Lotte Duty Free continues transformation as quality-driven firm amid pandemic

Lotte Duty Free continues transformative workplace experiments as it embraces more flexibility and agility as a quality-driven organization in the post-COVID-19 world.

The South Korean travel retailer currently is reviewing a plan to introduce a multi-office system where its employees can work anywhere within five offices including headquarters and airport branches in and around Seoul depending on the nature of tasks in the second half of this year.

In addition, the company is preparing a project designed to have employees get a work experience beyond their original job scope. Participating employees will work one day out of regular work week on projects they desire.

The latest programs for workplace innovation follow the duty free shop operator’s strategic shift to a more quality-focused organization. Previously, the travel retailer sought rapid expansion as it had strived to be the world’s second largest duty-free shop operator.

[Photo by Lotte Duty Free]

Lotte Duty has already been experiencing positive impacts from new work culture.

The company has introduced remote working and four-days-a-week work schedule since March to respond to the spread of coronavirus in the country.

It conducted a survey of 400 employees in early June after having run the special work programs for three months. The survey showed 83.6 percent of the respondents were satisfied with four-days-a-week work schedule, while 86.2 percent wanted to continue working from home.

The new work practices also enabled faster decision making and more active use of online communication and video conferences to replace travels, according to the survey.

“Transforming corporate culture for quality-driven growth is a must for survival in the era of ‘new normal,’” said Lotte Duty Free CEO Lee Gap, at a company meeting held earlier this month to discuss post-coronavirus business strategy.

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