"Diversity and Inclusion, Next Step" Lotte Emphasizes 'Connectivity' at Forum (Comprehensive)

Shin Dong-bin, 10 Years Since Lotte Diversity Charter Enactment
Sharing Achievements in Gender, Generation, Disability, and Nationality Inclusion

Next Step for Inclusion at 'Lotte Diversity Forum'
Research on Strengthening Members' Sense of Belonging and Connectivity

"We will create a company together with our executives and employees that embraces diversity and expands a sense of connection?a company where people want to work, a company to be proud of to those around us, a company where we want to employ our children, and a company where my growth is directly linked to the company's growth."

On the 17th, Dongwoo Lee, CEO (Vice Chairman) of Lotte Holdings, emphasized at the '2023 Lotte Diversity Forum' held at the Lotte Human Resources Development Institute Osan Campus that "Since the declaration of the Diversity Charter in 2013, Lotte has achieved results such as expanding the recruitment of female executives and female new employees, and increasing the birth rate within the group," and stated that going forward, they will build a more detailed corporate culture based on these achievements.

Dongwoo Lee, CEO (Vice Chairman) of Lotte Holdings, is delivering the opening speech at the '2023 Lotte Diversity Forum' held at the Lotte Human Resources Development Institute Osan Campus on the 17th.
[Photo by Lotte Holdings].

Now in its 12th year, the Lotte Diversity Forum began in 2012 as the 'WOW Women Forum' and expanded its focus from women to gender, generation, disability, and nationality since 2021. This year, with the theme of diversity and belonging, approximately 1,100 executives and employees, including Vice Chairman Lee, Heecheon Kim, Director of Lotte Human Resources Development Institute, Doohwan Park, Head of HR Innovation at Lotte Holdings, and group HR managers, gathered to brainstorm on fostering an inclusive culture and enhancing members' sense of belonging.

This year’s slogan, 'We Belong in Diversity,' conveys the message that not only embracing diversity but also increasing belonging and connection among members is important. Since Chairman Shin Dong-bin established the 'Lotte Group Diversity Charter' in 2013, stating that "creating conditions where talents with diverse thoughts can work without discrimination is crucial for securing future competitiveness," Lotte has worked to increase diversity in four key areas: gender, generation, disability, and nationality. As a result, as of last year, the number of female new employees has more than doubled over the past decade, female executives have increased more than fivefold, the employment rate of people with disabilities within the group exceeds the legally mandated rate, and the group operates in about 26 countries employing approximately 40,000 local staff.

To secure future growth engines, Lotte plans to strengthen policies by area to achieve not only quantitative expansion but also qualitative growth. To enhance gender diversity, it will develop female leadership and resolve job biases; for generational diversity, it will provide growth guides for juniors; it will expand job opportunities for employees with disabilities and build a work environment that respects differences; and to increase nationality diversity, it will strengthen overseas subsidiaries’ capabilities and nurture outstanding local talent.

Jo Ok-geun, Senior Manager of the Talent Strategy Team at Lotte Holdings, is explaining Lotte's diversity policy direction at the '2023 Lotte Diversity Forum' held on the 17th at the Lotte Human Resources Development Institute Osan Campus.
[Photo by Lotte Holdings].

The forum was conducted through various formats including expert lectures on diversity, dialogues, and participatory theater. Especially since the forum has been discussing diversity for 12 years and driving change, it shared opinions on areas for improvement found in more detailed aspects and added views on future directions. In the keynote speech, Yongseop Kim, Director of the Sharp Imagination Research Institute, emphasized that organizations must change their culture and systems in response to "changes of the era" rather than "differences of generations."

The Talent Strategy Team of Lotte Holdings’ HR Innovation Office introduced the group’s diversity policy directions tailored to themes such as generational diversity, global diversity, gender diversity, and physical diversity. Regarding gender diversity, they noted that over the past decade, gender equality policies have produced results, but going forward, they need to find ways to address issues such as the decreasing proportion of female employees as their ranks rise and high job bias. Generational representatives of Lotte employees also held in-depth discussions on 'our role in connecting diversity within the organization.' Questions received both on-site and online were answered by each person in charge, sharing opinions to enhance diversity.

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