Mobile carriers give millennials more power

Mobile carriers are looking to embolden their younger employees — specifically millennials born between 1981 and 1996 — to reshape their corporate culture and release new services in line with fast-changing technology trends.

KT said Thursday that it has established a team consisting of millennial — or Generation Y — employees to drive internal communications and engage in the development of fresh products and services.

“The team, called Y Culture, has 5 employees whose average age is 29,” the company said in a statement.

“This marks the first time KT has created a team headed by a person in their 30s,” it said.

The new group, due to be formed on Friday, will be tasked with handling complaints from young employees and coming up with ways to improve the issues.

The members will be also responsible for running an internal board of 42 young employees — whose average age is 31 — in charge of floating ideas for new services.

The Y Culture team will directly report to the CEO.

The move comes as millennials become an increasingly important demographic in the consumer market as many now have considerable purchasing power.

The decision can be seen as an effort to narrow the generational gap with young employees and stay relevant with consumers of a similar age — a critical component for companies like KT that started as a state-run corporation with a rigid corporate culture.

SK Telecom is on a similar mission.

SK Telecom CEO Park Jung-ho declared earlier this month that all products must be shown and approved by young employees in their 20s and 30s before release.

In line with the plan, the telecom operator will launch a body tentatively named the Junior Board to review the upcoming services.

Park also announced plans aimed at expanding flexible working such as introducing more office branches near employees’ houses.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]