March 13, 2014

Chesntut Hill, MA

The Boston College Center for Work & Family hosted a group of South Korean government officials on the BC campus over the past two weeks. At the directive of President Geun-hye Park,  the Korean government is embarking on a three-year initiative to improve work-life balance for the citizens of South Korea and expand economic opportunities for women. Hyun Kyung (Emily) Koo, Deputy Director, Ministry of Employment and Labor contacted BCCWF to request in-depth training for key individuals on their task force, representing the Ministries of Employment and Labor, Trade, Industry & Energy, Culture, Sports and Tourism and Strategy and Finance.   BCCWF is honored that our Center was identified as a global leader in this field and that the delegates came to leverage our expertise as they develop their strategic plan for the nation.

Emily Koo, Nam Hyuk Kim, BCCWF Director of Corporate Partnerships Danielle Hartmann, Dean Andy Boynton, Eun Yi Jeon, Young Kwon Cho, Sang Hee Jung, Sang Hong Lee

The group participated in training

sessions focusing on an Overview of Work-Life in the United States, Global Implications of Work-Life Integration, Workplace Flexibility as a Business Imperative, Building National and Organizational Competencies,  and Culture Change, each facilitated by staff experts at the Boston College Center for Work & Family. Executive Director Brad Harrington and Danielle Hartmann, Director of Corporate Partnerships facilitated a closing strategic planning session. The group also toured the Boston College Chestnut Hill Campus and met with the Dean of the Carroll School of Management, Andy Boynton.

In addition, BCCWF corporate partners Novartis and Pearson welcomed the delegation to their corporate offices in the Boston area for on-site discussions about the importance of the promotion of work-life integration for the success of their employees and their companies.   

Governor Deval Patrick greets the Korean delegation and BCCWF Executive Director Brad Harrington.

At the conclusion of the visit, the Korean delegation members were guests at an event celebrating Women in the Workforce hosted at Bentley University and featuring Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. At the event, the Governor announced  a newly formed Successful Women, Successful Families Task Force, and BCCWF Executive Director Brad Harrington was appointed as a member of the task force.

As the delegation prepared to return to Korea, Hyun Kyung (Emily) Koo said, "The work-life integration training program from the Center for Work & Family provided us with more valuable information than we ever anticipated.  We look forward to returning to Korea and utilizing this information as we plan and launch a successful work-life campaign."

For additional information, please contact Jennifer Sabatini Fraone

Associate Director, Marketing and Communications 617-552-2862