● Instead of Holding Formal Anniversary Ceremonies,SK chemicals Opts for Real Communication and Action
- Attempts to diversify genuine communication by including an online photo exhibit and
a screening of a documentary.
- The Principle of “1” for action: limiting each meeting to one hour and each written
report to just one page.
SK chemicals (CEO Lee Moon-suk) opted for real communication and action when it decided to get rid of its formal anniversary ceremony, which has been repeated every year over the last four decades.
On July 1, the company announced that, instead of the annual formal anniversary ceremony, it would be organizing a variety of participation-oriented activities to encourage employees to actually enjoy and celebrate the establishment of the company.
Since its foundation on July 1, 1969, SK chemicals has been organizing a formal anniversary ceremony every year until 2012, inviting all members of the board and employees to attend. The year 2013 marks the first instance in which SK chemicals did not hold its anniversary ceremony.
A spokesperson explained, “Although our tradition has always been to hold a very formal ceremony on each anniversary starting with a celebratory speech and proceeding to the awarding of hardworking employees, we decided to do away with such formalities this year.”
In its place, SK chemicals organized various activities and programs in which employees could participate and celebrate the company’s foundation anniversary in a more active manner.
First, SK chemicals organized an online photo exhibit, displaying the history of the company since 1969. The photo exhibit was accompanied by an online screening of a documentary featuring the company’s proud tradition and achievements.
In addition, the company also organized a writing contest collecting employees’ memoirs, as well as a Jeopardy!-style quiz show entitled “Response, 1969!” to encourage the employees’ active participation and appreciation of their organization.
Deputy Manager Kim Seong-man of the Human Resources Team commented, “While we, at first, found it odd to not hold a formal ceremony, we all became more appreciative of our organization and its foundation in the end after taking part in various new programs.”
SK chemicals has also unveiled “the Principle of 1,” announcing its resolve for action orientation. The newly announced plan seeks to minimize the waiting and processes involved in tasks and official activities as much as possible.
More specifically, the plan requires employees to: (1) review and improve tasks that are repeated more than once a month; (2) minimize the amount of efforts and resources invested in report writing by limiting the amount of each written report to a single page; (3) limit the duration of each meeting to just an hour by sharing the relevant information at least a day in advance; and (4) eliminate routinized overtime shifts by designating at least an hour a day as the time for concentration.
A spokesperson explained, “Our goal is to encourage employees to get rid of unnecessary habits and work practices so that they can focus better on what is really important, and thereby enhance both their performance and their satisfaction with their work. We intend to pursue these and other ways to improve the performance of the company by identifying and eliminating various factors that facilitate acts of wasting in both daily operations and management.”