Evaluation of Postal Workers’ Labor Environment and Health Status (2025)
Hyung-ryeol Kim, Cheong-hee Yoo, Jin-woo Lee
Korea Institute of Labor Safety and Health
2025
- Research Background and Purpose
This study aims to examine the actual changes in the labor environment at the workplace following the 2018 initiative to improve postal workers’ working conditions. It comprehensively evaluates the current working hours, labor intensity, health status, and overall organizational culture of postal workers to propose improvement measures. The analysis focuses on the ongoing problems persisting in the field, such as overwork, covering shifts,[1] and unused vacation days. These issues stem from a combination of organizational factors: the continuous increase in mail volume, the surge in international parcels, and chronic staff shortages.
- Research Methods
An online survey (352 participants) was conducted alongside in-depth interviews and field investigations targeting postal workers nationwide. The survey covered a wide range of areas including working hours, work intensity, health status, experiences of violence, vacation usage, and the ‘Delivery Workload Assessment System.’[2] Interviews were conducted considering diversity in urban/rural areas, work patterns, and job types, providing complementary analysis of actual work processes and organizational operations.
- Results
1) Survey Results
(1) Working Hours, Annual Leave Usage
a. Working hours decreased compared to 2018.
– During the off-peak season, the average daily working hours were 9.1 hours; during the peak season, 9.9 hours; and during the special communication period, 10.7 hours. Compared to 2018, this represents a decrease of 2.5 hours, 1.7 hours, and 1.4 hours, respectively.
b. Annual leave usage remains inadequate.
– Current survey results indicate an annual leave utilization rate of only 33% relative to accrued leave. Considering this value was 27% in 2018, the annual leave usage rate remains low. The main reasons cited for not being able to use annual leave are: causing inconvenience to colleagues (31%), frequent overtime work (27%), and increased workload (25%).
(2) Workload and Labor Intensity
a. While general mail volume has decreased, there is a trend of increasing volumes in areas like international parcels and registered mail.
– Although the decrease in general mail might suggest reduced labor intensity, the increasing trend in labor-intensive areas like international parcels and registered mail makes the argument for workforce adjustments based solely on reduced workload insufficient.
b. Walking Distance, Vehicle Travel Distance
– Regions showing increases compared to 2018 have been identified.
c. Subjective Workload Intensity
– Workload intensity remains relatively high and has not decreased compared to 2018.
(3) ‘Covering shift’
a. The ‘covering shift’ experience rate over the past 3 months was 95%.
– Average number of ‘covering shift’ days: 14-15 days and 28-29% of respondents covered the shift of absent colleagues daily. This confirms that “covering shift” has become a regular practice.
(4) Health Status, Accident Experience, Health Risk Factors
a. When asked about subjective health status, 33% responded that their health was poor.
– 29% said it was poor, and 3.7% said it was very poor. This is significantly higher than the general population, where 5.5% reported poor health and 0.3% reported very poor health.
b. 81% experienced an accident at work within the last 12 months.
– On average, they experienced 3.3 accidents, with traffic accidents accounting for 33% and falls for 28% of the approximately 800 incidents.
– This confirms the continued normalization of accidents. The rate of experiencing five or more accidents in the past year was 30%, an increase from 22% in 2018.
c. 98 individuals (30%) had applied for workers’ compensation within the past year.
– Reasons for not applying included mild symptoms (43%), pressure from superiors (3.4%), and concerns about disadvantages as non-regular workers (2.1%).
d. The most significant risk factors threatening postal workers’ health
– Heat, cold, dual delivery issues, and public complaints were cited.
e. 74% had worked while sick in the past year
– This is significantly higher than the 13% observed among all workers in the 6th Working Environment Survey data.
f. Health-related issues: 90% reported musculoskeletal disorders in the upper limbs, and 83% reported musculoskeletal disorders in the lower limbs.
– Additionally, 31% reported depression, and 41% reported insomnia and sleep disorders. Most of these rates were significantly higher compared to general wage workers.
(5) Delivery Workload Assessment System
a. Negative opinions on the Delivery Workload Assessment System increased.
– Negative opinions increased to 77%, up from 69% in 2018, with 27% responding that workload is not well reflected and 50% stating that it is not reflected at all.
b. Utilization of the results of Delivery Workload Assessment System for individual evaluations
– 66% responded that the results are used in individual evaluations, indicating that the majority still utilize it for individual rather than group evaluations.
2) Interview Findings
Many interviewees stated that “there is virtually no difference in working hours between weekdays and Saturdays” and that “unrecorded early arrivals have become a common practice.” The increase in international parcels and the growing complexity of delivery routes have reduced work predictability. Meanwhile, double shifts due to staff shortages have become routine, heightening work fatigue and accident risks.
Furthermore, a common sentiment expressed was that “taking leave forces colleagues to cover shifts, leading to avoidance of leave usage due to guilt.” It was also revealed that implicit pressure from managers or the organizational atmosphere hindered active requests for sick leave or workers’ compensation claims. Some interviewees stated that repeated overwork and lack of rest were exacerbating sleep disorders and depressive symptoms, demonstrating that deteriorating health is closely linked to structural issues.
Regarding the “Delivery Workload Assessment System,” many pointed out that it was a “numerical evaluation detached from reality.” There was widespread concern that using this as a basis for staffing could instead place distorted burdens on the field. Overall, the interview results strongly suggested that the structural overwork inherent in mail delivery labor remains unresolved, with chronic staffing shortages at the core of all problems.
- Conclusion
This study confirmed that despite various institutional improvements aimed at reducing postal workers’ working hours and enhancing work efficiency, the field remains trapped in a structure of high-intensity, long-hour labor, with workers’ health indicators deteriorating. Particularly, structural problems emerged, including the normalization of double delivery shifts due to staff shortages, increased workloads from rising international parcel volumes, unused vacation days, and difficulties in managing health. To address these issues, urgent measures are needed: substantially increasing staffing levels to appropriate levels, implementing a realistic workload assessment system, guaranteeing vacation usage, controlling long working hours, and strengthening mental health and accident prevention systems. This study emphasizes that without such interventions, postal workers’ right to health and safety will remain under constant threat.
[1] Covering shifts is a common practice where remaining team members cover the workload when a colleague is absent on vacation.
[2] The Delivery Workload Assessment System divides tasks into 86 detailed units to calculate standard times such as ‘7.3 seconds per parcel’ and ‘5.5 seconds per mail item,’ and uses these as benchmarks to measure workload and load volume.
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