Uniqlo supports employees' career development

By Lee Hyo-sik

Uniqlo Korea has been attracting keen attention from fashion industry analysts for its corporate culture of placing top priority on furthering its employees’ career development.

Uniqlo’s human resource management (HR) system is also credited for transforming the country’s largest fast fashion brand into an employee-friendly organization, according to company officials, who say the fair and accurate evaluation solely based on one’s performance has bolstered workers’ morale and minimized turnover.

“Global SPA brand Uniqlo has gained much attention for both its burgeoning business growth and employee satisfaction,” a Uniqlo Korea spokeswoman said. “The company has consistently shown two-digit sales growth every year since 2006. Our success is fueled by our corporate culture of respecting every employee’s career path and abilities.”

Uniqlo Korea, which opened its first store in September 2005, currently operates 173 stores nationwide, earning 1.1 trillion won in sales last year.

First, the company provides diverse career opportunities for all members, which creates a corporate culture that focuses on employee development on every level, a Uniqlo spokeswoman said.

Employees can openly voice projects they want to participate in, and the company considers employees’ interests and extends them its utmost support, according to the spokeswoman who added that it promotes employees twice a year based on their performance, not on their academic background, or gender, age and other nonprofessional criteria.

“Through our fair performance-based evaluation, all Uniqlo family members think and act as if they own the company. In addition, we also offer opportunities to work at stores of our foreign affiliates. This significantly motivates them to strive to become a globally competitive talent,” she said.

Such corporate culture and HR systems are reflected in the new employee recruitment program, “Uniqlo Manager Candidate.”

During the program, interns work side-by-side with regular staff at Uniqlo stores and learn if their career goals are in line with those of the company. Given that the internships are directly related to actual tasks, new employees have an easier time adjusting when they begin as official staff.

To boost employees’ potential, the firm’s career development builds on universal training by being tailored to each employee’s career goals, according to Uniqlo officials.

Uniqlo’s HR department and the Fast Retailing Management and Innovation Center (FRMIC), an in-house academic institution, have designed a training curriculum to nurture talent from a long-term perspective.

The HR department checks each employee’s self-career plan every six months and conducts evaluations. The FRMIC supports employees’ career growth with systemized consultation and support throughout the process.

Oh Kyeong-taek, a Uniqlo store supervisor in Seoul said “Ever since I joined, I have come to picture my career based on this company. Uniqlo feels more like a school for individual growth, rather than a mere workplace where I make money for a living. I truly feel that the company has offered me a stimulus and helped me pursue self-empowerment.”