Paid vaccination leave gains traction among South Korea’s larger firms

Large conglomerates in South Korea are introducing paid leave from one to three days for their staff to receive their COVID-19 vaccination, paying heed to the government’s advice. 

CJ Group was the latest to announce a paid vaccination leave for its employees, who can take two days off — the day they receive their vaccination shot and the day after. This would also apply to their second vaccination shot. 

Workers who suffer side effects can also take one more day off without a doctor’s note. 

“We gathered the opinions [on the matter] in an employee council meeting. We considered health and safety of employees as our utmost priority to make the decision,” said a CJ Group official, according to The Korea Herald. 

Samsung Electronics implemented a vaccine leave last week, following demands from its labour union. Staff of the company can get time off for the day of vaccination, and if they suffer from side effects, they can take off for up to two days without a medical certificate. 

Other companies that have similarly introduced paid vaccination leaves of at least one day include LG Group, SK Hynix and Naver.

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In April, South Korea’s Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters issued a recommendation to companies to provide sick leaves or paid leaves for the workers getting vaccinated, as a number of cases showed the jabs accompany side effects such as fever, muscle pain and nausea.