Unknown User1
How should a company with overseas branches respond if a foreign employee complains of harassment?
Unknown User
2026.07.14 12:48
https://nudgeeap.com/en-US/community/inquiry/132806823
Hello. I work in HR at a company with overseas branches.
Recently, a foreign employee requested counseling, stating that they feel alienated within the team.
According to him, he says that important information is repeatedly omitted during meetings or work sharing, and that he is excluded from decision-making because he is not fluent in Korean.
At first, I thought it might be a communication issue caused by language and cultural differences, but the employee is having a very hard time because they continue to feel excluded in their relationships with certain team members.
Even in such cases, should we proceed with a fact-check while keeping the possibility of workplace harassment in mind?
I am wondering what criteria HR should use to distinguish between cultural differences, work-related communication issues, and workplace harassment.
I plan to connect them with EAP counseling if necessary. Would it be okay to also recommend English counseling or remote counseling to foreign employees?
Comments7
Dain Co., Ltd.Dain Co., Ltd.107 Answers1% Answer adoption rateSpecializes in Health Management, psychological counseling- Unknown User4
- Unknown User2Dain Co., Ltd.Dain Co., Ltd.107 Answers1% Answer adoption rateSpecializes in Health Management, psychological counseling
- Unknown User3Dain Co., Ltd.Dain Co., Ltd.107 Answers1% Answer adoption rateSpecializes in Health Management, psychological counseling
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- 03coach AnswerHello, this is Nudge EAP โบ๏ธ Rather than excluding all dispatched workers from vaccination support simply because they are dispatched employees, it is better to first check the criteria used to provide support to employees performing similar tasks at the same site. Article 21 of the Dispatched Workers Act prohibits discrimination against dispatched workers compared to employees performing the same or similar duties at the user employer, and discriminatory treatment includes matters regarding welfare benefits (Article 2, Clause 7 of the Dispatched Workers Act; Article 2, Clause 3 of the Fixed-Term Employment Act). However, this does not apply if the user employer employs four or fewer workers on a regular basis, and since judgments may vary depending on the employees being compared and the support conditions, it is difficult to conclude that "the same support must be provided to all dispatched workers unconditionally." - Eligibility: Please first organize the eligibility criteria and reasons for exclusion so that the user employer and the dispatching company can provide guidance based on the same standards. You should review company-mandated welfare support and statutory health checkups separately. - Costs: We were unable to find any criteria regarding the sharing of vaccination costsโsuch as which company must bear the full cost or split the ratioโwithin the scope of this review. After verifying the dispatch contract and welfare standards, ensure that both companies agree on the party responsible for the costs, the settlement method, and the application deadline before vaccination. - Lists and Consent Forms: It is advisable for the company to verify only the minimum information necessary for application and cost settlement, and to negotiate with the vaccination hospital to have them directly collect pre-examination forms, chronic illnesses, and medications. Since health information is sensitive data under Article 23 of the Personal Information Protection Act, requiring separate consent or a legal basis, do not hand over original vaccination-related documents to the dispatch agency. - Post-Vaccination Inquiries: Provide the contact information for the vaccination hospital and medical staff in advance, and designate a joint contact person for both the company and the dispatch agency. It is difficult to prematurely assume that one company bears full responsibility simply because an adverse reaction occurred, and in emergency situations, emergency response services such as 119 take priority. In practice, confusion is reduced if both companies and the hospital first agree on four pointsโeligibility, costs, where information is received, and post-vaccination contact informationโand then provide the same notice to the employees. Reference: https://www.law.go.kr/๋ฒ๋ น/ํ๊ฒฌ๊ณต๋ก์๋ณด๋ฑ์๊ดํ๋ฒ๋ฅ /์ 21์กฐ162226.10.29
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