SK Innovation Ulsan CLX Special Labor-Management Group 'Sedae Gonggam Clan' Disbanded

On the 6th, members are taking a commemorative photo at the 'Generation Empathy Clan' closing ceremony held at SK Innovation Ulsan CLX.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] On the 6th, SK Innovation Ulsan CLX held a closing ceremony for a special organization called the 'Generation Empathy Clan.' The 'Generation Empathy Clan' consists of 27 representatives who voluntarily stepped forward to change the organization and culture to create generational empathy, centered around SK Innovation Ulsan CLX. It is an organization established by SK Innovation labor and management to find solutions to workplace generational conflicts. Although generational conflicts in the workplace have been raised multiple times through books and lectures, SK Innovation is the first company to directly take action on-site to resolve these issues at the corporate level. SK Innovation also published a booklet titled 'Generation Empathy Story' to capture the process and significance of this effort.

Last year, SK Innovation labor and management launched the Happiness Council, a permanent consultative body, for 'Happy Members, Happy Workplace, and a Happier Society Together.' The Happiness Council is characterized by members taking the lead in creating solutions to various issues faced by the company. The first step of this initiative is 'Generation Empathy.'

SK Innovation Ulsan CLX has a diverse age range of employees, from first-year hires to those nearing retirement after nearly 40 years of service. Especially due to the nature of the factory operating 365 days a year with a 4-shift, 3-team rotation system, employees of various ages work closely together. This naturally creates a structure prone to generational conflicts.

The Generation Empathy Clan started in July last year. Through biweekly workshops, they deeply discussed the root causes and solutions for generational conflicts and developed improvement plans. Over about eight months of activities, they identified key issues such as ▲differences in expectations of roles and relationships ▲misunderstandings about education and work methods ▲differences in understanding organizational culture. To address these, they proposed three directions: ▲acknowledging differences and promising mutual respect ▲transforming misunderstandings into understanding and growing together ▲establishing a system for continuous promotion of generation empathy, along with seven improvement tasks including 'Generation Empathy Campaign, Education System Improvement, and Empathy Coordinator.'

At the closing ceremony, they added significance by publishing a booklet titled "Happiness Made by Our Own Hands, Generation Empathy Story," which documents the problem identification, discussion process, and solutions. SK Innovation plans to provide this booklet to domestic and overseas business sites, as well as internal and external labor-management cultural organizations.

The seven improvement tasks agreed upon through labor-management consultation will be implemented sequentially, with labor and management actively supporting their establishment as a unique culture of SK Innovation.

Kim Jun, SK Innovation CEO, said, "SK Innovation is undertaking a new challenge with the Happiness Council, where members participate directly to create their own happiness," adding, "The solutions proposed by the Generation Empathy Clan will serve as the foundation for creating a new culture at New SK Innovation."

Lee Seonghun, Labor Union Chairman, stated, "Generation Empathy, the first topic of the Ulsan CLX Happiness Council, was a difficult task, but through sufficient discussion, meaningful results were achieved. We plan to continue clan activities by identifying new concerns related to members' happiness," and added, "We will strive to create a happy Ulsan CLX through labor-management coexistence."