The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Guide to Chuseok celebrations across Korea

  • 3

    Court rejects arrest warrant for opposition leader Lee over corruption charges

  • 5

    Korea sees record-low births in July

  • 7

    Royal palaces in Seoul offer free access during Chuseok holiday

  • 9

    Hyundai E&C to build upmarket apartment complex in Seoul's Gwanak District

  • 11

    Korea on track to prove esports prowess at Asian Games

  • 13

    Two Koreas trade barbs over nuclear war

  • 15

    Teen swimmer Lee Eun-ji shrugs off freak injury to end quarter-century drought in pool

  • 17

    Top prosecutor vows to seek due punishment for Lee through further probe

  • 19

    Samsung SDI to spend $1.97 bil. on 2nd joint US battery plant with Stellantis

  • 2

    Chuseok exodus begins ahead of extended 6-day holiday

  • 4

    INTERVIEWWith '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting

  • 6

    N. Korea decides to expel US soldier Travis King over border crossing

  • 8

    Political battle intensifies after court rejects Lee's arrest warrant

  • 10

    DMZ Open Int'l Music Festival to be held in Goyang in November

  • 12

    Lotte focuses on health care, mobility to spur growth

  • 14

    Defense ministry launches project to find families of unidentified fallen Korean War soldiers

  • 16

    DPK hails court's rejection of Lee's arrest, demands Yoon's apology

  • 18

    Finance minister expects Korea's exports to rebound as early as October

  • 20

    Wall Street falls sharply as its September slump gets even worse

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Opinion
  • Yun Byung-se
  • Kim Won-soo
  • Ahn Ho-young
  • Kim Sang-woo
  • Lee Kyung-hwa
  • Mitch Shin
  • Peter S. Kim
  • Daniel Shin
  • Jeon Su-mi
  • Jang Daul
  • Song Kyung-jin
  • Park Jung-won
  • Cho Hee-kyoung
  • Park Chong-hoon
  • Kim Sung-woo
  • Donald Kirk
  • John Burton
  • Robert D. Atkinson
  • Mark Peterson
  • Eugene Lee
  • Rushan Ziatdinov
  • Lee Jong-eun
  • Chyung Eun-ju and Joel Cho
  • Bernhard J. Seliger
  • Imran Khalid
  • Troy Stangarone
  • Jason Lim
  • Casey Lartigue, Jr.
  • Bernard Rowan
  • Steven L. Shields
  • Deauwand Myers
  • John J. Metzler
  • Andrew Hammond
  • Sandip Kumar Mishra
Fri, September 29, 2023 | 02:25
Bernard Rowan
Progress and remote work
Posted : 2021-05-18 17:27
Updated : 2021-05-18 17:27
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
By Bernard Rowan

COVID-19 as a global pandemic continues. India is in its death grip. Many other nations, like Brazil, have serious challenges. Other countries say the end of the tunnel is in sight for a post-COVID world. I think it's too soon to relax, but among my colleagues and friends, everyone is working hard to stay optimistic.

Vaccinations and public health routines must continue, and everyone should remain cautious and vigilant. However, I don't hear enough talk about how the pandemic has created a new context for work. Remote work is something I'll miss, and it's something I hope Korea, among other countries, should work to capitalize on in many contexts.

I've read that Korean companies are experimenting with remote work, and some have created the idea of working one day from home or remotely. Hybrid work routines may appear more as a norm than just for working moms or for those with health conditions and vulnerabilities.

Medical services, the production of automobiles and many other goods, and other standard types of work don't suit a remote environment. Most economies around the world will continue to use "on-site" employees and management in some form. However, many other forms of work aren't dependent on a particular place and space, let alone management being done by the eye.

In 2020, Don Southerton wrote in "Branding in Asia" about South Korea's national use of "smart work" and asked whether it might become a permanent alternative. A recent FlexJobs survey signaled that two in three workers want a remote work choice. Kweillun Ellingrud recently wrote in Forbes magazine that the pandemic has hastened remote transactions, automation, and the use of remote work, including virtual conferencing.

