The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced today (July 2) that it has revised its "Workplace Bullying Prevention and Response Manual" to exclude employers from the investigation process when they are reported as the perpetrators of workplace bullying.

The ministry explained that the manual was revised with a focus on ensuring fairer investigations into workplace bullying and making it easier for workplaces to make judgments on the ground.

First, the ministry has effectively banned so-called "self-investigations" by recommending that employers be excluded from the investigation process if they are reported as the perpetrators of bullying.

In addition, the procedures for recusal and avoidance for workplace bullying investigation committees have been clarified, and it is now recommended that workplaces provide complainants with sufficient explanations regarding the results of internal investigations and the grounds for those decisions.

The manual has also been supplemented with the latest examples that workplaces can refer to when making judgments.

For instance, excluding a specific person from team leader meetings or a supervisor publicly belittling and insulting someone in an open setting have been recognized as bullying.

Cases such as intentionally providing an old computer to a specific employee without a reasonable basis, or forcing attendance at company dinners by threatening to put employees on a "blacklist" if they do not attend, can also be considered bullying.

On the other hand, a case where a commute increased by 30 minutes due to a job transfer and resulted in disconnection from previous colleagues was judged as a routine measure, not bullying.

Having to perform tasks once more during one's shift compared to other time slots, or a supervisor checking an employee's attendance via messenger, were also not recognized as bullying.

Furthermore, receiving the lowest rating in a personnel evaluation, in and of itself, is difficult to recognize as an act of workplace bullying.

The Workplace Bullying Prevention Act has been in effect since July 2019.

Since the law took effect, the number of workplace bullying reports filed with labor offices has more than doubled, rising from 7,774 cases in 2021 to 16,373 cases last year.

If workplace bullying is confirmed, a fine of up to 10 million won can be imposed.

(Photo: Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)