Protection of Human Rights
SK Networks defines the ultimate goal of all management activities to be ‘employee happiness’ and states clearly the need to pursue continuous happiness for both its stakeholders and employees. In particular, based on the principles required by international organizations related to human rights and labor, such as the United Nations, the "SK Networks Human Rights Policy" has been enacted. We reflect the policy below in all our policies and activities related to human rights and labor.
SK Networks Human Rights Policy
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SK Networks respects the human rights of its employees.
The company recognizes basic human rights inherent to all employees and strives to guarantee their human rights. If the company becomes aware of any disrespectful action, including but not limited to assault, violent language, sexual harassment, and workplace bullying, measures will be taken according to company regulations.
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SK Networks does not discriminate.
The company shall neither apply different working conditions such as recruitment, wage, and promotion nor take any other action against its employees based on gender, age, nationality, race, religion, marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, etc., without any reasonable ground.
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SK Networks pays wages above the legal minimum in a timely manner.
The company pays wages above the legal minimum according to labor relationship laws enforced in each country and provides wage slips accordingly. In addition, allowances are paid as required in case of any overtime labor including extended, nights and holidays.
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SK Networks prohibits forced labor.
The company does not allow forced labor of its employees by means of violence, blackmailing, confinement, or other measures that restrain both their physical and mental freedom in an unjust manner. Also, the company prohibits holding one’s original copy of identification recognized internationally so as to prevent any forced labor, and the freedom of retirement is guaranteed as well.
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SK Networks complies with relevant regulations regarding working hours and paid leaves.
The company complies with regulations regarding working hours, extended/nights/holidays, work breaks, and paid leaves stipulated in labor relations laws. Regular assessments are conducted to check the compliance status. In addition, measures are in place to grant off-time leaves if employees have worked overtime in excess of their working hours.
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SK Networks does not hire underage workers.
The company complies with the minimum employment age regulations specified by each country and operates a recruitment process to prevent hiring underage workers. In addition, we conduct regular inspections to check whether underage workers are hired or not. If such cases are identified, employees are taken off duties not only directly related to production but also involving moral or health-related hazards/risks, suspended from nighttime work, holiday work, and overtime work. Upon operating internship or apprentice programs, continuous verifications are performed to check if relevant laws and regulations in each country where the company operates are followed.
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SK Networks guarantees freedom of association.
The company guarantees rights of organization, collective bargaining, and collective action stipulated in labor relations laws and does not treat workers unfairly because of their labor union membership or activities. This is the freedom of association that guarantees both the freedom to participate or not in peaceful assemblies.
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SK Networks operates on/off-line grievance settlement procedures.
The company listens continuously to difficulties experienced by employees through ethical management reporting and in-house grievance counseling programs. If any grievance is found to be true, adequate measures are taken according to in-house policies, and a whistleblower protection policy is carried out, as necessary.
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SK Networks conducts annual inspections on its performance in terms of human rights protection.
The company conducts self-inspections every year to check if policies are operated properly following the UNGC(UN Global Compact) guidelines. Immediate measures are taken place if any deficiency is identified.
Goals and roadmap for Human Rights Protection
SK Networks is building a human rights management system to protect the human rights of the employees.
Establishment of a human rights
management system
- Human rights due diligence
- Human rights impact assessment/risk diagnosis
- Improvement of weaknesses drawn by the human rights risk diagnosis results
Outward expansion of the
human rights management
- Disclosure of Human rights management performance
- Reaching a consensus of human rights policy, management system working with SK group member companies, business partners, and global human rights initiatives.
- External Recognition of human rights management policy
Advancement of the
human rights management
- Extended application of the human rights management system to the global supply chain
- Support for establishing business partners’ human rights policies/due diligence system
- Enhancement/development of human rights policy to the level of global best practices
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Due Diligence on Human Rights
- Survey on the employees' level of awareness of human rights
- Identifying the level of human rights management awareness/priority of employees/stakeholders
- Analysis on Human Rights Violation
- Case analysis on inside/outside the organization
- Human rights impact assessment design
- Index setting for human rights impact assessment based on analysis results
- Human rights impact assessment
- Self-evaluation of internal business personnel (surveys, etc.)
