A notable trend is emerging among employees: prioritizing job satisfaction over climbing the corporate ladder. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Korea Bizwire) – In South Korea’s corporate landscape, a notable trend is emerging among employees: prioritizing job satisfaction over climbing the corporate ladder. Kim, a man in his late 40s, exemplifies this trend.
Despite a 20-year tenure at a major corporation, he is neither a department head nor a team leader but a regular staff member. Kim is content with his role, even though younger colleagues occupy higher positions.
He once engaged in ‘office politics’ and focused solely on advancing his rank, but the pressure led him to shift his life’s approach. He even deliberately chose not to pursue promotion prerequisites like language tests and mandatory training.
This phenomenon of long-serving employees opting to remain in lower positions, such as “permanent department heads” or “team leader-refusing senior managers,” is becoming increasingly common.
A representative from the company Kim works for noted on December 31, “There are numerous department heads in their 50s. Their ultimate goal isn’t executive promotion but to make it to the retirement age of 60.”
This shift is reflected in the demographics of major companies. For instance, as of the end of 2022, Samsung Electronics had about 75,552 employees over 40 years old, a 34% increase from 2020. Similarly, the number of employees over 50 at SK Hynix nearly doubled in the same period.
The diminishing appeal of managerial roles at major corporations is evident. With reduced authority, increased workload, and responsibility, many are experiencing ‘leader phobia.’
The financial compensation for these roles is often seen as insufficient. A team leader at another major corporation expressed dissatisfaction: “Despite managing the department’s work, coordinating between executives and team members, and attending endless meetings, there’s barely any salary difference compared to colleagues without managerial roles. After a year in this position, I honestly don’t want to continue.”
Contributing to this trend is the consolidation of job titles, reducing motivation for promotions. Many corporations are simplifying their hierarchy from the traditional system of junior staff to senior managers into more general titles like senior and chief managers.
According to a spokesperson from another major company, “With everyone except junior staff being called by the same title, there’s no need to feel embarrassed about not being promoted due to age. The atmosphere of taking on challenging roles for promotion is also fading.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
