South Korea: Smart Work and COVID-19 Transforming the Workplace

My most recent article in Branding in Asia

https://www.brandinginasia.com/smart-work-and-covid-19-transforming-the-workplace-in-south-korea

South Korea: Smart Work and COVID-19 Transforming the Workplace

By Don Southerton

With the COVID-19 New Normal from video chat platforms to office productivity and cloud-based software, the shift to working remotely is now seen as a convenient alternative to in-person communication, the office and commerce.

In this article, we will look at how Koreans post-COVID-19 may come to accept remote working (also referred to in Korea as “smart work”), as an option to the traditional on-site model. In February and March government agencies and companies across South Korea opted to keep workers home in what can be seen as a mass experiment with the remote work system — the intent to flatten the spread of COVID-19. As the threat passed, and methods to control the spread of the virus proved effective, companies soon called for their homebound teams return to their offices.

In a nation with little experience with teams working remotely, responses are mixed — some now strong advocates perceiving themselves more productive and efficient, while others feel working from home meant longer…