Controversy Over GS Retail CEO's Remarks... "Employees Who Complain About Remote Work Will Destroy GS25"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The president of GS Retail, which operates the convenience store GS25, recently sparked controversy by making remarks that seemed to view remote work negatively in a messenger chatroom that included executives.

Jo Yoon-sung, president of GS Retail, recently pointed out in a KakaoTalk group chat, "The field reminds me of 1980s hole-in-the-wall stores with cleanliness, display, greetings, and various notices and prohibition signs written in crooked handwriting with red marker, and this is not limited to just one or two stores," adding, "The store conditions are truly the worst." He then said, "Remote work or weak leaders and members will ruin GS25." This content was revealed externally after a screenshot of the KakaoTalk chatroom was posted on Blind, an anonymous workplace community app.

Since GS Retail had been implementing company-wide remote work this week due to strengthened social distancing measures, Jo's remarks have been interpreted as reflecting the management's negative perception of remote work.

On the 11th, GS Retail explained, "As company-wide remote work was implemented, concerns arose that the difficulties of on-site managers (franchise owners) would increase, so we emphasized to executives and leaders that employees working on-site should provide more thorough support to stores and managers."

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