Among 21 Female Employees in the Department,
15 Applied for 'Health Leave' Before the Holiday
Natural Right vs. Lack of Conscience
A claim has been raised that a flood of 'health leave' requests occurred in a company's department the day before a holiday started.
On the 12th, an online community called Bobae Dream posted a message titled "There are 21 female employees in the department, and tomorrow they are all taking leave together." The author, Mr. A, who stated that he works in a department with 21 female employees, complained that "15 out of the 21 female employees in the department collectively applied for menstrual leave on Friday."
Recently, many office workers have taken 'annual leave' to start their holidays early ahead of the golden holiday period. However, Mr. A claimed that the female employees in the department are trying to take a long break by using so-called 'health leave,' which is known as menstrual leave, instead of using their personal annual leave.
Mr. A said, "Since menstrual leave is also paid leave, the menstrual cycles become synchronized like this every year," and added, "I think the remaining employees will have a hard time."
No conscience vs rightful entitlement... 'Heated debate'
Most netizens who read the story sympathized with Mr. A. They left comments such as, "I also took annual leave to rest, but all the female employees took health leave," "How can menstrual days be the same for a group like that," "I acknowledge their rightful entitlement, but they should have some conscience," and "Because of people like that, convenience and goodwill disappear." On the other hand, some defended the female employees with comments like, "If it's an official welfare benefit granted by the company, there's nothing to say," "It's common for menstrual cycles to be similar," "If they want to use their rights, why not," and "They should follow the Labor Standards Act."
Meanwhile, menstrual leave is a leave provided to female workers who find it difficult to work during their menstrual period. It was introduced to support female members who experience high physical and mental fatigue due to menstruation. According to the National Public Officials Act and the Labor Standards Act, female office workers are entitled to one health leave day per month. Companies with five or more regular employees must grant one unpaid health leave day per month if requested by a female worker. Since health leave is a statutory leave, weekly holiday allowances must be paid even if it is used. After the introduction of the revised Labor Standards Act mandating a five-day workweek (40 hours per week), it was converted to unpaid leave, but this is only the standard under the Labor Standards Act. Depending on the company, if collective agreements, employment rules, or labor contracts specify otherwise regarding the use of health leave, it can be set as paid leave.
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