A government employee enters a gate of the government complex in Seoul on March 11, 2020, with a face mask on, as the operation of a facial recognition system to enter the complex has been suspended amid the spread of the new coronavirus. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 16 (Korea Bizwire) — With the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea showing signs of containment, major mobile carriers are transitioning from work-from-home to flexible commuting policies.
The country’s top three telecommunication firms — SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. — decided they cannot sustain business based on work-from-home policies, which were first implemented following the coronavirus outbreak, according to industry insiders Tuesday.
While the companies are currently recommending that employees return to the office on flexible hours, many employees are voluntarily choosing to show up at work, exhausted from staying indoors for too long or convinced that working from the office is more productive than staying at home.
The mobile carriers currently have voluntary work-from-home policies for each department. They advise that pregnant employees or those returning from overseas work from home.
Manufacturing businesses such as Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc., however, have not imposed work-from-home measures.
Despite the voluntary nature of their work-from-home policies, many employees are choosing to come to the office for work.
While employees can access their employer’s internal network from home, many of them believe that coming to the office is still more efficient, particularly for departments that require constant exchanges with other firms or divisions.
Also, working parents choose to come to the office to lighten the burden of having to work and take care of children when working from home.
“With work-from-home policies widespread due to the coronavirus, families were able to spend more time together, but only in exchange for productivity as they had to stay indoors,” an industry official said.
“Coming to the office and working directly with other employees feels more efficient.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
