South Korean internet platform ends remote working policy

South Korean internet company Kakao has announced it will end its remote working policy and institute an Office First work system which requires employees to work at company-designated offices starting next March.

The Office First policy may be implemented at a later date depending on the status of the pandemic. If indoor mask mandates are still in place after the date, the Office First policy may be delayed. However, the implementation date remains unchanged on 1 March 2023 if indoor mask mandates are lifted before then.

In addition to this, the policy of having Fridays off every other week, which had been in effect for the past six months, has been eliminated from the work system. This policy sparked controversy among employees after a major service outage in October, when some employees were required to work on internally designated holidays, reported Pickool.

Instead of the four-day work week every two weeks, Kakao has introduced a Recovery Day policy in which the last Friday of every month will be a day off, effective 1 January 2023.

READ: More employees in South Korea took parental leave in 2021

However, Kakao will still allow employees to work from home flexibly, depending on the nature of their work and any unforeseen circumstances. Remote work can be established by team leaders or managers of the departments if it is deemed more effective than office work.