Go home! Seoul shuts down computers on Friday night

It’s unlikely to ever be an issue in Australia.

But in South Korea, there is a serious problem with workers spending too much time in the office.

And now the government in Seoul has a new initiative to prevent the "culture of working overtime” – all computers are to be powered down on a Friday night.

South Korean civil servants work up to 1000 hours more than their OECD counterparts each year, according to a survey, reports the Yonhap News Agency.

According to the Ministry of Personnel and Management, employees in public service work 2738 hours per person each year on average.

That compares with an average of 1763 in other countries.

So from March 30 onwards, all computers on a Friday night will be shut down from 8pm, sending industrious workers back to their homes for the weekend.

A second phase will begin in April, with the time brought forward to 7.30pm on two Fridays of the month.

From May, the computers will die at 7pm, although there may be exemptions for special cases.

According to the BBC, so far 67 percent of government workers have asked to be a special case.