Opening of Hub Office 'Speeo'
Attracting Talent through Work Culture Innovation
Reducing Commute Distance and Carbon Emissions
[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] "We will continue to innovate work culture to create an environment where the best talents achieve the best results." (Yoo Sang-young, CEO of SK Telecom)
SK Telecom announced on the 7th that it has established three hub offices in Sindorim, Seoul, and Ilsan and Bundang in Gyeonggi Province as part of work culture innovation to usher in the 'SKT 2.0 era.' These future-oriented offices utilize 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum cryptography technologies, focusing on reducing unnecessary commuting time to enhance employee happiness.
The hub workspace brand 'Sphere' signifies a sphere (球). It aims to overcome the spatial limitations of traditional offices and create a work environment where employees can work freely without boundaries.
Sphere Sindorim, located in D-Cube City, Sindorim, Seoul, is an urban hub office with 170 seats across two floors. It offers a variety of spaces ranging from areas for focused work to collaborative spaces. Sphere Ilsan, located in the eastern district of Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, was created by renovating a standalone building within a residential complex. Sphere Bundang, located in Bundang District, Gyeonggi Province, was developed by applying ICT infrastructure to the existing SK Telecom building.
Face Recognition ID with Mask Wearing Applied
Employees commuting to the hub offices do not need a separate access card. Their faces serve as their access cards. AI-based facial recognition technology identifies employees’ faces in just 0.2 seconds to open the doors. It can recognize faces even when masks are worn and includes anti-face forgery features to prevent unauthorized access by outsiders.
Seat reservations are also simple. Using the Sphere application (app) developed by SK Telecom, employees can autonomously reserve and use workspaces by considering seat availability and the tasks they need to perform. Even without prior reservation, employees can visit the office, use facial recognition, and select their preferred seats.
For individual focused work, employees can use ‘Island’ seats that increase the distance between seats to enhance concentration. For collaborative work, they can reserve ‘Big Table’ seats where multiple people can sit and work together.
Since Sphere offers ‘iDesk,’ there is no need to bring a personal PC. By recognizing their face on the tablet provided at the seat, employees can connect to a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and work in the same environment as their usual PC. They can also participate in remote meetings through the tablet. SK Telecom is preparing features that automatically adjust the desk to the individual and change lighting according to the type of work when the face is recognized on the tablet at the desk.
Collaboration productivity is also enhanced. Meeting rooms are equipped with cameras and speakers necessary for remote meetings. The cameras recognize the number of people entering the room; when many people are present, they switch to a wide-angle view to show multiple people simultaneously and identify the speaker to display the presenter on the screen.
In line with the increasing trend of remote meetings, an independent single-person meeting space called ‘Spherepod’ has been prepared. It is equipped with the HMD 'Oculus Quest' to enable communication in virtual spaces. In the second half of this year, meetings in virtual spaces using the HMD version of SK Telecom’s metaverse platform ‘ifland’ are also planned. Each Sphere is equipped with a large media wall and cameras called ‘Sphere Vision’ to enable communication between hubs.
Sphere ensures convenience and safety for employees based on ICT technologies such as 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), and quantum cryptography communication. Sphere applies a 5G in-building solution characterized by ultra-high speed and ultra-low latency. It is the first in Korea to combine quantum cryptography technology with VPN (a dedicated network service for internal data communication within a company). IoT sensors collect data related to the work environment such as temperature, humidity, and fine dust, and AI technology maintains the optimal work environment based on this data.
Reflecting the Actual Needs of 4,300 Metropolitan Area Employees
This hub office Sphere was established reflecting the actual needs of employees. It was selected and designed considering the residence, demand, and work characteristics of about 4,300 employees working in the metropolitan area. According to an internal survey, the total daily commuting time of employees working in the metropolitan area amounts to 3,969 hours, which translates to 165.4 days. The total commuting distance reaches 118,737 km.
The hub office also signifies the activation of the 'WFA (Work From Anywhere)' system, where employees can perform their work in spaces that enhance work efficiency regardless of their work location. SK Telecom explained that a flexible work culture will greatly help in the increasingly fierce competition for talent in the ICT industry.
Sphere also embodies the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) management principles. It reduces social costs caused by commuting such as air pollution and traffic congestion. In particular, Sphere incorporates eco-friendly elements by using upcycled materials from discarded clothing for furniture and walls and by employing intelligent cameras that turn off lights in unoccupied spaces. Sphere Sindorim and Bundang are currently undergoing the process to obtain the LEED Gold certification, an international eco-friendly building certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Meanwhile, SK Telecom is preparing to open a Sphere with a ‘workation’ (a combination of work and vacation) concept at the Walkerhill Hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, in July. The Walkerhill Sphere will be operated for use not only by SK Telecom employees but also by members of the SK ICT family.
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