South Korean tech companies are increasing return-to-office mandates to boost in-office collaboration. Naver Z, known for operating Asia’s largest metaverse platform, Zepeto, and a subsidiary of tech giant Naver, said it would end its work-from-home policy and introduce a four-day return-to-office policy starting April 15.
“Considering that the metaverse gained momentum during the pandemic to aid remote work, it’s rather ironic that a company specializing in metaverse platforms is promoting return-to-office policies,” said a tech industry insider on April 6.
“As in-office work has become the norm again, we need to develop metaverse platforms accordingly,” said a Naver Z representative.
Naver is one of the last tech companies to maintain a work-from-home policy. Since 2022, the company has held a meeting every July to evaluate whether to keep its remote working model. This time, one of its subsidiaries decided to enforce a return-to-office policy before the annual meeting. Naver claims that Naver Z’s decision to shift to in-office work “was made independently and does not reflect the broader policies of Naver.”
Workers returning to the office is a trend observed worldwide from Korea to the United States. Most Korean tech companies scrapped work-from-home policies last year. Kakao, another tech giant and a rival of Naver, initiated Kakao ON, a system that requires workers to come to the office, in March last year. Kakao’s new CEO, Jung Shina, reinforced that the “office-first” system would be the default. “While each department can implement work-from-home policies at their discretion, most employees come to the office,” said a Kakao representative.
Woowa Brothers, which owns the food delivery app Baedal Minjok (Baemin), has mandated workers to come to the office at least once a week. The company plans to set stricter in-office requirements from the second half of the year to twice a week.
Companies pushing for return-to-office mandates are concerned that collaboration among workers has weakened during the pandemic due to hybrid work. “For game development, engaging in active discussions and sharing ideas is an essential part of the process, but Zoom meetings can only take you so far,” said a senior executive at a gaming company. “Even for those working remotely, coming to the office at least a few days a week is more productive.”
The potential erosion of a workplace culture characterized by spontaneous interactions and the informal exchange of ideas among workers is also a concern shared by management. “Socializing and sharing meals plays a crucial role in mentorship and knowledge transfer among different generations within the company, which is severely disrupted by remote work,” said an executive from a software company. “Notably, we’ve seen a greater inclination towards working in the office among our younger employees.”
