Work Intensity and Health Impacts on Home Service Managers at LG Electronics
1. Background
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| Left: A workers is replacing a filter for a water purifier. Middle: A workers is cleaning a refrigerator after replacing a filter for the water purifier. Right: A workers is cleaning the inside of a clothes styler. |
2. Survey results
First, to understand work intensity, the survey investigated the number of accounts managed by home service managers. The number of accounts means the number of electrical home appliances they manage for clients per month. The survey found that on average, these managers had 183 accounts per month during the last three months. About half of the managers (51%) were managing 161 to 200 accounts per month. Since these managers do not receive basic salary, the number of accounts is very important because charges for each account become payment. Time spent contacting clients is not paid by the company but represented approximately 6 hours per week. This indicates that these workers spend about 75% of one working day doing work that is not compensated.
Since workers move from home to home by car, lack of restroom use is a serious problem. Of the workers in this survey, 15% said they did not go to the restroom at all during work, and 24% said that they went to the restroom only once during the day. This indicates that a significant fraction of the workforce (39%) has low or no restroom use during working hours. When asked how workers deal with restroom use, 32% answered that they ‘control themselves,’ which means that they chose not to go. Not going to restrooms when necessary can cause negative health impacts and this requires a solution to ensure a healthy workplace.
The Borg Scale was used to determine subjective work intensity using a scale from 6 to 20 to rate the level of exertion. On average, workers reported a value of 14, indicating somewhat hard to hard exertion. Workers reported that a work intensity that was 65% of the current intensity would be appropriate.
Workers were asked what accidents they experienced during the last 12 months, and duplicate answers were accepted. Nearly two-thirds (64%) reported accidentally bumping into appliances, 47% reported being cut or pricked, and others reported being bitten by dogs. Many accidents occurred as a result of using sharp working tools, so proper protective equipment is needed.
The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms was evaluated using the US National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) symptoms questionnaire. The NIOSH questionnaire uses a symptoms survey to determine if musculoskeletal symptoms occur once or more per month, or if they continue for one week or longer for the last year. Almost all (95%) of the participants had musculoskeletal symptoms on at least one part of their body once or more per month or for one week or longer, which is defined as positive in the NIOSH questionnaire. Almost all the workers that participated in the survey (93%) had moderate or higher severity of symptoms meaning they needed care and 77% had serious symptoms suggesting not temporary discomfort but a physical disorder. Symptoms involving the hands, wrists and shoulders showed a high rate along with the back and lower back. Musculoskeletal problems occur because they use the upper body such as hands, wrists and shoulders a lot during dismantling, assembling, and washing.
The emotional labor level was also found to be significant. The level of emotional labor was determined according to the assessment guidelines of the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA). This questionnaire consists of five areas of emotional labor: (1) emotional demands and regulation; (2) overload and conflict in customer service; (3) emotional disharmony and hurt; (4) organizational surveillance and monitoring; and (5) organizational support and protective systems. The results were classified into a normal group and a high-risk group. Most of the workers (87%) showed a high risk for ‘emotional disharmony and hurt’, 82% showed a high risk for ‘organizational surveillance and monitoring’, and 76% showed a high risk for ‘emotional demands and regulation’. Solving these emotional labor problems should be considered an urgent matter.
3. Interview results
Three union members at LG Care Solutions participated in more in-depth interviews. The results showed that long working hours were common. Workers typically worked from 9 am to 7 or 8 pm, and they had to continue contacting clients after work. Since their schedules were determined by their clients, they did not have sufficient autonomy and their employer did not provide protection in this area.
Home service managers at LG Electronics Care Solutions are non-standard contract workers whose wages are determined solely by the number of clients they serve as they lack a basic salary. In order to receive sufficient wage, they need to have more accounts and work longer hours. Furthermore, managers are personally responsible for work-related expenses such as car expenses, insurance payments and sometimes even traffic accidents.
For home service managers, finding and using restrooms is difficult. People may think that they could simply use clients’ restrooms, but the situation is quite uncomfortable and typically does not happen. Instead, they need to find a restroom in an apartment janitor’s office or in a nearby cafe. They also manage the restroom problem by drinking less water and this sometimes results in diseases such as cystitis. Diseases resulting from inadequate restroom use in these types of work environments should be identified as work-related diseases.