- On-site due diligence by external experts
- Identification of improvement points for Human rights management
- Publication of human rights impact assessment report
- Recommendations on human rights management
- Suggestion of direction for human rights management
To identify improvement opportunities relevant to human rights and develop applicable action plan, SK Networks conducted a human rights impact assessment in 2022. The assessment consisted of a survey on SKN people, checklist-based self-assessment and risk assessment by an independent 3rd party. As recommended by the assessment findings, a human rights declaration was selected as the primary initiative; a human rights declaration was promulgated in September, 2022 as reviewed and endorsed by the company-wide ESG Implementation Committee; and SKN people’s commitment was secured by obtaining digital signatures from all SKN people.
Furthermore, a roadmap has been developed to better uphold human rights, with issues identified in the human rights impact assessment analyzed and worked on step by step. As a result, SKN people are engaged in human rights management, with a sense of ownership of corporate management activities boosted by lofty awareness of human rights cause.
According to a human rights survey on SKN people in 2023, 81% of the SKN people surveyed rated SKN’s respect for human rights as excellent, with negative responses dropped to 3% when compared with the previous year (5%). In addition, almost all or 93% of the respondents answered that human rights were given consideration in business processes, with the share of SKN people positively rating SKN’s organizational respect for human rights in comparison with other employers at 82%, 3% up from the previous year. SK Networks will continue to conduct human rights impact assessment regularly to identify risks to human rights and work on human rights issues in a bid to enhance systematic respect for human rights.
Talent Development and Management
SK Networks has implemented various systems across multiple areas to promote work-life balance, innovate work practices, And building a competence development system, thereby fostering and managing talent. These initiatives have created a work environment where all employees can maintain stability in both their professional and personal lives and work with greater motivation. The Board of Directors deliberates on strategic agenda items related to talent recruitment and development. The Strategy∙ESG Committee reviews key policies and activities, including those related to employee human rights, while the Labor-Management Committee, representing the labor union, ensures employee’s freedom of association in accordance with labor laws and facilitates agreement with the company. In this process, the Head of Management Support Division is systematically responsible for talent management and development, annually reporting talent development strategies and key issues to the management team, including the CEO, thereby strengthening the role of management executives. This ensures that the management team clearly understands their responsibility for talent development and take appropriate measures accordingly.
Work-life Balance Roadmap
Increasing and advancing support
for work-life balance
- Conducing and improving surveys on people’s work-life balance
- Improving self-design CoP considering the joint growth of individuals and the company
- Introducing a health management program
- Upgrading the work environment by adopting flexible work patterns/hours/locations
- Family-Friendly Company Certification
Empowering people to have ownership
for work-life balance
- Fostering a culture of innovation by enabling people to design the way they do their jobs
- Building a platform to facilitate people’s communication/feedback
- Improving people’s refresh plans
Company vowing to lead
work-life balance
- Upgrading the platform to facilitate people’s communication/feedback
- Organizing a consultative body at C-Level to ensure work-life balance
Work-Family Compatibility
Various systems are available at SK Networks for work-family compatibility.
reduced work hours and regular health checkups during pregnancy, and maternity leave
parental leave, reduced work hours during the child-rearing period
family care leave, infertility treatment leave, infertility leave of absence, menstruation leave
New Ways of Working
SK Networks provides institutional support for employees to choose their work hours and spaces.
selective working hours (flextime)
Telework (i.e., work-from-home)
* Number of employees participating in the flexible working hours system
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| 3,084 (72.6%) |
2,663 (61.8%) |
2,711 (67%) |
*Unit: Person(%)
External Certification: Family-Friendly Business
SK Networks is striving to create a corporate culture in which women can continue to work, ranging from HR operations like recruitment, evaluation, and promotion to work-family compatibility programs such as child-rearing leave of absence and workplace daycare center. In 2019, the company was certified as a Family-Friendly business awarded by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to companies that operate an exemplary family-friendly system in terms of childbirth and child-rearing supports, flexible work systems, family-friendly corporate culture building, etc.
