[Return to Daily Life] Office Workers Returning to Work... Already Worried About Commute Battles and Dinner Gathering Burdens

[Return to Daily Life - Part 1]

Companies Gradually Reduce Remote Work

Many Employees Welcome Returning to Office Due to Work Efficiency and Atmosphere

Remote Work Rate This Year
Large Companies 76% → 37.5%

As the number of people receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine surpasses 15 million, bringing us one step closer to herd immunity, our daily lives are also preparing to return to normal. Remote work for office workers is disappearing, and with extended business hours, self-employed individuals can breathe a little easier. Just in time for the summer vacation season, major domestic tourist destinations are busy preparing to welcome visitors. We anticipate the changes in our daily lives after vaccination and examine potential issues in advance.

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[Asia Economy Reporters Byungdon Yoo, Jeongyun Lee] "Not only the commute, but thinking about company dinners resuming makes me feel suffocated."

Bae Mo (33), who works at a food specialty company, finds going to the office every day a hardship. He misses the days when he worked remotely every two to three days due to the COVID-19 impact. Moreover, after recently moving, his commute distance has doubled, making daily trips to the office quite burdensome. Bae said, "Even when working from home, I never felt any work gaps, but since vaccinations started, remote work has gradually decreased and recently disappeared completely. With gathering restrictions easing from July, company dinners seem likely to resume, which worries me."

Office workers who adapted to remote work, which became routine after the COVID-19 outbreak, are facing growing concerns. These include not only commute stress but also fatigue from workplace relationships and the burden of returning company dinners.

Kim Mo, who works at a foreign automobile company, is not entirely happy about the expansion of vaccinations. His company, which had been conducting full remote work to prevent COVID-19 infection, is likely to return to the previous commuting system soon. Kim also said, "Remote work saved commuting time and was efficient. Thinking about having to take the subway and bus again for commuting feels overwhelming."

Some office workers welcome the return to commuting. These are people who felt inefficacy due to work efficiency and loneliness. Lee Byungjun (37), who works at a large corporation, said, "The office is definitely more efficient than remote work," and added, "Wouldn't it be better if herd immunity becomes a reality quickly so we can live without worries?"

Park Dongjin (29), who joined a mid-sized semiconductor company in Gyeonggi Province last year, has felt lonely in a different region as he had to work remotely without time to get close to colleagues after joining. He expressed hope, saying, "When working alone, it was frustrating not knowing where to ask about things I didn’t understand. Now I think I can finally experience proper company life."

The movement to withdraw remote work by companies is also reflected in survey results. According to a survey on 'Remote Work Experience This Year' conducted by the employment platform JobKorea targeting office workers, the percentage of those who worked remotely this year was 37.5% for large corporations, 45.2% for mid-sized companies, and 25.6% for small businesses. This is nearly half the rate compared to last year, when 76.4% of large corporation employees, 70.7% of mid-sized company employees, and 46.8% of small business employees reported working remotely.

As many companies are approaching the withdrawal of remote work, office workers’ concerns are increasing, but experts believe there will be no major problems. However, since the efficiency of remote work has been somewhat proven, it is necessary to find ways to operate it effectively.

Professor Kim Seonghee of Korea University’s Labor Issues Research Institute said, "Remote work is not a worker’s right, so returning to commuting is inevitable," but added, "From a company’s perspective, remote work saves space and reduces unnecessary time waste, so this is an opportunity to actively foster industries where remote work can be applied." She continued, "It is important to use this as an opportunity to introduce various work styles, and simply reverting to past customs is not the best approach."

Professor Kwak Geumju of Seoul National University’s Department of Psychology said, "If people who have adapted to remote work suddenly have to commute daily and suffer on public transportation, they may feel scared and unable to do it," and advised, "Companies should not force employees to commute all at once but find ways to gradually adapt, such as combining remote work."

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