Kakao to Work in Virtual Space from July... Introducing 'Metaverse Work System'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] The Kakao community announced on the 30th that it will declare the ‘Metaverse Work System’ as the ‘Community Way of Working’ and that Kakao will be the first to implement it starting in July.

Since implementing remote work in February 2020 due to COVID-19, Kakao established the ‘Community Way of Working 2.0 TF’ under the Community Alignment Center (CAC) and has been continuously considering ways to develop a unique working method for the Kakao community beyond the current remote work system.

Based on various remote work cases and know-how experienced by Kakao affiliates over the past two years, and after conducting several workshops, Kakao concluded that ‘how’ people work is more important than ‘where’ they work, and designed a new form of work system called the ‘Metaverse Work System,’ the company explained.

The ‘Metaverse Work System’ is a working method where employees are always connected with colleagues in a virtual space regardless of their physical work location, performing all possible tasks online. They can collaborate using appropriate means such as text, voice, and video. Unlike traditional remote work, employees can freely work from their chosen locations while being connected in real-time via voice channels for communication.

Kakao has established ‘ground rules’ to enable employees to collaborate efficiently in the metaverse work environment and plans to have a beta operation period until the system is fully settled. During the beta period, Kakao will seek ways to address challenges that are difficult to resolve online and continuously develop the work system by listening to employees’ feedback.

Among the Kakao community, Kakao, Kakao Games, Kakao Mobility, Kakao Bank, Kakao Ventures, Kakao Brain, Kakao Style, Kakao Space, Kakao Entertainment, Kakao Enterprise, Kakao Investment, Kakao Pay, Kakao Healthcare, and Crust have decided to adopt the Metaverse Work System. The timing and method of implementation may vary by company depending on their circumstances and compliance requirements.

The Kakao community aims to successfully establish the Metaverse Work System as one of Kakao’s core identities, including a culture of addressing each other by English names for horizontal communication and decision-making processes based on trust, conflict, and commitment.

Namgoong Hoon, CEO of Kakao, said, “After experiencing remote work for the past two years, we concluded that ‘connection’ is a more important value than physical space for performing work,” adding, “We will support the Metaverse Work System centered on connection to help employees work efficiently and to establish it as a unifying culture throughout the Kakao community.”