"Is It Okay for Only Us to Rest?"... POSCO Stirs Industry with First Four-Day Workweek Implementation

From the 22nd, POSCO will become the first in the global steel industry to introduce a biweekly '4-day workweek.' The method involves redistributing Friday's working hours to the remaining weekdays, adding one hour each day to secure a day off. The company explains that the workload remains unchanged, emphasizing employees' autonomy and responsibility, but concerns have been raised, such as "partner companies and customers still work on Fridays, so is it right for only us to take a day off?"

POSCO's 4-day workweek was established last year through a labor-management agreement. The initiative began when the company first proposed it to the labor union. It has been widely regarded as a groundbreaking decision for a traditional manufacturing company. Although some opposed it as premature, voices advocating for greater autonomy in work methods gained traction after the introduction of the selective working hours system in 2018.

Young MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) employees welcome the introduction of the 4-day workweek. They cite the advantage of being able to focus on work during regular days while using the holidays as opportunities for self-development.

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Since the news of the biweekly '4-day workweek' was announced starting next week, interest has continued among office workers. Comments such as "As expected from a chaebol family," "This is why you have to work for a large corporation," and "Large corporations must change for small and medium enterprises to change" have been common.

On the anonymous online community for office workers, Blind, posts titled 'Welcome POSCO 4-day workweek' and 'Is POSCO's 4-day workweek for real?' have been uploaded. One POSCO employee said, "Resident work with a 4-day workweek, starting salary over 60 million KRW, and job security until retirement!" adding, "I am a POMU (POSCO + government employee)."

However, concerns remain. Some point out that in fields where work must be done alongside on-site workers, there may be gaps in work. An employee who identified as an on-site worker said, "I have little interest," explaining, "Due to the nature of the work requiring the blast furnace to operate 24 hours, someone must eventually work, and an emergency standby team must be maintained."

A senior official said, "While guaranteeing rest is good, honestly, we cannot fully welcome it because customer service might be neglected."

An employee at POSCO Pohang Steelworks' 3rd Electrical Steel Sheet Plant inspecting electrical steel sheet products.
[Photo by POSCO]

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POSCO introduced a selective working hours system, allowing employees to autonomously set their commuting times within an average of 40 hours per week. For example, if they worked overtime, they could come in late the next day or work an extra hour or two to compensate for late arrivals due to childcare, etc.

Following the selective working hours system, the introduction of the 4-day workweek type working hours system has further expanded the range of working hour choices. By removing the mandatory 4-hour work requirement on Fridays every other week, employees can take the entire Friday off by working an extra hour each day over two weeks.

Once every two weeks, employees can take continuous leave from Thursday evening to Sunday or engage in various activities to improve their skills. POSCO estimates that about 10,000 resident employees will be able to choose between the newly established biweekly 4-day workweek type working hours system or the existing work arrangements according to their preference.

Previously, POSCO activated a remote work system using base offices to allow organizational members to immerse themselves in work and demonstrate creativity under flexible working conditions, and employees were also allowed to freely choose their attire.

The 4-day workweek is being adopted by several companies. Samsung Electronics introduced a partial 4-day workweek from June last year, allowing all employees except production workers to take one Friday off per month. SK Telecom also implements a partial 4-day workweek with two Fridays off per month, and SK Hynix operates a 4-day workweek once a month.

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