Summary of Annual Leave 'Golden Holidays' Actively Shared on SNS
The Earliest Golden Holiday Usage Period Scheduled for Next Month (April)
September and October Are Key... Up to 12 Days Off Depending on Annual Leave Usage
A post summarizing when office workers can use their annual leave to enjoy a 'golden holiday' has been gaining significant attention on social networking services (SNS) and online communities.
On the 7th, a post titled 'Why You Must Save Your Annual Leave This Year' became a hot topic on an online community. The post assumes a situation where annual leave days remain and comprehensively covers which days to take off to maximize the length of the break.
According to the summary, the earliest golden holiday period for using annual leave is next month. This is because the general election is scheduled for April 10th (Wednesday). Therefore, if you take two days off before or after this date, you can rest for a total of five days, and if you take four days off on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, including the weekend, you can rest for a total of seven days.
May offers many golden holiday options. First, there is Labor Day (May 1st). For workers who have Wednesdays off, if they take annual leave on Thursday and Friday, they can rest for six days in total, including the substitute holiday for Children's Day on the 6th. On the 15th of the same month, Buddha’s Birthday falls on a Wednesday, so if you take two days off before or after, you can rest for a total of five days including the weekend.
In June, you can enjoy a golden holiday by using annual leave around Memorial Day. Memorial Day falls on a Thursday, so if you take Friday, June 7th off, you can rest for a total of four days including the weekend. In August, there is Liberation Day (August 15th), which also falls on a Thursday, so if you take annual leave on Friday the 16th, you can rest for a total of four days including the weekend.
The key months are September and October. If you use your annual leave wisely, you can rest for up to nine days. In September, due to the Chuseok holiday (September 16th?18th), if you take two days off before and after, you can rest for nine days from September 14th to 22nd. In October, National Foundation Day (October 3rd) and Hangul Day (October 9th) both fall on weekdays. If you use annual leave from September 30th to Hangul Day (September 28th to October 8th), you can take a break for up to 12 days. However, the downside is that you will use five days of your annual leave.
In December, there is Christmas (December 25th). This Christmas falls on a Wednesday, so if you take two days off before and after, you can rest for five days including the weekend, and if you take leave on both sides, you can rest for up to nine days.
Meanwhile, according to a survey conducted last year by the nonprofit organization Workplace Gapjil 119 targeting 1,000 office workers, 55.1% of respondents in their 20s (176 people) answered that they used less than six days of annual leave last year. Only 9.7% said they used all 15 days of legally mandated annual leave (for workers with more than two years of service). Among those in their 30s, the highest response (33.8%) was also that they used less than six days of annual leave.
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