'Forced Remote Work' at Tmax, Chaotic Atmosphere on the First Day

Employees Busy Getting COVID-19 Tests
Temporary Staff Also Staying Home Due to Client Companies Denying Office Entry

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] TmaxSoft (hereafter Tmax), which urgently switched to remote work after two employees tested positive for COVID-19, is showing signs of disorder from the very first week of remote work.

On the 11th, Tmax stated, "Only about 10 essential personnel are present at the headquarters, and all other employees have entered indefinite remote work," adding, "For dispatched workers, since client companies are reluctant to allow their employees to enter our offices, remote work will be maintained until negative COVID-19 test results are confirmed." However, there are criticisms that confusion is inevitable because Tmax insisted on office work without following government guidelines and suddenly implemented remote work this time. An industry insider pointed out, "Many Tmax employees work on company PCs, so sudden remote work will greatly hinder their ability to work using personal laptops."

Previously, a male employee A (29), residing in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, who works at Tmax, tested positive for COVID-19 on the 6th after visiting the Itaewon nightlife district in Seoul. A colleague, B, was confirmed positive on the 8th. Both were reportedly working in Tmax's internal departments. After news of B's positive diagnosis spread, posts criticizing Tmax's lukewarm response?maintaining normal office attendance despite confirmed COVID-19 cases?continued to appear on the internet and anonymous workplace communities. C, who introduced themselves as a Tmax employee, said, "A's positive result on the 6th was in the morning, and the notice to vacate the floor came at 4 p.m. that day," adding, "That was limited to the research institute, and other employees continued to come to work until the 8th. Only after an additional confirmed case on the morning of the 8th did we receive the remote work notice." They also added, "Asymptomatic employees have never once been offered remote work during the COVID-19 situation."

Tmax explained, "We are minimizing work disruption by utilizing our cloud-based collaboration solution 'Tspace.'"

On the 8th, Tmax announced the closure of all business sites and the start of indefinite remote work for about 1,500 employees except essential personnel. According to Tmax, A had been on personal leave from April 30 until testing positive on the 6th and did not work at the company during that period. Tmax clarified, "Since A's last working day was three days before symptom onset, the workplace was not included in the epidemiological investigation target," and added, "On the afternoon of the 6th, in consultation with quarantine authorities, all employees working in the building were sent home, and emergency disinfection was conducted." Meanwhile, Tmax has offices in Su-nae, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do (headquarters), one location in Gangnam, Seoul, and three locations in the Bundang area. The total number of employees, including affiliates, is between 1,500 and 1,600.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.