Administrative

HR & Labor Advisory Lawyer

HR & Labor Advisory Lawyer | Employer-side compliance and dispute prevention

Summary

HR and labor advisory work covers the full employment lifecycle for employers — hiring documentation, disciplinary process, dismissal, wage and hour compliance, and workplace harassment response. An employer who dismisses a worker without just cause and proper procedure can be ordered to reinstate the worker and pay back pay (근로기준법 제23조, 제30조). Because most disputes are litigated after the fact at the Labor Relations Commission or in court, the more cost-effective approach is standing advisory review of contracts, work rules, and disciplinary decisions before they are executed.

Administrative · Labor Employer-side advisory Related law: Labor Standards Act (근로기준법)

HR & Labor Advisory | Dismissal, Discipline, and Just Cause

Dismissal disputes are the single largest source of employer liability in Korean labor law. Whether a termination will survive review depends on both substance and procedure.

What counts as "just cause"

An employer may not dismiss, suspend, or otherwise disadvantage a worker without justifiable cause (근로기준법 제23조 제1항). Poor performance, misconduct, or business necessity can each qualify, but the Labor Relations Commission examines whether the conduct was serious enough and whether lesser measures were considered first. Advisory review at the drafting stage of a warning or disciplinary notice often determines whether a later dismissal will hold up.

Written notice requirements

An employer must notify the worker of the reason and date of dismissal in writing (근로기준법 제27조); a dismissal made without this written notice is invalid regardless of whether just cause existed. Employers frequently lose otherwise defensible cases purely on this procedural ground, which makes template review a practical priority.

30-day advance notice or payment in lieu

Except in specific statutory situations, an employer must give at least 30 days' advance notice of dismissal or pay ordinary wages for 30 days in lieu of notice (근로기준법 제26조). This obligation is separate from the just-cause requirement, so satisfying one does not excuse failure to satisfy the other.

Remedies if a dismissal is found unlawful

If the Labor Relations Commission or a court finds a dismissal unlawful, it can order reinstatement and payment of wages the worker would have earned during the exclusion period (근로기준법 제30조). For employers, this means the financial exposure from a single defective termination can extend well beyond the original severance calculation.

HR & Labor Advisory | Wage, Overtime, and Working-Hour Compliance

Wage and hour claims are increasingly filed alongside dismissal disputes, and they carry their own criminal exposure for employers who fall behind on payment.

Wages must be paid in full and on a fixed date

Wages must be paid in full, directly to the worker, in currency, and on a regular payday at least once a month (근로기준법 제43조). Deductions beyond those required or permitted by law, or informal netting arrangements, are common sources of unpaid-wage complaints.

Extended, night, and holiday work premiums

Work beyond statutory hours, night work, and holiday work each require an additional premium of at least 50% of the ordinary wage (근로기준법 제56조). Miscalculating the ordinary wage base — a recurring issue where bonuses or fixed allowances are excluded without basis — is one of the most common triggers for group wage claims.

Statute of limitations on wage claims

Claims for unpaid wages, including severance pay, are extinguished if not exercised within three years (근로기준법 제49조; 근로자퇴직급여보장법 제10조). Employers should not treat this as a reason to delay resolving a dispute, since interest and Labor Ministry referral can still accrue while a claim remains live.

HR & Labor Advisory | Workplace Harassment and Investigation Obligations

Since 2019, employers have had an affirmative duty to investigate workplace bullying and harassment complaints, and mishandling that duty creates independent liability.

Duty to investigate promptly

When an employer becomes aware of a workplace bullying complaint, it must investigate without delay and take necessary measures such as reassignment or paid leave for the reporting worker during the investigation (근로기준법 제76조의3). A poorly documented or delayed investigation is often what turns a harassment complaint into a separate labor dispute against the company itself.

Prohibition on retaliation

An employer must not dismiss or otherwise disadvantage a worker because that worker reported workplace bullying or cooperated with an investigation into it (근로기준법 제76조의3 제6항). Retaliation claims are assessed independently of whether the original harassment complaint was substantiated.

HR & Labor Advisory | From Initial Consultation to Ongoing Support

Initial risk review
We review existing employment contracts, work rules, and any documentation related to the specific issue (a planned dismissal, a wage complaint, a harassment report) to identify exposure before action is taken.

Document and procedure design
We draft or revise disciplinary notices, dismissal notices, work rules, and investigation protocols so that they meet the statutory notice and procedural requirements described above.

Pre-action strategy
For a specific dismissal or disciplinary decision, we advise on timing, evidence, and alternative measures, since procedural defects are corrected far more easily before a notice is issued than after.

Response to Labor Relations Commission or Labor Ministry proceedings
If a worker files an unfair dismissal petition or a wage complaint, we prepare the employer's position, supporting documentation, and represent the company through mediation or hearing.

Ongoing advisory retainer
For recurring HR questions — hiring, leave, remote work policy, disciplinary escalation — an ongoing advisory arrangement allows issues to be reviewed as they arise rather than after a dispute has already formed.

HR & Labor Advisory | How Fees Are Calculated

One-time advisory review
Fees for a single review (e.g., of a planned dismissal or a set of work rules) are generally based on the scope of documents involved and the complexity of the underlying facts, not a flat rate.

Monthly advisory retainer
Businesses with recurring HR questions can retain the firm on a monthly basis, with the fee scaled to the expected volume and complexity of matters referred each month.

