Incheon Tourism Organization has decided to introduce a special promotion system for employees who give birth to a third child as a policy to overcome the low birthrate crisis.
However, there are controversies that this may discriminate against unmarried employees or those without children, and questions have been raised about its effectiveness.
On the 13th, the organization announced through this year's personnel operation plan that it will implement preferential personnel policies for employees with multiple children. Employees at grade 5 or below who have a second child will receive additional 'personnel mileage' points reflected in their performance bonus scores, and those who have a third child will be specially promoted.
The special promotion system allows promotion through the resolution of the personnel committee regardless of the promotion period or performance evaluation. Promotion is possible unless there are special reasons such as disciplinary actions. The organization plans to revise internal personnel regulations to include this content and implement it from next year after a one-year grace period.
Currently, the Incheon Tourism Organization's personnel regulations allow special promotion or salary increase only for employees who have contributed to the organization's development, saved budget, improved unreasonable systems, or died in the line of duty. The organization intends to add 'childbirth' as a new provision.
However, voices of dissatisfaction are already emerging within the organization regarding the preferential personnel policy for employees with multiple children.
Especially among unmarried employees, there is opposition, saying, "It makes no sense to link the promotion system with childbirth policies. To receive a special promotion, one must get married and have three children," and "This policy creates a large gap from reality and causes a sense of relative deprivation."
Employees experiencing infertility or sterility feel even more bitter about having to face personnel discrimination despite wanting children but being unable to have them.
Employees with children also questioned the effectiveness of the special promotion system, saying, "It is already difficult to raise one child, so who would have more children just to get promoted?"
Currently, there are a total of 87 employees at grade 5 or below in the Incheon Tourism Organization, about half of whom are married, and approximately 30% of employees have one or two children.
An official from the Incheon Tourism Organization said, "As part of encouraging childbirth, we decided to promote personnel mileage and a special promotion system to motivate employees. Although opinions within the organization are divided, we believe that the promotion system for employees with a second child may contribute to considering having a third child."
If the personnel system that specially promotes employees who have a third child is implemented, Incheon Tourism Organization will be the first case among public institutions. Among private companies, HanmiGlobal recently introduced a system that grants special promotions to employees who have a third child.
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