"Face-to-Face Meetings and Interviews No Problem"…Companies Likely to Accelerate With With-Corona Transition

Review of Workplace-Related Guidelines in the Social Distancing Adjustment Plan Effective Until the End of This Month

Employees are walking inside Samsung Electronics Seocho Building. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As the government has announced an adjustment plan for 'social distancing' that relaxes quarantine standards mainly for fully vaccinated individuals, companies are expected to accelerate the adjustment of work-related guidelines such as face-to-face meetings or gatherings in line with the 'gradual recovery of daily life (With Corona)' system, which is scheduled to begin as early as the beginning of next month.

According to quarantine authorities and the industry on the 16th, the government's social distancing adjustment plan, which will be applied for two weeks from the 18th to the 31st, includes relaxing quarantine standards mainly for fully vaccinated individuals and expanding the number of private gatherings. For example, the number of people allowed in private gatherings has increased to a maximum of 8 including fully vaccinated individuals. Regardless of time, at all multi-use facilities, unvaccinated individuals can gather up to 4 people, and including fully vaccinated individuals, up to 8 people can gather.

"Essential business activities are not subject to private gathering bans"

In workplace-related guidelines, it was clarified that if it is an essential activity for corporate management, the 'private gathering ban' standards do not apply. Employee recruitment interviews or meetings for companies are not subject to personnel restrictions.

Work-related gatherings can also proceed if they do not involve meals such as lunch boxes or beverages or dining before or after meetings, and it is specified that gatherings within the company are not considered private gatherings unless the purpose is to promote friendship among members.

Accordingly, major domestic groups are reviewing changes or reorganizations of internal standards for face-to-face work or business trips in line with government guidelines in preparation for the transition to With Corona along with the relaxation of quarantine guidelines.

Image source=Yonhap News

Samsung Electronics Allows Business Unit Discretion for Business Trips
Hyundai Motor and LG Also Likely to Relax Standards in Line with Government Guidelines

Samsung Electronics recently lowered the standards to allow business units to approve necessary business trips on their own judgment. Previously, approval was required from both each business unit and the management support office.

For overseas entrants, if they qualify as government quarantine exemptions for work, they can go to work immediately without a quarantine period if they test negative on the 1st or 2nd day test. Also, face-to-face meetings and training sessions, which had been suspended, can now be held under personnel limits (up to 10 for meetings, up to 20 for training), and shuttle buses between workplaces have resumed operation with a 50% capacity limit. Measures such as workplace closures due to confirmed cases and testing criteria for close contacts have also been relaxed.

Hyundai Motor will maintain full remote work guidelines under the current social distancing standards until the 17th and then decide based on government quarantine guidelines and the situation. Currently, in-house face-to-face activities (reporting and meetings) have been converted online, and business-related activities such as business trips, training, and external activities are allowed only for fully vaccinated individuals. There is a possibility of partially relaxing internal standards according to the new social distancing adjustment plan implemented until the end of this month.

LG Group is also operating internal guidelines such as rotational remote work and refraining from face-to-face meetings, and some standards are expected to be adjusted in line with government quarantine guidelines. An LG official said, "Basically, we plan to follow government guidelines," adding, "Since employee safety management is the top priority, specific response guidelines such as the ratio of remote work or meeting personnel limits will be gradually relaxed depending on the quarantine situation."

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