Abuse of Power Survey... 62% of Victims Endure or Ignore It
"Most Companies Take Only Formal Measures"
The Emotional Laborer Protection Act, enacted to protect customer service workers, has marked its 6th year since implementation. However, it was found that more than 60% of victims still endure or overlook abusive behavior from complainants.
The civic group Workplace Bullying 119 disclosed the results of a survey on 'complainant abuse' commissioned to the public opinion research firm Global Research on the 20th.
The survey was conducted from the 2nd to the 10th of last month, targeting 1,000 workers aged 19 and older nationwide. The confidence level is 95%, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points.
When asked whether they think the harassment (abuse) by complainants is serious, 77.9% of respondents answered 'serious.'
Sixteen percent of respondents reported having experienced abuse from complainants such as customers, parents, or apartment residents. In public institutions, the rate of those who experienced this was 26.4%, which is 10.4 percentage points higher than the average.
Regarding responses to the abuse, 61.9% of victims said they 'endured or pretended not to know.' The response 'quit the company' also accounted for 25.6%.
On the other hand, only 26.3% of victims said they 'requested measures from the company.' Those who reported to related agencies such as the Ministry of Employment and Labor or the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission were only 6.9%, far below the others.
Additionally, 53.6% of all respondents answered that companies do not properly protect workers, and 63.9% said they were unaware of the Emotional Laborer Protection Act.
Song Areum, a labor attorney at Workplace Bullying 119, pointed out, "Although it is mandatory by law to establish customer service work manuals, most companies have only taken formal measures," adding, "The lack of penalty provisions for violations and the Ministry of Labor's lukewarm management and supervision are also major causes."
Article 41 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, known as the Emotional Laborer Protection Act (Prevention Measures for Health Damage Caused by Customer Verbal Abuse, etc.), was enacted to protect emotional laborers from verbal abuse and assault that may occur during customer service interactions and has been in effect since October 18, 2018.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
