"Excessive Interference"... Kakao to Partially Revise 'Metaverse Work System'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Kakao has decided to partially change the method of the 'Metaverse Work System' that was scheduled to be introduced in July. This comes after employees raised concerns, calling the requirement to connect to real-time voice channels "excessive interference and surveillance."

According to Kakao on the 1st, CEO Namgoong Hoon stated in an internal notice the day before, "The voice communication tool will be tested for a certain period, after which crews will vote within their organizational or functional units to decide whether its use is mandatory," adding, "The core time system will also be reconsidered through communication."

Previously, on the 30th of last month, Kakao announced the 'Metaverse Work System.' The main point is to allow employees to work freely from locations of their choice by utilizing Kakao's collaboration tool 'Kakao Work' and the internal community 'Ajit.' In particular, Kakao mentioned that employees could communicate in real time through voice channels.

However, some employees raised issues, saying, "All employees have to be logged into Discord for voice connection," and "We have to use KakaoTalk, Kakao Work, Google Meet, Ajit, and Discord while working."

Additionally, employees criticized the 'Focused Work Hours (Core Time)' system, which requires working from 1 PM to 5 PM, stating, "Previously, if we fulfilled the monthly working hours, we could leave early or take a day off, but now we cannot," and "In effect, the flexible work system that was working well has been abolished."

A Kakao representative said, "Calling this new work system a beta service (pilot operation) means it will continue to be revised and changed," and added, "The Metaverse Work System itself is not changing." They also stated, "We will continue to hold meetings and accept internal feedback during the operation of the new work system to find the optimal solution."