Digital age driving out old office custom of staying within eyesight of bosses
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff reporter
In the past, working hard meant getting in early and staying late. But the long hours do not necessarily mean workers produce good work.
These days, a growing number of Korean companies are realizing the value of ``working smart,''' in order to compete in the global market.
POSCO, the world's largest steelmaker, is leading in ``work smart'' efforts. When he assumed his post as CEO last year, Chung Joon-yang introduced the concept and implemented measures, such as reducing paperwork. Employees were asked to submit just one page reports ― complying with the ``3Ss'' ― short, simple and specific.
Smart phones are also being recognized as key tools in the workplace, encouraging ``mobile offices.'' POSCO, as well as Kolon Group and other companies, have distributed smart phones to their employees in order to raise work productivity.
Even Samsung Electronics president Choi Ji-seong was quoted as saying: ``Smart workers will enjoy more benefits from the company.'''
Even the government is jumping on the bandwagon, with a plan to establish telecommuting work centers or ``Smart Work Offices'' for public employees by 2013.
For Korean companies who want to compete in the global market, Samsung Economic Research Institute analyst Ahn Byung-wook said working smart is a must.
``Smart work is an imperative for Korea, which is on the verge of joining the ranks of advanced countries. Global competition makes work smart a prerequisite for survival, not an option,'' he said, in a recent paper.
Ahn highlighted five areas that companies should purse innovation, with the acronym SMART ― Space, Method, Acquaintance, Result, and Time management. This means, creating a work space that is conducive to creativity; reevaluating work methods; utilizing acquaintances inside and outside the companies; focusing on results and eliminating time-wasting factors.
``In terms of diligence, Korea faces tough competition from China and India, while it does not have any competitive advantage coming from abundant natural resources or capital. Korea has no other choice but to take advantage of its relatively competitive human resources. Therefore, the surest way to beat the competition is to create an environment and organizational culture where employees can balance between life and work, and do their work creatively,'' he said.
Korean companies can take their cue from tried-and-tested practices of international companies. In advanced countries, work smart initiatives are aimed at enhancing the work hours with value-added elements by working creatively.
The importance of the office space cannot be underestimated. It should be designed in such a way as to make it conducive to improving work performance and creativity.
For example, Japanese clothing giant Uniqlo removed chairs in meeting rooms to encourage faster decision-making, ditched personal desks to encourage better project work, and turned off lights after 7 p.m. to discourage overtime work. SAS Institute, a leading software firm, provided personal offices to its employees, as well as a fitness center and swimming pool.
Efficient management of the work processes is also an important element to consider. For example, Samsung Electronics regularly evaluates value-added work and restructures on a regular basis.
Many companies also efficiently collect ideas from people inside and outside the workplace. ``The latest global management trend features the sharing of knowledge across all sectors of business management ― benchmarking of other industries, convergence and the collapse of industrial barriers,'' Ahn said.
Procter and Gamble (P&G) developed a Web site www.tremor.com, a community of over 280,000 members, to promote its products even before they are launched. It is considered the largest group of word-of-mouth marketing, as it combines market research expertise with principles of cognitive science.
An employee's performance should be evaluated not by the amount of working hours, but with value-added work. Ahn noted companies should improve their evaluation system, in order to provide appropriate incentives that match the performance of individual workers.
``To maximize their performance, companies need to operate a system that enables employees to challenge without fear of failure and to present their ideas freely,'' he said.
Time management is another significant thing to consider. Among OECD countries, Korean workers log in the most hours, an average of 2,261 hours a year. This is significantly more than the 1,798 hours put in by American, 1,655 hours by British, 1,457 hours by French and 1,808 hours by Japanese workers.
Companies should reduce overtime work in order to allow employees to have a better work-life balance. In line with this trend, KT and POSCO have introduced limited overtime. However, employees also need to change their working attitudes and methods to eliminate wasting time.
More companies are expected to follow the ``work smart'' trend in Korea, as its benefits for employees and the organization become more apparent.
``To secure and motivate core human resources, which determine the competitiveness of businesses, companies need to introduce and promote a smart work approach. Their effort can be an effective tool for immersing today's young workers into organizations as they prefer enjoying their own personal life rather than devoting themselves to companies,'' Ahn said.
By Ralph Hassig
By Kim Tong-hyung
Women account for only 51 spots in the management boards of 21 companies from the top-100 listed firms this year, management magazine HR Insight said yesterday. 
