Kakao to implement 'metaverse work'

All Kakao employees will be required to work remotely for at least four days a week from July as part of a new "metaverse work" system, the IT giant said Monday.

During the testing period of the new working system, which will begin from July 1, employees are to work from outside the office for four days a week. For the remaining day, employees will have to meet offline but the meeting does not have to take place at the company office, a Kakao official said.

All work-related items will be conducted online as they will be connected with colleagues in the virtual space, using text, voice and video depending on the circumstances. A voice call system will allow real-time communication with each other, it said.

The IT company has come up with the metaverse work system after having switched to remote working since the COVID-19 pandemic began in February 2020. Kakao said it has concluded that how one works is more important than where one works.

"Employees can meet wherever they need for their individual work. It could be a shared office or some other place," the official told The Korea Herald.

About a dozen of Kakao’s subsidiaries including Kakao Games, Kakao Mobility and Kakao Bank will switch to the metaverse work system in phases.

"After experiencing remote work over the past two years, we have concluded that ‘connection’ is more important than physical space. The metaverse work system, which is centered around connection, will help our crew’s efficient work and we support it becoming a culture that spreads throughout the Kakao community," said Kakao CEO Namkoong Whon.

By Kan Hyeong-woo (hwkan@heraldcorp.com)