POSCO Lifts Work-from-Home Policy... Companies Deliberate Adjustments

POSCO Reflects Relaxed Social Distancing Atmosphere

Considering Government Policy Easing... Technology Security Issues Cannot Be Ignored
Omicron Highly Contagious, 'Cautious Approach' Suggests No Need to Rush

On the 1st, when the government announced the adjustment plan for social distancing, office workers were seen moving to have lunch in Myeongdong, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] POSCO will abruptly end remote work starting next month. It is the first among the top 10 domestic conglomerates to declare a return to office after about two years of remote work implementation. As government quarantine guidelines are also being relaxed, many companies are considering how to adjust the pace of lifting remote work.

According to the industry on the 3rd, POSCO confirmed that all employees working at the POSCO Center and POSCO Tower in Gangnam, Seoul, and the Songdo office in Incheon will switch to a full in-office attendance system. Affiliates such as POSCO Chemical and POSCO International will also gradually transition to office attendance. Since the 1st was POSCO's 54th anniversary, the change is expected to be applied from the 4th. However, remote work will be maintained for pregnant women, those with underlying conditions, employees designated as government co-isolation cases, and those awaiting test results.

POSCO's decision to completely eliminate remote work is interpreted as reflecting the recent relaxation atmosphere of social distancing guidelines, including the Presidential Transition Committee's demand to ease quarantine measures. The quarantine authorities announced that from the 4th, a new 'social distancing' rule will be applied for two weeks, allowing private gatherings of up to 10 people and business hours extended until midnight. The fatality rate of Omicron is only 0.12%, and the vaccination rate has reached 87%. It is also understood that the purpose includes improving work efficiency through face-to-face work. An industry official said, "After changes such as conversion to a holding company and organizational restructuring, it seems they switched from online work to face-to-face work so that employees can communicate with each other."

Starting with POSCO, it is expected that other companies will also increase office returns. Major conglomerates such as Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK, and LG maintain 30-50% remote work for their employees. Companies believe that the work efficiency and communication level of remote work video conferences are lower than those of in-office face-to-face meetings. Moreover, as COVID-19 cases increase and herd immunity forms, they see no problem in returning to normal daily life.

The technology security issues that surfaced due to prolonged remote work cannot be ignored. A representative case is an attempt by a Samsung Electronics employee to leak core semiconductor technology. Major information technology (IT) companies conduct security training for all employees and simultaneously raise employee awareness through internal posts, videos, newsletters, etc. During remote work, security-related systems such as ▲two-factor authentication (additional verification required beyond ID and password) ▲security notice pop-ups ▲screen watermarking (owner information on screen) ▲restriction on downloading cloud PC files to personal PCs ▲notification of confidential document access history to team leaders are activated and monitoring is strengthened.

However, there are cautious opinions that lifting remote work might be 'premature.' This is because Omicron is highly contagious, and daily confirmed cases still reach around 200,000. Voices warn not to overlook the pattern of simultaneous outbreaks at multiple workplaces. For this reason, many companies still respond that they have no plans to stop or immediately reduce remote work. An industry official said, "Companies do not abruptly change (internal policies). It is likely that (the remote work system) will be adjusted slightly more loosely, and with Omicron cases continuing, the internal situation room is deeply concerned."

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