South Korea's major conglomerates turn to remote working and strengthens virus prevention measures
- 4 years ago
수도권 코로나19 확산에 기업도 비상…방역 강화•재택근무 확대로 대응
As South Korea tightened social distancing measures to level two, major South Korean firms are also returning to work from homes.
Eum Jiyoung has this report.
A team leader at the mobile platform giant Naver Line, Choi Seung-yeon starts her day with a commute that takes three seconds instead of 30 minutes from her bedroom to her home office.
"Since the coronavirus outbreak, we've completely turned to telecommuting. I used to spend a lot more time getting ready for work and making my way to the office."
The main way she interacts with her team is through video conferencing.
"When working from home and using the video conferencing system, there are no constraints when it comes to time or place."
Like Choi, many South Korean corporate employees are once again working from home. If social distancing goes to level three, then that'll apply to about 70 percent of them.
"Because not all employees are able to work from home due to the nature of their jobs, South Korea’s largest firms have adopted stricter measures for those who have to go into the office."
Naver Line requires all employees to wear masks in the office, and they have to get their temperature taken before going in. Line also asks employees to maintain a safe distance in their meetings.
Tech giant Samsung Electronics is also applying stricter measures, urging employees to keep 1 and a half meters apart, and to limit their meetings to no more than 20 people.
Samsung is running more commuter buses so that they're not crowded, and its employees have to fill out an online medical questionnaire every day.
An expert says working from home is a key part of the way society is responding to the pandemic.
"It will definitely help us overcome this crisis if companies support their employees in terms of providing the right equipment, assigning clear duties, and addressing security concerns."
A recent survey of 342 South Korean companies... by online job portal Saramin found that 50 percent of them have implemented flexible hours since the outbreak began.
Eum Ji-young Arirang News.
As South Korea tightened social distancing measures to level two, major South Korean firms are also returning to work from homes.
Eum Jiyoung has this report.
A team leader at the mobile platform giant Naver Line, Choi Seung-yeon starts her day with a commute that takes three seconds instead of 30 minutes from her bedroom to her home office.
"Since the coronavirus outbreak, we've completely turned to telecommuting. I used to spend a lot more time getting ready for work and making my way to the office."
The main way she interacts with her team is through video conferencing.
"When working from home and using the video conferencing system, there are no constraints when it comes to time or place."
Like Choi, many South Korean corporate employees are once again working from home. If social distancing goes to level three, then that'll apply to about 70 percent of them.
"Because not all employees are able to work from home due to the nature of their jobs, South Korea’s largest firms have adopted stricter measures for those who have to go into the office."
Naver Line requires all employees to wear masks in the office, and they have to get their temperature taken before going in. Line also asks employees to maintain a safe distance in their meetings.
Tech giant Samsung Electronics is also applying stricter measures, urging employees to keep 1 and a half meters apart, and to limit their meetings to no more than 20 people.
Samsung is running more commuter buses so that they're not crowded, and its employees have to fill out an online medical questionnaire every day.
An expert says working from home is a key part of the way society is responding to the pandemic.
"It will definitely help us overcome this crisis if companies support their employees in terms of providing the right equipment, assigning clear duties, and addressing security concerns."
A recent survey of 342 South Korean companies... by online job portal Saramin found that 50 percent of them have implemented flexible hours since the outbreak began.
Eum Ji-young Arirang News.