[2021 Yangpyeong Index] Netmarble Encourages Reduced Working Hours During Childcare Period

Lee Ui-cheol, CEO of Asia Economy, is taking a photo after presenting the Asia Economy CEO Award for the Asia Gender Equality Index to Netmarble at the '2021 Asia Women Leaders Forum' hosted by Asia Economy at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 27th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Netmarble, which received the Asia Economy Grand Prize in the Organizational Culture category, is committed to building an organizational culture that supports work-life balance, thereby increasing employee satisfaction. The company is making efforts ranging from various systems for pregnant women to the establishment of a flexible working hours system and the elimination of gender wage gaps.

Leaders are selected based on ability regardless of gender, and assignments are made through competency verification without job-related gender discrimination. Women make up 36% of the employees, and female managers at the team leader level account for 20%. Although there are more male developers, the female ratio in the engineering workforce reaches 23%, indicating no female underrepresentation in job roles. Gender equality is emphasized during leadership training for managers.

Various maternity protection support systems are also operated for pregnant employees. Pregnant women are prohibited from working extended hours, holidays, and night shifts, and the company actively encourages parental leave and reduced working hours during childcare periods. In the past two years, 94% of female employees have utilized the reduced working hours system without any wage cuts. The company provides items such as cushions and footrests to pregnant employees and sends a ‘Maternity Protection Guideline’ to their respective leaders. Dedicated rest facilities for pregnant women are operated, and since last year, full-day remote work has been implemented for pregnant employees.

As a result of efforts to eliminate wage gaps between male and female employees, the gender wage gap is maintained at the low early double-digit percentage range of around 10%, which is less than half that of listed companies in Korea.