Gov’t looks into bosses’ misuse of social media

The labor ministry plans to draw up guidelines on the after-work use of mobile messaging and other forms of social media, an official said Thursday, amid growing complaints about companies giving work-related orders via Kakao Talk and other messaging services during off hours.

A growing number of people have complained about the phenomenon. A Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry survey last year showed that 74 percent of office workers suffer because of the practice, with 60 percent of them saying they were extremely stressed out.

The labor ministry plans to collect views from unions and companies on the practice by the end of the year while commissioning a research study to look into how widespread the practice is by industry, a ministry official said.

Officials said they’re considering adopting guidelines on the practice and encourage companies to follow them voluntarily rather than legislating a ban.

Yonhap