[Public Servants' 'Emotional Labor' in the COVID Era] Resignation Two Months After New Appointment Due to Verbal Abuse from Complainants... "Let's Endure" on Desk

<Sang> Community Center Turned Neighborhood Punching Bag

Up to 5 Verbal Abuses a Day
Overlapping Quarantine Duties, Giving Up Weekends
Fainted from Stress-Intensified Work
Manuals Unhelpful, Enduring Alone

"Please do not shout. We also want to help you as much as possible."

On the morning of the 19th, the Sinwol 3-dong Community Service Center in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, was a battleground without gunfire. The loud voices of complainants over the phone sharply contrasted with the calm responses of welfare officers. One officer struggled with the phone call for over 30 minutes before it ended. Civil servants on the front lines of communication with residents are suffering from emotional labor.

While handling about 300 different tasks, they are directly exposed to verbal abuse and physical assault from some complainants. Han Areum, a welfare officer (38) in charge of social welfare at this community center, said, "The 'funnel administration' where all tasks are concentrated at the community center is a serious issue," adding, "Because there are so many complainants, there isn’t a single day that goes by without incident. On busy days, I experience verbal abuse up to five times a day." Recently, most complaints have been related to booster shot applications or issuing vaccination certificates. Most complainants are elderly people aged 60 and above. It is also their responsibility to guide visitors through everything from taking a number ticket to registering complaints and filling out documents.

Verbal abuse and physical assault have become an unavoidable daily reality for civil servants handling complaints. Han Areum said, "There were complainants who came in drunk and threatened to 'kill me' or made sexually harassing remarks like 'let’s have a drink together'." Kim Seokjin, a clerk (31) in charge of cleaning administration and job economy tasks, said he also experienced complainants cursing at him, saying, "You didn’t properly clean the trash in front of my house."

Kim Seok-jin, an administrative officer of the Administrative Cooperation Team at Sinwol 3-dong Community Service Center in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, is answering a civil complaint call. Photo by Intern Reporter Lee Myung-hwan

With COVID-19 adding quarantine and administrative duties, stress has intensified. A clerk (50) at Hangangno-dong Community Service Center in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, gave up weekends after the COVID-19 vaccination application started in April. He had to explain the safety of the vaccine to anxious elderly people and faced complaints asking, "When can I get vaccinated?" Heo Mo, a clerk (28) working at the same center, said, "It was so hard that I fainted during work," adding, "I have no choice but to endure it alone without telling family or friends." A civil servant newly assigned to the welfare team at Sinwol 3-dong Community Service Center resigned after two months. Three days before resigning, they experienced verbal abuse from a complainant. People around said, "It seems they suffered a lot of stress from public-facing work."

Although there is a manual for dealing with malicious complainants, it is practically useless in reality. The response manual advises warning aggressive complainants, but this is only a post-incident measure. It is also difficult to call the police every time. Most said, "Colleagues help each other or they just endure it alone." The Ministry of Personnel Management operates a mental health center, but it is not very helpful. One officer said, "Unless malicious complaints and complainants decrease, it is difficult to relieve stress or overcome trauma."