Changes since changing jobs

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1. I have much more time in the mornings and evenings.
At my previous job, I had to be at work by 8:00 AM, but it felt meaningless.
I had to drive, but since there were never any parking spots, I had to arrive around 7:40 AM to secure a space.
While I was resting after parking, I would get calls asking what I was doing instead of coming into the office since I was already clocked in. lol
Because of forced overtime every day, I would get home after 8:00 PM.
By the time I finished eating, it was already my child's bedtime, so I had almost no time to spend with them.
Now, if I leave at 7:50 AM, I arrive at the company around 8:45 AM.
If I leave exactly on time at 6:00 PM, I usually get home around 6:50 PM, or 7:00 PM at the latest.
I love being able to say goodbye to my child in the morning before work, and being able to eat and play with them after work.
2. Improved quality of meals
Perhaps because my meals changed from terrible factory food to proper meals at outside restaurants,
I used to get hungry around 4:00 PM, but now I don't even feel hungry until I have dinner at home after work.
3. No more walking on eggshells, unnecessary distractions, or stress outside of work
I think this is the biggest change.
Regardless of the actual level of work, there was constant bickering, nonsense, and verbal abuse regarding non-work matters.
It was a "boomer" culture from 30 years ago that reminded me of the hellish military, where I was always on edge.
I was exhausted every single day and barely managed to endure the afternoons.
In particular, they controlled annual leave so strictly that they picked fights when I tried to use leave for moving, even asking, "Do you really need to be here?"
They even made a huge fuss when I went to the bank for a loan consultation regarding my new house.
They made a scene when another team member used leave to prepare for their wedding, and they pressured an employee who had hemorrhoid surgery to show up no matter what, which ultimately led to that person's resignation.
It was a jungle where absurd stories unfolded that I can't even list all of.
Currently, it is a free culture where there is very little interference unless a major mistake is made at work.
It is a place that aims for such a horizontal culture that sometimes I wonder if this is what Gen Z is like.
No one makes you feel guilty about taking annual leave; in fact, a colleague from another team has been on full leave from before Chuseok until this week.
On a day I used a half-half day (2 hours) to drop my child off at kindergarten and arrived late,
my team leader said, "There are still 30 minutes left, why are you here already? Make sure you use your leave efficiently."
Next week, my team leader will be away on annual leave.
Maybe it's because I'm not stressed, but my digestion has improved,
even though my daily schedule is similar, I feel almost no fatigue.
I sleep well and wake up before my alarm goes off.
Even when I stay up late occasionally to play and get less sleep, I don't find it difficult to get through the day at work.
It feels like the company atmosphere and culture have moved from one extreme to the other.