Despite a glowing recent financial report where its operating profit increased by 81% year-on-year, Korean developer Netmarble had another major issue on its hands. You see, two Netmarble employees unexpectedly died last year, and many blamed the heavy workload. This is denied by Netmarble, but nevertheless, it has decided to ban overtime and weekend work starting this week.
The announcement was just made last week, which took the company by surprise. Netmarble will also introduce flexible working hours, which would enable employees to have a better work-life balance. Extra days of leaves will be compensated to those who have to work on weekends. Managers are also prohibited from issuing work-related tasks after working hours, a serious issue in Korean culture.
Korean gaming website, Inven, went to Netmarble’s corporate building yesterday to check out if the new ban on overtime work has indeed taken effect. Between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM Korean time, Inven spotted large crowds of employees exiting the lifts in the building heading out. While not a 100% result, you can see the stark contrast in the photo comparison below taken at 7:30 PM and 8:12 PM.