Seventy percent of surveyed companies have created remote work models, and 70 percent of workers say remote work is a "must" for them. Ellingrud cites a McKinsey Global Institute study showing that nearly 40 percent of all work could transition permanently to remote (part- and full-time) work without any loss of productivity. She also addresses equity and skills gap impacts that should factor into any remote work context.

Arguably, "traditional management" has reached its zenith for many types of work. Work isn't always a matter of physical location but rather, it concerns the products of labor. For many types of work, an employee can be anywhere in the world with access to technology and time. Think of decreasing urban sprawl without all those buildings housing workers, the rents, the waste of space and electricity. Don't forget traffic snarls, pollution, road rage and all manner of other costs.

Working remotely also allows life work-balance improvement. Working from home can create challenges when the needs of family members or personal matters decrease focus and work. However, these realities apply regardless of location. I'd like to see research on the relative incidence, comparing remote and on-site work histories. Many stressors will diminish when workers are able to remain close to their homes and neighborhoods.

A June 2020 Bloomberg Businessweek article suggested that South Korea wants to develop leading technologies to make possible more remote work. Moon's "untact" initiative shouldn't end when his tenure ends, but it should rather continue to evolve under the next presidency. Creating a world of remote work requires partnerships between regional and local governments as well as leading companies.

A characteristic of advanced societies is that they learn from harsh experiences and apply these lessons to improve their people and the world. Reactionary societies and institutions cling to past patterns out of a stubborn and counterproductive, even deadly, refusal to adapt and grow. Many forces in the status quo prefer old-style work, as it pays and protects their vested interests.

Progressive societies respect the need to adapt and change, to extend new economies of scale in diverse ways. This progress has characterized some of the labor and development histories of South Korea and the United States. I hope our countries and nations throughout the world see the value in remote work and in hybrid remote/on-site work models, wherever they can do so. This value shouldn't remain just in our present alone but also extend into the future.


Bernard Rowan (browan10@yahoo.com) is associate provost for contract administration and professor of political science at Chicago State University. He is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor at Hanyang University.


 
miguel
wooribank
LG
Top 10 Stories
1Guide to Chuseok celebrations across KoreaGuide to Chuseok celebrations across Korea
2Chuseok exodus begins ahead of extended 6-day holiday Chuseok exodus begins ahead of extended 6-day holiday
3Korea sees record-low births in July Korea sees record-low births in July
4Political battle intensifies after court rejects Lee's arrest warrant Political battle intensifies after court rejects Lee's arrest warrant
5Hyundai E&C to build upmarket apartment complex in Seoul's Gwanak District Hyundai E&C to build upmarket apartment complex in Seoul's Gwanak District
6DMZ Open Int'l Music Festival to be held in Goyang in November DMZ Open Int'l Music Festival to be held in Goyang in November
7Korea on track to prove esports prowess at Asian Games Korea on track to prove esports prowess at Asian Games
8Lotte focuses on health care, mobility to spur growth Lotte focuses on health care, mobility to spur growth
9Two Koreas trade barbs over nuclear war Two Koreas trade barbs over nuclear war
10Defense ministry launches project to find families of unidentified fallen Korean War soldiers Defense ministry launches project to find families of unidentified fallen Korean War soldiers
Top 5 Entertainment News
1[INTERVIEW] With '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting INTERVIEWWith '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting
2Rwandan artists bring diversity to Seoul's art scene Rwandan artists bring diversity to Seoul's art scene
3[INTERVIEW] ONEUS returns as 'mermaid prince' INTERVIEWONEUS returns as 'mermaid prince'
4Kep1er unveils 'Magic Hour' with fresh perspective on love Kep1er unveils 'Magic Hour' with fresh perspective on love
5K-pop group Kingdom recalls album cover resembling Quran K-pop group Kingdom recalls album cover resembling Quran
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group