Samsung Electronics offers four-day workweek option for some employees

Beginning this June, non-factory employees of Samsung Electronics will be allowed to work four days a week once a month. Specifically, employees can opt for a three-day weekend on the week of 21st of each month, which falls on the company’s monthly pay day. 

This is a new policy introduced by new Samsung Electronics’ Chairman Jay Y. Lee, who is looking to increase flexibility in corporate culture and governance to retain talented employees and adapt to rapid industrial changes around the world, reported the Korean Economic Daily.

Employees who are a part of the Device Solutions (DS) and Device Experience (DX) divisions can take a day off on the week of pay day every month, labelled as Family Day or Development Day for the DS and DX teams respectively. 

There is a caveat to this option: unlike other companies, Samsung is only applying the four-day workweek option for employees who can meet the 160-to 168-hour working month requirement, and employees have the option to work on the day off should they choose to.

READ: Japan’s public sector joins four-day workweek drive

Samsung Electronics’ once-monthly four-day workweek comes after its workers’ representative body agreed on the company’s offer during their annual wage negotiations early this year. The company has been looking into applying the four-day workweek over the past two to three years since 2020, as more employees seek more flexible working hours. The company joins other South Korean start-ups and IT companies, who have been looking to attract skilled talent with four-day workweek offers to remain competitive in South Korea.