According to Statistics Korea, the share of dual-income households reached 43.8% in 2015.

 

This is less than the portion of single-income families, but the number is expected to rise as more women jump into the employment market. Also, housework division, childbirth, and childcare are surfacing as social issues that even presidential candidates mention in their key agendas.

 

Pulmuone established the “Daddy & Mom’s Package” scheme to help all of its employees strike a balance between work and family, and it has been running a company-wide campaign for it titled, “Job and Childcare Hand in Hand.” What is special about the scheme is that from the planning to implementation, it was made through “green meetings,” where employees voluntarily participated and shared ideas. We interviewed Kim, Jin-Yeong from the SCM Team in Foodmerce, who is the leader of the Green Meeting Team that developed the Daddy and Mom’s Package.

 

*What is green meeting? It is a core innovative program of Pulmuone, in which employees from various departments gather to define problems, devise solutions, and implement them to address critical matters the company faces.

 

 

 

What is the purpose of the Daddy & Mom’s Package?

 

In the beginning, the scheme was called, “Mom’s Package,” without the word “Daddy,” because it was developed with the purpose of providing assistance to female employees throughout the process of being pregnant to giving birth and returning to work. Actually, Pulmuone is equipped with good women-friendly schemes that other companies may even envy.

 

However, as members of the Green Meeting Team had discussions, it was pointed out that the scheme had room for improvement as support for male employees seemed weak. Both husbands and wives need to get engaged in child-rearing, but the focus of the scheme seemed to be centered on women. Hence, we changed the direction and renamed the scheme as, “Daddy & Mom’s Package.”

 

It is the women who give birth, so is support for male employees really needed?

 

Absolutely! When wives get pregnant, the husbands need to help the most. I have a child, too and I went on a maternity leave in 2015. When I look back, getting a call from my husband saying he has to work late was most tough on me. I would take care of the baby whole day and finally rest when my husband came home, so getting such a call completely drained my energy.

 

That is why we believed that the “Daddy & Mom’s Package” needed to go beyond simply making improvements in supports, but help employees see childbirth and childcare in a new perspective. Thus, the main message of the package is that childbirth and care are the work of two, the mothers and the fathers.

Taking this into consideration, creating the right atmosphere in the company became a crucial part, so we rolled out the “Job and Childcare Hand in Hand Campaign” in Pulmuone.

 

The title “Job and Childcare Hand in Hand” seems interesting. Could you explain it?

 

It is, indeed. The message is to hold onto the hand of your child while holding onto your job, and it was an effort to describe the reconciliation of work and family. We handed-out leaflets regarding it and even had events within the company.

 

 

 

 

The first thing that catches the eye from the leaflet is shortened working hours for the pregnant.

 

The “shortened working hours for pregnant worker scheme” cuts two hours at maximum per day for pregnant female employees in the first 12 weeks or after 36 weeks of their pregnancy. This is not a policy unique to Pulmuone but something the law has designated, yet it has been lacking effectiveness.

 

 

Why? It seems like a great scheme for pregnant women.

 

Generally, up to first 12 weeks are considered early pregnancy during which mothers feel very tired. However, there are personal differences and most of the pregnant women say they feel fatigue up to 14 weeks. Also, after 36 weeks of pregnancy, most go on maternity leaves, so they do not get to enjoy the benefits of shortened working hours.

It needed improvement, so we added two weeks to the beginning and the end. In other words, those who are in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy or after 34 weeks are able to work fewer hours.

 

 

Some say allowing shorter working hours is just too much. 

 

Some may think that, and that is why creating the right atmosphere in the company is important.

When I was pregnant, the head of my team was very considerate and allowed me to work fewer hours without feeling uneasy. In the beginning, leaving work at 4 p.m. was awkward, but the team head told me to go home, and that helped shape the atmosphere. Not only I, but other female employees who were pregnant enjoyed the benefits provided by the scheme to work fewer hours. I believe Pulmuone has such an environment established relatively well.

When you get pregnant, it tires you out both physically and mentally. Rather than thinking that the shorter working hour scheme is a “special treatment” for women, I hope people would accept it as a “society’s care” for my spouse.

I also want to add that the idea to lengthen the period to apply shorter working hours for the pregnant was possible because those who experienced pregnancy like myself were a part of the Green Meeting Team.

 

Were there other ideas only those who gave birth could provide?

 

The leaflet includes website addresses for people to find information regarding giving birth and childcare. There are times when people do not know what to do once they are pregnant. There are many questions to ask but not many places to ask. You would have to prepare to take care of many things such as applying for childcare centers. However, most couples lack experience so naturally, they go through difficulties, and this is especially the case for dual-income families as they have work to handle as well.

 

Thus, important websites and their information are included in the leaflet. Such websites include employment insurance site to apply for maternity protection allowances, lectures for parents and classes where fathers participate, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family website to check out work and family life reconciliation schemes and policies, and i-sarang, a comprehensive pregnancy and infant care website.

