Samsung opens remote offices across South Korea to promote hybrid working culture
South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics announced on Monday it has opened six shared working spaces to nurture a hybrid work environment and flexible work culture.
Two of the six spaces are located outside Samsung offices, in Seoul and Daegu, while the rest are in Samsung office buildings in other parts of the country.
These co-working spaces, dubbed “d’light”, feature open seats, partitioned desks, adjustable standing desks, meeting rooms and phone booths, among others. Samsung Electronics launched the d’light system for a pilot run on October 4.
The rented co-working space in Seoul can accommodate up to 220 people, a Samsung official said, without elaborating on seats available at the other five locations.
This working environment, designed to meet the needs of developers, designers and marketers as well as offer easier access to public transport, has drawn a “positive response” from workers, Samsung said in a statement. The shared spaces are also expected to shorten the commute for employees and foster their creativity, Samsung added.
The chip-to-mobile giant, which had 117,904 employees as of June, said it will continue committing to enhancing a flexible and efficient work culture for employee satisfaction.
The introduction of the “work from anywhere” policy is the latest initiative of a Samsung task force comprising some of its staff and executives to prioritise flexibility and diversity in the workplace to address external uncertainties and tackle the talent shortage.
The flexible working hour policy is in place across all divisions, from chipmaking to consumer electronics. Under the policy, Samsung employees can customise their work schedule without having to stick to the minimum required hours within a day.
Also, high-ranking staff at Samsung’s smartphone and consumer electronics unit, as well as the group’s management department, have been encouraged to ditch their suits and ties in tandem with rank-and-file employees. To encourage female workers to stay on after maternity leave, tech giant Samsung Electronics is granting them training, mentorship and remote work opportunities.
The Korea Herald
Asia News Network
