LG Uplus, one third of South Korea’s wireless carrier industry, is becoming a flatter organization, at least on a conversational level, as job titles will be swapped out for names when employees call on one another. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — LG Uplus, one third of South Korea’s wireless carrier industry, is becoming a flatter organization, at least on a conversational level, as job titles will be swapped out for names when employees call on one another.
This linguistic injunction was revealed by vice-chairman Kwon Young-soo as part of the changes to expect for 2018 in his New Year’s address, which was held at the telecom giant’s Yongsan headquarters on January 2.
“By boosting competitiveness in mobile, home media and industry, Uplus will become the market leader,” said Kwon, as he laid out his five-point plan for revamping the company’s work culture.
To foster an environment in which the exchange of ideas can freely occur via a more horizontal corporate hierarchy, Kwon explained that employees will be referred to by their name rather than their title or rank, the traditional identification of a worker in a Korean company.
Company reports are to be limited to one page; font and color will be left up to individual preference, but the reports are to be written in narrative format and to remain to-the-point by continuing to utilize shortened words and noun-heavy sentences.
Simple matters to report may be submitted via social media or online messaging.
A “111 Thank You Plus” (1 day – 1 time – 1 thank you) program in which participants send a fellow coworker one message of gratitude once a day will become part of the company’s social fabric. In addition, one Friday every month employees will volunteer together.
Company dinners, the target of many South Korean workers’ intense dislike, are banned on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The reasoning is that Mondays are for laying out the schedule for the week, Wednesdays are for spending time with family and Fridays are for employees to be able to unwind after a long week of work.
Since assuming his duties in 2015, Kwon has banned work-related text messaging via Kakaotalk after 10 p.m. and instituted flexible working hours and an automatic shutdown of all office computers half an hour after the end of normal work hours.
Kwon emphasized that his five-point plan would create a company culture that would serve to elevate LG Uplus to new heights.
Kwon emphasized that his five-point plan would create a company culture that would serve to elevate LG Uplus to new heights. (Image: Yonhap)
S.B.W. (sbw266@koreabizwire.com)
