Pilot Operation as Early as Next Month
Returning to IT Industry Offices but... Innovating Employee Experience
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] LG Uplus is opening a workation office in Gangneung. Workation is a compound word of Work and Vacation, referring to a new work culture that combines work and vacation in a space other than home or office. Recently, although the IT industry has been continuously reducing remote work to improve productivity, LG Uplus decided to create an office to expand employee welfare.
On the 26th, LG Uplus announced that it is preparing to open a workation office near Anmok Beach in Gangneung City, Gangwon Province. The specific opening schedule has not been finalized, but a pilot operation may begin as early as next month. Currently, detailed matters are being coordinated ahead of the full opening. The company is holding a contest on the internal bulletin board to name the workation office and is recruiting staff to manage the office. LG Uplus also signed a business agreement with Gangwon Province in April 2022 for joint cooperation to revitalize tourism in preparation for the workation program.
With the establishment of a remote work foundation during the COVID-19 period and the increase of workplaces emphasizing work-life balance (Work-Life Balance) among the MZ generation (Millennials and Generation Z), the number of companies adopting workation is on the rise. A representative case in Korea is CJ ENM, which opened a base office called 'CJ ENM Jeju Branch' in Gujwa-eup, Jeju Island, in February 2022. In the telecommunications industry, SK Telecom operates a workation concept base office at the Walkerhill Hotel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.
The introduction of workation contrasts with recent trends in the IT industry. The IT sector, which once led the adoption of flexible work cultures such as full remote work and four-day workweeks, has significantly increased in-office attendance this year due to the transition to an endemic COVID-19 system and economic uncertainties.
LG Uplus’s decision to go against the industry trend appears to be aimed at providing a unique work environment to lead the launch of innovative services. LG Uplus is emphasizing outstanding customer experience as its top priority this year. They believe that to deliver differentiated experiences to customers, employees must first have innovative experiences themselves. By having employees work in Gangneung, a representative domestic travel destination, instead of the Seoul office, they plan to improve employees’ quality of life and enhance work efficiency.
In fact, LG Uplus has recently attracted attention by significantly strengthening employee welfare, not only through workation. In November 2022, it became the first among Korea’s top five companies to introduce a 'Single Support Fund' system that provides the same benefits as marriage congratulatory money to employees who declare being single. Additionally, starting this year, the company began a generous welfare program gifting LG Gram laptops to employees with children entering elementary, middle, or high school.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
