Samsung Electronics to Pilot Remote Work Starting September 'First Time Since COVID-19'

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyewon Kim and Changhwan Lee] Samsung Electronics is introducing remote work for all employees except those in the semiconductor division for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to industry sources on the 27th, Samsung Electronics has decided to pilot remote work for employees in the set division starting next month on the 1st and is currently accepting applicants.

A Samsung Electronics official stated, "As concerns over the resurgence of COVID-19 grow, we plan to operate remote work on a trial basis for those who request it and review any necessary improvements."

Samsung Electronics had previously considered introducing remote work in some business units such as Consumer Electronics (CE) in the first half of this year but withdrew due to low demand. This is the first time the company has decided to implement remote work on a company-wide level since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Until now, Samsung Electronics allowed remote work or family care leave only for high-risk employees such as pregnant women or those with underlying health conditions. With this new measure, starting next month, employees in CE, IT & Mobile (IM), Video Display (VD) divisions, as well as research and development (R&D) staff including those at Samsung Research, will be able to work remotely, excluding the semiconductor division which operates its factories 24/7.

Not only Samsung Electronics but also LG Electronics is considering introducing remote work. LG Group plans to issue a company-wide directive for all employees to work remotely except essential personnel if the government raises the COVID-19 social distancing level to stage 3.

An LG Electronics official explained, "So far, only employees in unavoidable special circumstances have been working remotely, but if the level is raised to stage 3, we will apply strict social distancing measures according to the group manual based on government guidelines, including having only about 30% essential personnel on-site, remote work for all others, and banning group events."

Hyundai Motor Group is implementing staggered meal times for the first time to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection. This measure divides meal times between production and office workers to reduce congestion in company cafeterias. Additionally, research staff meal times will be classified into groups A to D, with cafeteria usage times staggered in 30-minute intervals.

Furthermore, Hyundai Motor Group, anticipating a prolonged COVID-19 situation, has established an in-house mask production system since July, producing 800,000 masks per month. These masks are not for sale and are supplied to Hyundai Motor Group employees and their families worldwide. To prepare for possible workspace closures due to confirmed cases, alternative work centers have been set up at Mabuk Training Center (Hyundai Motor) and Yangji Training Center (Kia Motors) to carry out essential tasks.

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