Hana Bank Abolishes Uniforms... "Spreading a Horizontal Corporate Culture"

Published 10 Nov.2020 09:59(KST)

Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Kim] Hana Bank is fully liberalizing its work attire.

Hana Bank announced on the 10th that it will fully liberalize work attire. It was reported that the majority of employees supported the liberalization in a prior survey conducted among staff.

Jiseonggyu, CEO of Hana Bank, recently wrote to employees, stating, “For innovation to take place, the work environment must first be transformed into a space for innovation,” and added, “Let us use the liberalization of work attire as a starting point for employees to gain confidence and provide more sophisticated financial services to customers.”

A bank official said, “Since early this year, we have restricted female employees from wearing uniforms to prevent COVID-19,” and added, “We plan to soon release dress code guidelines such as business casual for both male and female employees.”

Hana Bank has also been conducting an experiment since the 1st of this month where employees call each other by English nicknames instead of job titles. CEO Jiseonggyu’s nickname is ‘Glocal,’ a blend of ‘global’ and ‘local.’

The liberalization of attire and use of English nicknames are part of efforts to spread a horizontal corporate culture. Kookmin Bank and Shinhan Bank implemented dress code liberalization last year, and Woori Bank introduced it in the first half of this year.