Labor Relations Commission representation
If a matter proceeds to an unfair dismissal or unfair labor practice petition, fees typically include a base fee for preparation and hearing representation, separate from any prior advisory fee.

Disbursements
Costs such as document certification, expert consultation, or travel for on-site investigation are billed separately as incurred and are itemized before the engagement begins.

※ Costs vary depending on case complexity and specific circumstances; exact fees will be provided during consultation. No specific outcome is guaranteed.

HR & Labor Advisory | Self-Check for Employers

1️⃣ Before Issuing a Dismissal

Has the reason for dismissal been documented with specific dates and evidence, not general dissatisfaction?
Was the worker given a written notice stating the reason and effective date of dismissal?
Was at least 30 days' advance notice given, or was payment in lieu calculated and paid?
Were less severe disciplinary measures considered and documented before deciding on dismissal?

2️⃣ Wage and Hour Compliance

Does the ordinary wage calculation include all fixed and regularly paid allowances and bonuses?
Are overtime, night, and holiday premiums calculated at the correct statutory rate?
Is there a written record of actual hours worked, not just scheduled hours?
Have any wage claims from current or former employees been pending for close to three years?

3️⃣ Workplace Harassment Reports

Was the investigation into a bullying or harassment report started without unreasonable delay?
Was the reporting worker offered reassignment or paid leave during the investigation if requested?
Is there documentation showing the outcome of the investigation and any measures taken?
Has any adverse action been taken against the reporting worker that could look retaliatory?

4️⃣ Ongoing Compliance Health Check

Do current work rules and employment contracts reflect the latest amendments to the Labor Standards Act (근로기준법)?
Is there a designated internal process for escalating HR issues before they become disputes?
Have disciplinary and dismissal decisions in the past two years been reviewed for consistency across similar cases?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can we dismiss an employee during a probationary period without following the same procedure?

A. A probationary employee is still an "employee" under the Labor Standards Act, so the just-cause requirement and written notice rules generally still apply, though the standard for what counts as just cause may be somewhat more flexible during probation (근로기준법 제23조, 제27조). Treating probation as a free termination period is one of the more common mistakes we see.

Q. Do the 30-day notice and just-cause rules apply to small businesses?

A. Some provisions of the Labor Standards Act, including certain dismissal restrictions, apply differently depending on whether the business regularly employs five or more workers (근로기준법 제11조). Businesses under that threshold should still confirm which specific provisions apply to their situation, since the exemptions are narrower than commonly assumed.

Q. What happens if we dismiss a worker and later find out the dismissal was procedurally defective?

A. A dismissal without a compliant written notice can be found invalid on procedural grounds alone, even if the underlying reason for dismissal was legitimate (근로기준법 제27조). In that situation the Labor Relations Commission can order reinstatement and back pay, so it is worth having a dismissal notice reviewed before it is issued rather than after a petition is filed.

Q. Can we require an employee to work unpaid overtime if they agree to it?

A. An individual agreement to waive overtime pay is generally not enforceable, because the wage and overtime provisions of the Labor Standards Act are designed as a floor that cannot be lowered by private agreement (근로기준법 제15조, 제56조). Overtime actually worked must still be compensated at the statutory premium rate.

Q. How long do we need to keep employment records?

A. Employers are required to preserve records related to employment, such as employment contracts, wage ledgers, and dismissal-related documents, for three years (근로기준법 제42조). Given that wage claims can also be raised up to three years after they accrue, retaining slightly longer than the minimum is often the safer practice.

Q. What should we do when we receive a workplace bullying complaint?

A. The employer must begin an investigation without delay once it becomes aware of the complaint and may need to reassign the reported worker or offer leave to the complainant during the process (근로기준법 제76조의3). Documenting each step of the investigation is important both to resolve the complaint fairly and to defend against any later claim of inadequate response.

Q. Is it legal to lower an employee's salary as a disciplinary measure?

A. A pay reduction imposed as discipline must be based on a valid ground and a procedure set out in the work rules or collective agreement, and an unreasonably large reduction relative to the misconduct can itself be challenged as invalid (근로기준법 제23조). This is an area where advisory review of the work rules language before disciplinary action is taken can prevent a separate dispute.

Q. Do we need a lawyer if a worker files a petition with the Labor Relations Commission?

A. Employers are not required to retain counsel to respond to a Labor Relations Commission petition, but the process involves written pleadings and a hearing where procedural and evidentiary issues are assessed in the same way as in litigation. Many employers engage advisory counsel at this stage, including firms working with an experienced hr-labor lawyer, specifically because early framing of the employer's position affects the outcome.

Q. What is the difference between an ordinary dismissal and disciplinary dismissal?

A. An ordinary dismissal is generally based on the employee's inability to perform the job (such as poor performance or incapacity), while a disciplinary dismissal is based on misconduct under the work rules; both still require just cause and written notice, but the evidence needed to justify each differs (근로기준법 제23조). Mislabeling one as the other is a common drafting error that can undermine an otherwise valid termination.

Q. Can we ask a new hire to sign away their right to severance pay?

A. An agreement waiving statutory severance pay in advance is generally void, because severance pay is a mandatory statutory entitlement rather than a negotiable benefit (근로자퇴직급여보장법 제8조, 제10조). Any severance-related agreement should be reviewed before it is presented to an employee to avoid creating an unenforceable clause.

Official References

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개인정보 보호 책임자 : 변호사
연락처 : 02.

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관리적 조치 : 내부관리계획의 수립 및 시행, 구성원에 대한 정기적인 개인정보 보호교육 등
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