Gwanak-gu New Public Officials Whisper and Chat Lively with Uncle Junhee~!

Empathy Talk Between District Mayor and New Employees... A Place for Encouragement and Communication... Breaking Generational and Rank Barriers Through Friendly, Casual Conversations Like a Neighbor Next Door

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Junhee) held the ‘Newbie Empathy Talk,’ a communication session for mutual understanding and empathy between the mayor and new employees, from March 23 to April 16.

This was part of the ‘Creating a Healthy Workplace Culture’ initiative launched last month. Recognizing the need to consider young employees who will lead the organization in the future and understand their culture and values, the mayor took the lead in efforts for change.

The district held 10 sessions of ‘Whispering and Lively Newbie Empathy Talk with Uncle Junhee’ in the mayor’s office for 68 new public officials, creating a comfortable space where newbies could freely share their thoughts.

The empathy talk was conducted in a new talk show format rather than the traditional meeting style, tailored to generational characteristics.

All participants, including the mayor and employees, wore sparkling name tags instead of the usual stiff ID badges, starting with the introduction segment ‘Getting to Know Each Other - Uncle Junhee, this friend here is...’ followed by friendly personal questions like ‘Digging into Uncle Junhee’s Profile - Ask Uncle Junhee Anything~’ to reduce psychological barriers and foster closer communication.

In the segment ‘Speak Openly - Uncle Junhee, you know...,’ the mayor showed a leader’s willingness to listen to any difficulties or expectations as a newbie, aiming to build a culture of trust and respect among members.

Especially popular was the gift certificate raffle event ‘Uncle’s Treat - Thank You, Uncle Junhee~,’ which celebrated and encouraged new public servants with gifticon giveaways, making the meeting more enjoyable and exciting.

A new public official who participated in the empathy talk said, “It was nice to meet the mayor, whom I had thought of as distant, along with fellow employees, and share small talks. Seeing the mayor directly host and communicate with newbies makes the workplace feel more familiar than before.”

Meanwhile, the district is also promoting various measures to foster a healthy workplace culture, such as providing lunch hosted by department heads upon probation completion to encourage communication through the event ‘Newbies, Are You Eating Well?’ and reverse mentoring sessions where new employees are paired with department heads for monthly meetings once or twice.

Mayor Park Junhee stated, “We will continue to create various communication opportunities within the workplace to listen to employees’ difficulties and suggestions and build a culture of trust and respect among members. Through spaces where employees can comfortably and freely communicate, we will continuously strive to respect individual personalities and help them grow further within the workplace.”

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