Give all weekend workers a weekend off (Jun. 2024)

Keonhee Cho, Activist

Korean Institute of Labor Safety and Health

In many retail and service industries in South Korea, businesses do not close on weekends. In the service sector, companies have been using the rationale that there are more customers on Saturdays and Sundays, so they have been deploying workers during the weekend at minimal cost. Workers have internalized that they have no choice but to work on weekends. However, weekend work, coupled with scheduled work[1], has had a negative impact on weekend workers’ working hours, work-life balance, family, and social relationships. The Korean Institute of Labor Safety and Health, together with Korean Federation of Service Workers’ Union (KFSW) under the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), interviewed 14 weekend workers from wedding venues, golf courses, supermarkets, duty-free shops, department stores, casinos, and hotels to learn about the current status of weekend work, workers’ right to rest, their experiences on holidays, and their challenges.

Scheduled work for weekend workers that takes away their workday autonomy

Interviewees whose days and hours of work were determined by (mostly) monthly scheduling were requesting and coordinating their desired days off before finalizing their schedules. The process of communicating with coworkers was important, such as “agreeing to take four days off including Saturdays and Sundays” (female, 50s, supermarket) or “if a colleague takes a day off on a day I need to work, I’ll ask her if she can swap with me” (female, 20s, department store).

In a survey conducted with the KFSW, we asked 2,721 weekend workers how well they felt their opinions were taken into account in the scheduling process. The number of people who said they were not taken into account was small, less than 10%. However, it is important to consider that the expectation of being heard is low when it comes to requesting days off. Weekend workers were only requesting a few days off in the first place. If they wanted to take more than two days off in a row, which is often the case on busy weekends, they found it more difficult. Workers only requested time off on a few occasions, such as “appointments with friends” or “parents’ birthdays,”(female, 40s, duty free shop) and adjusted their daily lives to fit the fixed schedule.

“(For example) I need all five days of the week. But if I tell them I need all five days, it might seem like I’m being difficult, so I just say half, like two days… For weekends, it might seem like I’m being difficult if I ask for both Saturday and Sunday off. I asked for two consecutive days off last month, but if I ask for two consecutive days again next month, it might seem like I’m being difficult. Usually, I try to adjust my schedule to fit what is suggested (female, 30s, duty Free shop).”

Weekend workers were expected to work many weekends and holidays. Personal days can be utilized in lieu of no days off, but it is difficult to meet all the employer’s needs in a labor shortage. Interviews revealed comments from a male hotel worker in his 30s who “hasn’t taken any annual leave in four years;” a female golf course worker in her 30s who “is 50/50 on getting the days off when she wants them;” a male hotel worker in his 30s who “feels like when I take time off the rest of my friends are working a lot harder;” and a male cruise ship worker in his 40s who “feels like it’s annoying when my coworkers are busy and can’t take weekends off and I have to miss work.” This is consistent with the results of a survey that found that more than one-third of workers are unable to use their annual leave on weekends, with the top reason being “feeling guilty or self-conscious about their colleagues’ heavy workload.” This can lead workers to feel guilty about taking time off on the weekends, to resent the fact that they cannot take time off and others can, and to accept that they cannot control their routines and schedules.

Desire to be normal, feelings of alienation and deprivation

Interviewees felt that the intensity of weekend work was higher than that of weekdays. They found it more difficult to work harder and longer when others were resting. A male supermarket worker in his 30s who works alongside office workers who take weekends off said he feels deprived because “especially on holidays, everyone else at the head office has the day off, but we have to come to work.” A male department store worker in his 40s shared the same sentiment, saying, “(On weekends) we come to work and (others) are hiking, so it’s harder for us to come to work.” He added, “even if you get used to it, it’s still jarring.”