 

 

 

Surely, the leaflet is quite useful! Is there anything else you would like to highlight in the package?

 

I would pick “support to hire substitutes.”

 

The schemes are made so that female employees in pregnancy can use up to 15 months of leave adding together three months of maternity leave and 12 months of childcare leave. However, it was very uncommon to find people who use all 15 months as leaving their position for that long meant someone else has to do their work. They could not leave their work and let their co-workers burden the workload for over a year. Thus, the support to hire substitutes is truly needed. 

 

When I used my childcare leave, I had a substitute. Nowadays, the company actively supports hiring substitutes, so pregnant workers are able to use the maximum months for both maternity and childcare leaves. When someone has to go on such leaves for over six months, they simply have to make a request for substitutes to the HR team.

 

 

Were there any shortcomings in Pulmuone’s childbirth and care support schemes?

 

Frankly, Pulmuone is well-established in terms of relevant schemes.

Yet, what it could improve upon are schemes regarding fathers. It seems like the focus is only on women. However, childcare schemes are not for mothers only. Hence, in the latest Daddy & Mom’s Package, we paid attention to not only mothers but fathers as well.  

 

What is an example of a scheme for fathers?

 

First of all, to facilitate the atmosphere friendly to pregnant employees, their seats had headrest covers with a unique symbol for maternity protection. This time, the spouses of the pregnant wives were given the same covers.

 

 

▲ Headrest covers for maternity protection provided not only to those who are pregnant but also to husbands with pregnant wives.

 

Would it be effective to use the covers on the seats of the fathers? It is not like they directly receive the benefits.  

 

After placing the headrest covers on fathers’ seats, they used leaves for prenatal appointments more actively. Nearing the time of childbirth, it is very difficult for the mothers to even move. At such a time, the role of the husbands is very significant. In particular, when the mothers go to obstetricians for regular check-ups, having their husbands there helps them both physically and mentally.

 

One male employee told us that many people appreciate the covers because having the headrest covers make others tell them to leave work on time instead of working late. Also, he had no difficulty using personal leaves for prenatal appointments.

 

▲ Check out the leaflet explaining support for happy dads & moms

 

Are leaves for prenatal appointment granted to male employees as well?

 

Yes, not only the female workers in pregnancy but male employees of Pulmuone are able to use leaves for prenatal appointments without acquiring approvals from their superiors such as team leaders. They can use up to four days, and once they have used up their annual leaves, they can use the total of eight half day leaves.

 

 

What are other supports male employees can receive?

 

For male employees who have pregnant spouses, electromagnetic shield blankets to protect their children are given as gifts just like pregnant employees do.

Nowadays, there are many electric devices around us besides smartphones. It may seem trivial, but once spouses get pregnant, they start to care for smallest details. Reflecting the heart of the mothers, even male employees receive the blankets when their spouses get pregnant.

 

What is the reaction of male employees on Daddy & Mom’s Package?

 

Many have been giving positive feedback. After we distributed the leaflets within the company, those who plan have a baby or are facing childbirth are paying close attention.

 

In particular, it was a rewarding experience to see that the schemes to support the fathers were made known to many. A number of male employees thought that they will not be able to receive any support related to childbirth and care from the company or that they are not eligible for the support.

 

That is why they were surprised when they heard about the schemes, and that they could also enjoy the benefits. Fathers-to-be especially looked at the Daddy & Mom’s Package meticulously and gave questions, which made us feel that it was worthy work.

 

 

Anything you would like to emphasize before we end?

 

Pulmuone has good childbirth and care schemes. However, there are some people who think that these schemes are just for female workers and that this is reverse discrimination. I believe such miscommunication occurred because the original purpose of the schemes was not conveyed well.

 

As we promoted the Daddy & Mom’s Package, we strived to instill the idea that the childbirth and care schemes are not special treatment for a few, but natural care for all employees going through childbirth and care including both male and female. People would have to understand this concept to ultimately foster the mature environment where “schemes” are not needed to provide the care.

 

This is only a first step in a long journey, but as many people expressed their support and identified with the purpose of the schemes, we believe it was a successful beginning.

 

Lastly, I would like to add that in the 19^th presidential election, the agenda of a candidate, Ms. Sim, Sang-Jung, was to enact “Superwoman Prevention Act.” The meaning behind it was that women cannot burden everything like superwomen. Although she was not elected, I believed it served as an opportunity for people to realize that giving birth and raising children are co-responsibilities of mothers and fathers. Thank you.

 

 

Kim, Jin-Yeong from SCM Team in Foodmerce

Ms. Kim has been working in Pulmuone’s subsidiary, Foodmerce for 11 years. She is no superwoman but an average person working just like everyone else, and a mother of a three-year-old child. However, in terms of working in the SCM team, which plays a crucial role in consumer-centered management, she is a superwoman. She plays the role of a bridge facilitating transactions by analyzing clients, business partners, and claims made at business sites.