Seoul District Childcare Officials Expand Remote Work... Following Dongjak-gu, Guro-gu Allows Childcare Officials with Children Under 8 to Work from Home Once a Week

Pilot Operation for 3 Months from October 1 to December 31

Guro-gu, Seoul (Mayor Moon Heon-il) will conduct a pilot program for once-a-week telecommuting for public officials with children under the age of 8 for three months from October 1 to December 31.

Following Dongjak-gu, which mandated once-a-week telecommuting for about 300 public officials with children under 8 starting in September?the first such policy among autonomous districts?this is the second attempt among Seoul's autonomous districts.

As the introduction of telecommuting for public officials during childcare periods is spreading among local governments, Guro-gu is the second among Seoul's 25 autonomous districts to implement this.

Through this pilot program, Guro-gu public officials raising young children will be able to work from the office four days a week and telecommute one day a week to take care of their children.

The pilot telecommuting program once a week targets public officials with children under 8 years old. The district will select participants based on job characteristics and department circumstances, operating within a scope that does not interfere with work.

Il Moon-il, Guro-gu Mayor

Additionally, shift workers, on-site workers, those in jobs with high security importance, or those responsible for field or civil service tasks are excluded from the program.

After the three-month pilot period, the district plans to conduct a satisfaction survey targeting participating employees and their colleagues and will review whether to continue the program in the future.

Moon Heon-il, Mayor of Guro-gu, said, “Work-family balance is an essential requirement for sustainable growth,” adding, “We will continue to support the stable establishment of systems for public officials with childcare responsibilities and strive to create an organizational culture where work and childcare can be balanced.”

In addition to the once-a-week telecommuting, Guro-gu is actively encouraging the use of childcare time and family care leave for minor children available to public officials with children under 8 or in the second grade of elementary school, taking the lead in creating a pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare-friendly work environment.