Netmarble wants to keep Employees from Dying from Working so Hard

Looks like Bizarre World news, but it’s not! After being reprimanded by the government, human rights groups, current and former employees, South Korean developer Netmarble has finally launched a plan to ensure that no other employee commits suicide or disappears due to overwork at the company.

The producer of games like Lineage 2 Revolution, Marvel Future Fight, Star Wars Force Arena and others, started a series of events within the company to reflect a healthier lifestyle with work-life balance person. The family is now the key mantra for Netmarble, and here are some of the initiatives activated.

Here are some points:

1. Known as “Selective Working Time System”, the core working hours on Netmarble were set at 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, including 1 hour of lunch. If an employee comes to work at 8:00 in the morning, he or she is eligible to leave before 4:00 p.m. If an employee comes to work at 10:00 in the morning, he or she can leave at 6:00 in the afternoon.

2. Employees are prohibited from working in the office between 10:00 pm and 8:00 am every day, including holidays unless an application has been submitted and approved in advance.

3. Introduced earlier, Netmarble pregnant employees need only work 30 hours per week, based on a timeline of their choice.

In 2016, three young civil servants were killed and suspicions fell on overwork. Employee deaths have revealed a widespread IT practice known as crunch mode, which refers to employees engaged in long hours of work before a new release or update, eating and sleeping in the office.