Shinsegae DF Selected as Excellent Work-Life Balance Company by Ministry of Employment and Labor

Achievements in Expanding the 35-Hour Workweek and Flexible Work Arrangements

Shinsegae DF, the operator of Shinsegae Duty Free, announced on the 28th that it has been selected as a '2025 Korea Work-Life Balance Excellent Company,' a program hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The Work-Life Balance Excellent Company program is a certification system in which the Ministry of Employment and Labor comprehensively evaluates companies on their implementation of flexible work arrangements, efforts to reduce working hours, vacation usage records, childcare support systems, and improvements in working methods.

Heejae Lee, Executive Director of Shinsegae DF (right), is receiving a plaque of recognition from Yongsun Park, Director of Small and Medium Business Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, at the '2025 Korea Work-Life Balance Excellent Company' awards ceremony. Provided by Shinsegae DF

Shinsegae DF was recognized for its achievements in both quantitative and qualitative evaluations across all categories, including flexible work, working hours, vacations, and childcare support. Notably, the company institutionalized a culture of leaving work on time through a triple management system based on physical, system, and organizational culture measures, such as the 35-hour workweek (9 to 5), the PC-off policy, and office-wide lights-off initiatives.

In terms of leave policies, the company operates a variety of welfare leave programs, including infertility leave and vacation, long-service leave, and family event leave. Additionally, Shinsegae DF has established a life-cycle-based maternity protection and childcare support system spanning from pregnancy recognition to a child's entry into elementary school, contributing to improved job security and return-to-work rates. Representative examples include reduced working hours during pregnancy, maternity leave and vacation, parental leave, optional parental leave, reduced working hours during childcare, and leave for children's school entry care.

A Shinsegae DF representative stated, "Going forward, we will continue to make improvements to the work environment and innovate our working methods as core tasks of our corporate culture."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.