Workers suffered from musculoskeletal problems due to lifting and awkward postures. They experienced pain in the waist, shoulders, knees, etc. after repetitive movements with uncomfortable postures. In addition to physical problems, the emotional labor involved in this work makes it possible for these workers to experience mental problems. Some workers experienced burns from the pipes of water purifiers or cuts or other accidents from using tools. The law governing workers compensation was amended to include these workers and others designated as having a ‘special employment relationship’. However, a gap still remains in the area of the employer’s duty to protect workers’ health and safety which is regulated by a different law (the Occupational Safety and Health Act). In addition, it is also important for companies to provide return-to-work programs when injured workers return to work.
There is also a possibility of experiencing mental or emotional problems from this type of work. For example, middle aged women workers reported being told by the company that, “You cannot get a job and make money anywhere else like here.” These types of comments were used by the company as a reason for providing low wages and poor working conditions. Proper evaluation and rewards would help address these situations.
4. Field investigation results
A field investigation was conducted in November 2020 and February 2021. Researchers visited four work sites. Products included water purifiers, cleaning products, and electronic appliances.
For water purifiers, water pipes are replaced once a year, and workers use excessive force on their hands, wrists and shoulders to install pipes. For water purifier pipes, there is a process of sterilization with high temperature, and there is always a possibility of burns from hot water. Workers often have to lower their upper body in order to lift tools during their work. Since the working area is in the client’s kitchen or living room, they often work in narrow, uncomfortable spaces.
In order to check the A9 vacuum cleaner, workers spread out a wide plastic sheet on the floor, disassemble the cleaner and remove dust and other content. This is performed on folded knees and when they clean the vacuum cleaner they sit cross-legged. While cleaning the vacuum cleaner, they ask for the client’s understanding of sitting cross-legged (sitting cross-legged can be seen as rude in Korean culture). When cleaning the A9 vacuum cleaner, they use another vacuum cleaner to remove dust, wash the cleaner and reassemble it. This involves moving their wrists repeatedly 20 to 30 times. While reassembling the cleaner, they hold the cleaner’s head and various components in the air for over 40 minutes. Workers reported constant pain in their hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and neck.
For the air purifier, workers lay a wide plastic sheet on the floor and place the air purifier on top of it. Then they remove dust with a small vacuum cleaner and replace the filters. When disassembling the clean booster, they unfasten screws with a screwdriver. Researchers found out that workers often did this job in narrow places and repeatedly used their upper bodies and fingers, wrists and shoulders.
Home service managers use a lot of tools for their work. The GEN3 hot water sterilization kit used for water purifiers and ice and water purifiers in the refrigerator weighs approximately 4 kg. The GEN 3 kit and other bags of tools together weigh over 10 kg. If there is no elevator in clients’ homes, they have to carry all the tools up and down the stairs. It can be difficult for workers to move around a lot of homes, burdening their shoulders and lower backs.
The home service managers work from 9 am to 8 or 9 pm because there is no basic wage and their earnings depend on the number of clients they can serve. This results in excessive work and over half of the workers in this survey work six days per week. The survey also found that workers did not have enough resting time. In order to lower work intensity, work days should be lowered to 5 days per week and sufficient resting time and space should be provided.
While visiting approximately 10 homes per day, workers meet a lot of people, and they conduct excessive emotional labor and even experience violence. There is also a high risk of sexual harassment and sexual violence. However, the company does not provide any system to protect workers, so they deal with these problems by themselves. In dangerous situations, workers need to leave the home and have a right to refuse the work. A team of two workers working together could help address this issue.
The labor union needs to ensure that workers receive safety and health education. First of all, they need to designate a member who would be in charge of a safety and health plan. This survey showed that the high labor intensity of home service managers at LG Care Solutions led to serious musculoskeletal problems. These problems and other diseases arising from their work should be recognized as associated with their work.
Greater awareness of the areas for improving this situation should occur in the company and the wider society. Special areas of attention include the rights of women workers and non-standard contract workers.
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