"Connect with Millennials" LG Uplus Conducts 'Reverse Mentoring'

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] LG Uplus executives are conducting a 'reverse mentoring' program where they use new employees with an average age of 27 as mentors to communicate with the millennial generation.

Started at the end of May, the reverse mentoring program involves 10 executives from various departments across the company, including Vice Chairman Ha Hyun-hoe, strategy, service development, corporate, and network, participating as mentees. They engage in candid conversations on topics related to the 'younger generation' with 20 new employee mentor applicants, both inside the company and at external locations designated by the mentors. The program runs until the end of this month.

The mentoring covers topics selected directly by the new employees, such as 'MZ Generation Language and Communication Methods,' 'MZ Generation Platforms,' and 'Honest Stories about the Younger Generation's Views on Jobs and Company Systems.' The MZ generation refers to the combined group of millennials born between 1980 and 2004 and Generation Z born between 1995 and 2004. Among LG Uplus's total workforce of about 10,700 employees, over 60% were born after 1980, and those born in the 1990s account for 21%, a figure that increases annually. As the number of MZ generation members rapidly grows, LG Uplus introduced the executive reverse mentoring program for the first time last year to facilitate smooth communication between company management and employees and to help discover insights about MZ generation customers.

Executives who wish to participate or lead teams with younger age groups are selected as mentees through recommendations. After the program ends, the company holds workshops with the new employee mentors to share mentoring content and results and to derive implications. Last year's reverse mentoring matched 13 executives with new employees on topics such as 'Job Preparation of the Younger Generation,' 'Questions That Make You a Boomer When Asked,' and 'Trendy Fashion Coordinating.' Both executives and new employees who participated said it was a valuable opportunity to broaden mutual understanding, and many expressed the desire to expand the program.

Accordingly, LG Uplus plans to increase the reverse mentoring sessions from once a year last year to twice a year in the first and second halves of this year and actively utilize the insights gained during the program to revitalize organizational culture. Additionally, at the end of this month, the company will release a video of Vice Chairman Ha Hyun-hoe participating in reverse mentoring on its official Facebook page, signaling the CEO's commitment to fostering a culture of communication among employees. Kim Hyun-yi, a staff member from the Store Design Team who volunteered as a mentor, said, "I had a preconceived notion that it would be difficult to talk naturally with executives, but during mentoring, I felt a warm familiarity like an uncle or father," adding, "Seeing their willingness to understand differences in thoughts and values allowed me to open my heart and communicate comfortably. I would recommend other new employees to apply as mentors in the second half."

Yang Ho-seok, Chief Human Resources Officer (Executive Director) at LG Uplus, said, "We introduced reverse mentoring with the belief that leaders must properly understand and accept the '90s-born new employees, who are key customers of future industries like 5G and will lead LG Uplus, to successfully lead the organization and business," adding, "We plan to actively use the ideas gained from mentoring for organizational care."

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