time. Additionally, the group explains that an efficient work-life balance will positively impact work performance.

An EK Group representative said, "On the surface, reduced working hours might be thought to negatively affect the company's performance or sales," adding, "However, if employees voluntarily improve inefficient tasks and increase autonomy by focusing on productivity enhancements such as work automation, trust between the company and employees will be strengthened. This will greatly help the company's growth and productivity improvement from a long-term perspective."

Meanwhile, EK Group opened the early childhood education specialist portal site "KidKids" in 2001 and currently holds the largest membership and content in the industry with 1.3 million members. Its affiliates and corporations include ▲EK Childcare Management Institute, which supports the installation and operation of workplace daycare centers ▲(Co.) Konal (Bigsmom), a premium daycare franchise ▲(Co.) Haetbit Gadeukchan (Silver Edu Net), a senior generation education specialist portal site.