Professional and social status, but above all age, define who is to be addressed and how in South Korean society. These hierarchical levels are also reflected in the language, there are several different forms of address with different levels of politeness depending on the interlocutor. In companies, it is also common to address the other person with their function.
The language is just a reflection of the strict hierarchies that dominate the South Korean corporate world. And for a long time this order was also productive, which proved successful South Korean companies from Samsung to Hyundai.
arbitrariness of superiors
Conversely, in recent years it has also become increasingly clear what these hierarchies are preventing. According to surveys, the majority of employees in meetings dare not to express criticism – plus anything that can be construed as criticism. And without criticism there is no progress. In addition, the South Korean working world is considered to be particularly toxic, and not only because of exorbitant overtime.
Employees are often exposed to the arbitrariness of their superiors, with “Gapjil” is the dictum of the Korean word for these abuses. These range from ordered overtime on weekends to compulsory binge drinking to physical and sexual assaults. With the return of employees from the home office to the office following the pandemic break, the problem became clearer once more, as recently reported by CNN.
Nut affair as the highlight
The most striking example is the nut affair of 2014. Cho Hyun Ah, the daughter of the head of Korean Air, got angry on an airline plane when a flight attendant handed her macadamia nuts in a sack instead of a bowl.
A quarrel ensued. Cho had the chief steward thrown overboard just before takeoff, which is why the plane had to turn back on the New York tarmac just before takeoff. In 2015, Cho was sentenced to one year in prison, and the affair is considered a social turning point in South Korea.
A “different person” in the office
Start-up companies started developing ideas once morest the traditional work culture in the country a few years ago. You are in competition with start-ups in the West – and the strict hierarchies are a competitive disadvantage, they say. And they tried, among other things, to solve the problem with a trick. The usual forms of address have been abolished; instead, all employees choose an English first name for themselves. And so, in meetings, it is not the boss, department head and “small” employees who discuss with each other, but John, Hannah and Brian.
Those affected recently reported on the US broadcaster NPR that they are developing something like a work identity, i.e. slipping into a completely different role in the office, which they discard following a working day.
Corporations are also turning around
In the meantime, the large corporations are also switching to this strategy. A few months ago, the SK Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the country, also introduced the new name variations. According to the “Korea Times”, company boss Chey Tae Won announced that he would like to be called “Tony” by everyone in the future. Meanwhile, at Samsung, vice president Han Jong Hee and company president Kyung Kye Hyun want to be addressed by their initials.
“If you address me by my job title, it puts a wall between you and me. So I want you to just call me ‘JH,'” Han said at a meeting with Samsung Electronics employees earlier this year. He also announced various campaigns to improve communication within the company. The Vice President of the Lotte Group, Kim Sang Hyun, has been called Sam for a few weeks.
Just cosmetics?
It is questionable, however, whether the name trick will actually lead to better communication and fairer working conditions – or whether it will remain purely cosmetic. If you believe a survey by the Saramin job platform last year, the Koreans themselves are skeptical, reports the “Korea Times”.
Just six percent want to go to the office with an English first name. “The organizational culture of a company cannot be reformed immediately simply by changing the form of address of employees,” summarizes a Saramin spokesman. Among other things, there were also calls for reforming decision-making processes and remuneration systems in companies.
