What work-culture changes do younger Korean workers want to keep after COVID-19?

Workers in their 20s and 30s wanted fewer mandatory after-work get-togethers, less binge-drinking, more tolerance for sick employees missing work, and continued work-from-home policies. Nearly half of that age group said they wanted companies and colleagues to stop holding after-work gatherings altogether.

Why do some young office workers dislike returning to pre-pandemic hoesik culture?

Shin Hae-rin, a 29-year-old office worker in central Seoul, said the expectation that everyone attend hoesik or workshops, often with binge drinking, made company life uncomfortable. She said the pandemic let her spend evenings by herself and hoped that practice would continue after the pandemic ends.

How did older workers respond differently to remote work and after-work gatherings?

Workers in their 40s and 50s were less supportive of keeping pandemic-era changes. Only 31.7 percent wanted companies or colleagues to keep avoiding hoesik or workshops, and 22.4 percent wanted work-from-home to remain.

On working from home, no 'hoesik,' young workers prefer COVID-era work culture

Listen

Summary

Young workers in Korea are favoring several pandemic-era work habits over a return to pre-COVID office culture. In a JobKorea poll of 1,424 employed respondents, 87 percent said they expect normal life after herd immunity is reached, but people in their 20s and 30s wanted fewer after-work get-togethers, less binge-drinking, more freedom for sick employees to skip work, and continued work-from-home policies. Older workers were less likely to want those changes to remain.

Key Facts

JobKorea surveyed 1,424 employed respondents about post-pandemic work culture preferences.
Among workers in their 20s and 30s, 44.9 percent wanted companies and colleagues to refrain from holding after-work get-togethers.
In the same age group, 44.1 percent wanted to keep refraining from after-work binge-drinking, 32.7 percent wanted a culture that lets sick people skip work, and 30.1 percent wanted work-from-home policies to continue.
Among respondents in their 40s and 50s, 31.7 percent wanted companies or colleagues to continue refraining from after-work hoesik or workshops, and 22.4 percent wanted working from home to continue.

By Nam Hyun-woo

Published Jun 28, 2021 9:13 am KST
Updated Jun 28, 2021 5:04 pm KST

By Nam Hyun-woo

With the acceleration of Korea's COVID-19 vaccination drive raising hopes for a return to “normal” life, there are some things that young Koreans don't want to see come back, particularly related to work culture.

One of these aspects is required after-work dinners, or “hoesik” in Korean, which often involve binge-drinking.

According to a recent poll by JobKorea, 87 percent of the total 1,424 employed respondents said they believe they will be able to return to normal life once herd immunity is achieved in the country. However, when asked what changes they want to see remain after the pandemic, their answers differed by generation.

Among the respondents, 44.9 percent of those in their 20s and 30s said that they want both their companies and colleagues to refrain from holding after-work get-togethers even after the pandemic.

When multiple answers were allowed, 44.1 percent of this age group also said they want to continue refraining from after-work binge-drinking, 32.7 percent wanted a work culture that continues to allow sick people to skip work; and 30.1 percent want work-from-home policies to continue.

As part of the social distancing guidelines, the government has been limiting the operating hours of bars, restaurants and other facilities for gatherings, particularly in the capital area. This rule has resulted in people putting off or reducing company gatherings, as well as ending after-work dinners when establishments close at 10 p.m.

“The atmosphere in which everyone is required to attend after-work hoesik or workshops, which often come with binge drinking, has made company life really uncomfortable for me,” said Shin Hae-rin, 29, an office worker in central Seoul. “Due to the pandemic, I was able to spend evenings by myself, and I hope this practice continues even after the pandemic ends.”

Among respondents in their 40s and 50s, only 31.7 percent wanted their companies or colleagues to continue refraining from holding after-work hoesik or workshops. Regarding the practice of working from home, 22.4 percent of this age group said they wanted it to continue.

Explore More