South Korea’s retail giant Lotte Shopping Co. will allow employees to work at an office nearest their residence to enhance workplace flexibility and efficiency under Lotte Group’s ‘Smart Work’ system.

Lotte Shopping announced Tuesday that it will operate five ‘smart offices’ serving as a workplace hub in Lotte Department Store’s branches in Nowon, Ilsan, Incheon Terminal and Pyeongchon and its warehouse store chain VIC Market in Yeongdeungpo starting July. More than 3,000 employees working at Lotte Shopping’s headquarters (HQ) division, Lotte Department Store, Lotte Mart, Lotte Super, Lohbs and e-commerce division can work at one of the five offices instead of showing up at the head office.

Lotte Shopping established the HQ division in January this year by combining strategy planning, supporting and finance departments of each division to give a comprehensive support to them.

The company also allows its staff to work from home once a week and plans to further strengthen workplace flexibility through the smart working system. “The smart offices will reduce commuting hours for employees and allow them to do their remaining job at the nearest office without having to go to the head office,” said a Lotte Shopping official. The system also aims to facilitate communication of people from different divisions and locations.

By Kim Gi-jung and Choi Mira

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