By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter

Koreans put in the longest work hours among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) members. But some Korean companies are finding out that cutting back on brutally long hours for their employees actually isn't so bad for their bottom line.

The 2008 ranking by the OECD shows that South Koreans work, on average, 2,052 hours per year ― or about six-and-a-half hours every day of the year, including all weekends and holidays. In comparison, U.S. employees spend 1,797 hours at work on average per year. Dutch workers clock in 1,391 hours on average.

This often means Korean office workers would arrive at their desks at 7 or 8 a.m. and stay late, well past 9 at night, even for those who are married and have children. And although not required, many employees voluntarily come into office during weekends as well.

Hard diligent work has always been part of South Korea's economic success but some Korean companies are making an effort to cut back work hours for their employees, in a bid to prevent burnout and boost productivity.

One corporation that has taken such an initiative is LG Chemical. Its spokesman told The Korea Times that the company has been implementing a campaign to encourage workers to go home at a fixed time of 6 p.m. The company said giving workers ample time to rest has helped the LG Chemical workforce become more efficient. Workers are also less prone to suffer from burnout, the spokesman said.

Granted, it still may sound strange for many Korean workers to be told to go home early by their bosses. But Kim Ban-suk, LG Chemical's chief executive, likened his company policy to recharging spent batteries.

He said his company has been trying to create a corporate culture and environment where employees are encouraged to go home as soon as their designated assignments are done. At LG Chemical, staying late at work may even be frowned upon by the bosses.

``You would charge a battery everyday for it to perform well. We believe people also need time to relax and recharge after work. If workers remain at the office and work late into the night, they are prone to suffer from burnout and of course this can hurt their productivity," according to the CEO.

Kim's strategy may be working. During the 2008 first quarter, the company reported 401 billion won in profit, its largest quarterly profit on record.

michaelthewriter@gmail.com