POSCO MZ Generation Directly Proposes Creative Ideas to CEO

'Young Board' Composed of Deputy-Level and Below Employees
'Field Staff Young Board' Also Established to Strengthen Communication with the Field

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoonju Hwang] POSCO is actively embracing the creative ideas of the MZ generation through the reform of the Young Board system. The MZ generation collectively refers to the 'Millennial Generation' born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s and the 'Z Generation' born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s.

POSCO, which established the Young Board in 1999 as a direct communication channel between employees and top management, has, since Chairman Chey Jong-woo’s inauguration, made the channel more substantial and practical by adding a separate 'Field Staff Young Board' focused on steel mill field workers alongside the existing Young Board centered on office and engineering staff. The level of participating employees was also lowered from department and section chiefs to assistant managers and below.

At a recent meeting with Young Board members, Chairman Chey said, "We have reformed the system so that younger and more vivid voices from various departments, including the field, can be directly conveyed to the CEO." He added, "The Young Board should serve as a bridge to candidly propose ideas and thoughts from the workplace to management and to communicate management’s philosophy and vision to employees."

The 2021 Young Board, which will begin full-scale activities this month, was selected last month through an internal recruitment process, consisting of a total of 24 members. They will hold regular online and offline meetings to generate various improvement and innovation ideas regarding the creation of a safe working environment, work style innovation from the perspective of the 3S (Substance, Execution, Practicality), and activation of communication across generations and levels. They plan to meet the CEO directly more than four times a year to discuss these ideas together.

One of the achievements reflected in company policy last year based on Young Board proposals was the introduction of the ‘Collaboration KPI’.

The Young Board emphasized that the foundation of the company’s competitiveness lies in optimal decision-making through interdepartmental collaboration and contributed to institutionalizing goals and results of collaborative activities between organizations as performance indicators. The ‘Collaboration Points System,’ which allows employees to send thank-you gifts to colleagues in other departments they collaborated with, was also born from the Young Board’s proposal. Points can later be exchanged for items such as cakes or coffee coupons.

As part of creating a safe working environment, the Young Board also proposed the introduction of a maintenance simulation program. In response, the company introduced virtual reality (VR) and game-type simulator systems to create a training facility where field workers can experience operating and controlling equipment in a virtual space, which is now used for on-site employee training.

Additionally, to foster a corporate culture friendly to childbirth and parenting, the Young Board proposed granting prenatal examination leave to male employees, which has been institutionalized. They also proposed a contest reward system allowing employees to self-nominate for outstanding work they have independently led, which is currently being prepared for implementation.

Meanwhile, in line with the global trend of digital transformation, POSCO has set the goal of nurturing future talent as 'New Collar,' which improves work and creates new value by utilizing IT new technologies. The company is conducting the 'New Collar Level Certification System' for all employees and is accelerating the development of talent with the innovative mindset of ‘Challenge, Change, Chance’ (3C), who are unafraid of challenges, lead change, and seek new growth opportunities.

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