Kakao employees protest change in work-at-home policies

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Kakao employees protest change in work-at-home policies

Published: 17 Jan. 2023, 19:02 Updated: 17 Jan. 2023, 19:08

Seo Seung-uk, head of Kakao’s labor union, speaks at a press conference on Tuesday at the company's office in Pangyo, Gyeonggi. [CREW UNION]

Kakao employees are protesting a change in company policy regarding work at home.

They have been ordered back into the office after a series of on-again-off-again adjustments by management, including one that involved live feeds from home offices.

The head of Crew Union, Kakao's labor union, slammed frequent changes about work location in a press briefing held Tuesday, calling on Kim Beom-su, founder of the company, to sit down for a talk.

“Work policy has changed four times in a year,” said Seo Seung-uk, head of Kakao’s union. “They first implemented remote work and called for a return to the office within six months of the previous announcement. The flip-flopping has made life difficult for employees."

In November, 2021, Kakao announced a measure to let employees choose between work from home or in-office for a fixed term of three months. Six months later the company switched to a “metaverse work system,” where workers collaborate with their colleagues in cyberspace on a constant basis and connect with them real-time via a voice channel.

The measure, due to come into effect in January, faced opposition from employees due to concerns about privacy.

In December last year, the company came up with a plan to bring workers back to the office. The latest policy assigned a seat for each employee in the office and reduced Fridays off to once a month from twice a month.

The announcement was one catalyst pushing the number of unionized workers up to about half of the workforce at Kakao.

Out of around 3,600 employees, over 1,800 people have signed up for the union as of this month. When including those of other Kakao companies, the number increases to 4,000.

In 2018, the union only had about 100 members.

Seo reiterated that the change in work policy is far from the sole cause behind the record number of unionized workers.

“Kakao went through radical changes in leadership, and whenever new leaders took over, work policy was affected, which brings into question their capability to run an organization,” he said.

Seo pointed out that the scope and criteria for executives and directors remain unclear.

The union head was cautious about a possible strike, saying nothing has been decided.

The labor law stipulates that a labor union whose membership includes half of all employees is entitled to exercise the right to engage in collective bargaining. Seo said it remains to be seen whether the total of those enrolled would be fully recognized in accordance with the law.

A number of companies around the globe have faced similar issues, including Twitter, Disney, Apple and Goldman Sachs.

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