In 2023, while conducting a study on changes in the work-life balance of supermarket workers due to the shift of mandatory store closures from weekends to weekdays, we heard feelings of guilt and deprivation stemming from the mismatch between working on weekends while family members do not. The feelings of guilt or regret resulting from being unable to maintain good family relationships due to conflicting schedules were also evident in this study. A 30-year-old male hotel worker stated that, “I had not attended a family gathering in seven years since starting my job at the hotel.” A 50-year-old male wedding venue worker mentioned that, “My wife and I have separate rooms due to differing daily routines.” Another significant concern shared by many participants was guilt over not being able to spend time together on weekends when their children were younger.

“My child was often home alone on weekends. That’s why I got a dog, because I was worried she would be scared… I often feel guilty when my child talks about the past. She sometimes asks, ‘Why was I always alone back then?’ There were times when she was sick and I couldn’t take her to the hospital.” (female, 50s, grocery store)

“I feel really sorry about that part, especially toward the kids. I think mothers who work in service jobs probably feel that way too… We tried to make up for not being able to play with our children on weekends by taking them to amusement parks on weekdays, kind of as a way to compensate them. Even when our children asked us to buy them things, we tried to make up for what we couldn’t give them by doing these things… Now that they’re grown up, I realize that there’s a time for everything, even when it comes to playing with your children.” (female, 40s, department store)

Weekend work and unpredictable schedules also interfere with meeting friends and enjoying regular leisure activities. This is because it is impossible to predict which days will be days off, and workers must adjust to schedules that often do not allow for rest, especially on weekends. As a result, many weekend workers have been deprived of the opportunity to build social networks due to schedules that conflict with those of others.

The survey asked respondents to indicate the minimum number of weekend days off they consider necessary per month to ensure good work-life balance. The average was around four days, reflecting the desire for at least half of weekends to be free and the current reality that many cannot even take that much time off. Similarly, in the interviews, many respondents also stated that they needed four days off. When asked what would improve if they could take four weekends off, responses included expectations for leisure activities and improved relationships, such as “I could do more leisure activities” (40s male, casino), and “I could go on dates, spend more time with my parents, and improve my friendships.” (30s female, golf course)

At the same time, interviewees expressed doubts about the practicality of taking weekends off. Some said that they had become accustomed to working on weekends after doing so for a long time, while others said that they had never had a weekend off and therefore could not imagine what it would be like. This situation is the result of being forced to work harder on weekends and other social holidays, and of being deprived of the leisure time and lifestyle that comes with not being tied to work.

Staff recruitment and store closures for the right to rest on weekends!

Interviewees clearly recognized that staff recruitment was essential to guarantee weekend rest days. In particular, they raised specific figures regarding how many additional staff members were needed for shift work.

“If the company would just recruit the necessary number of employees on the weekends … it would be possible to create a situation where employees can take at least one or two days off per month” (male, 50s, wedding venue). “If we have one more employee, we can take two days off. If we have to use all of our annual leave, seven employees would have to work.” (male, 40s, casino)

Workers secured mandatory Sunday closures twice a month through their struggle, and these closures are currently in effect at the supermarket. It goes without saying that a fixed weekend off for all workers is the minimum requirement for ensuring workers’ right to rest on weekends. It can also act as a buffer for irregular and unpredictable work schedules. Interviewees also said that “regular breaks would be helpful because we would be able to make appointments more easily if we had fixed days off.” (female, 30s, duty-free shop)

The foundation of a society that operates year-round lies in the labor of people who have contributed their labor on social holidays, including those interviewed for this study. We have consistently questioned whether it is necessary for this workplace to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, even at the expense of workers’ physical and mental well-being. Even if that were the case, it should not justify depriving workers of their right to rest and build a life. Let us work toward restructuring society so that the right to rest on social holidays is guaranteed for all weekend workers, and so that rest on holidays becomes the norm, not the exception.

[1] A work schedule that flexibly assigns workdays to employees according to the characteristics and needs of the workplace. Rather than working Monday through Friday, this refers to arranging workdays in an atypical manner, such as Monday through Friday, Tuesday through Saturday, or Sunday through Friday, including weekends. The schedule is not the same every month and is subject to change.