Bank staff going home on time thanks to `PC off system `

"It is 30 minutes before closing time. Please wrap up things as soon as possible."

Staff who had been silent got busier at the Industrial Bank of Korea`s Hwaseong Jeongnam branch in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, after manager Cho Myeong-hee shouted this phrase. Typing sounds from office PCs grew louder.

After some 20 minutes passed amid a hasty mood, PCs showed the screen message “10 minutes before closing time.” Staff got all the busier and handled documents.

Minutes later at 7 p.m., all of the PCs were turned off. Employees who finished compiling their documents packed their bags and left the office. Fifteen minutes later, the metal shutter of the Jeongnam branch office was scrolled down.

Cho, who was the last to leave the office, said, "I`ll stop by a nearby fitness center before heading home,” adding, “Until three to four years ago, we had to stay at the office until midnight. It`s great now that we can enjoy leisure time in the evening,” as the manager disappeared into dark.

Staff at all branches nationwide of Industrial Bank of Korea are going home soon after closing time thanks to the "PC off system” introduced in 2009. The centerpiece of this system is to automatically shut off PCs to force staff to leave on time, and require those who need overtime work to get prior approval from a branch manager.

Since the introduction of the system, the number of unnecessary reports and meetings has declined and productivity has escalated. Employee satisfaction has also risen.

Bank employees leaving their offices will likely become a more common scene because other banks that have monitored the system`s success are poised to join the fray. The measure is expected to bring a sea of change to white-collar work culture in Korea, which has been characterized by long hours and low productivity.

abc@donga.com