Kakao Initiates Full Remote Work for Headquarters Employees... Expansion of Flexible Work in IT Companies (Update)

Citizens are hurrying on their way to work near Pangyo Techno Valley Station in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, where the IT industry is concentrated.
Seongnam - Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Heung-soon and Bu Aeri] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) resurges, IT companies in telecommunications, portals, and gaming sectors have begun to reintroduce or expand remote work.

A Kakao representative stated on the 19th, "To prevent the spread of COVID-19, all employees at the headquarters have started a five-day-a-week remote work system." However, the duration of remote work has not yet been determined. Kakao plans to monitor the situation before making a decision. Naver has maintained a 'rotational work system' since the 19th of last month, with employees working remotely three days a week and coming to the office two days a week.

On the other hand, major game companies busy preparing new releases are monitoring the situation but mostly continue normal work schedules. NCSoft and Netmarble employees commute as usual, and Nexon maintains its policy of four days in the office and one day remote work per week. However, this may change depending on the spread of COVID-19.

Among mobile carriers, LG Uplus has implemented remote work since the 17th. According to internal policy, all employees are divided into three groups, with about 3,000 people working remotely. LG HelloVision, a paid broadcasting operator, is also operating remote work by reducing the number of employees working on-site to less than 50%. A LG HelloVision representative said, "We are flexibly adjusting the number of employees coming to work between 30% and 50% depending on the COVID-19 situation," adding, "As the number of confirmed cases has recently increased, the proportion of remote work has also risen."

Other telecommunications companies such as SK Telecom and KT have not yet established remote work policies, but there is a possibility that their commuting systems will change depending on the COVID-19 spread trend and the elevation of social distancing measures to level 1.5 in the metropolitan area starting today.