South Korean civil movement organisations by Amy Levine

Author:Amy Levine [Levine, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780719090493
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Publisher: Manchester University Press
Published: 2016-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

One working as if one hundred

Health problems were a ready topic, but they never consumed conversation. Conversation over dinner and drinks on Sunday, for example, was more about relationships with colleagues and family. On occasions such as these, senior staffers sized up the work of their juniors. It was not uncommon to hear negative assessments about staffers who showed up late, left early, took a lot of days off, rarely participated in social gatherings, or took on questionable part-time jobs. The refusal to do a small favour such as lending a camera or proofing someone’s press release on time would raise hackles. In one case an otherwise hard-working staffer was criticised for regularly leaving the office exactly on time and never coming in on weekends.

Senior staffers often spoke of tremendous pressure to work harder and do more. Once someone got comfortable and adept in their job, for example, they would often be reassigned to a different department. This proved especially trying for young staffers, who often got no say in their assignments. Yet the strain lessened with seniority when staffers chose whether or not to stay in the same job from year to year or shift to a different position. Typically, group-wide reorganisation (gaepyeon) took place at the end of every calendar year to coincide with yearly evaluations and board meetings.

At the end of 2006, for example, when Green Korea was going through a routine reorganisation a well-liked staffer who had been there just one year lobbied to keep her position, but was refused. Activist Choi, the young staffer discussed in the previous chapter, found it impractical to expect staffers to involuntarily adjust to a new position in only a month. When she shared her concerns with seniors, they assured her that it was possible and would be good for her and Green Korea in the long run. Over the next few months she put in extremely long hours and spent many nights at the office. As she gained more respect from seniors for her long hours and good work, I asked her how she was doing. She spoke of gaining more confidence in her work, but losing it at home. She was the eldest of four children and both of her parents had worsening health problems. While she spoke of tremendous guilt at not being able to contribute more to her family’s finances, she also said that her sister had recently shared her wish to marry. This put even more pressure on her as the eldest unmarried daughter so she often avoided going home. The many nights she spent working in the home office were a reprieve from home. As discussed in the previous chapter, the double bind of family and work carried the potential for anxiety and creativity.

The double bind was particularly evident among mid-level staffers, as is clear from the following.

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