At the Equal Employment Opportunity Campaign Ceremony held by the Ministry of Employment and Labor at the Korea Chamber of Commerce in Jung-gu, Seoul, on May 27, Handok won the Presidential Award for the example it sets of promoting gender equality in employment.

Handok was commended for providing equal growth opportunities for all employees under its fair employment and personnel policy. The company’s family-friendly programs also support a better work-life balance for employees and enable them to reach their full potential at work.

Women make up 41.7 percent of all senior managers at Handok. Fair performance evaluation and personnel programs have been helping that percentage grow year by year. One of the women on the board began as a young new employee at Handok in the 1990s. There are also women who were promoted while on maternity leave. Handok strives to increase job opportunities for women, particularly those whose careers have been discontinued due to family reasons.

Handok offers a wide range of programs to help employees maintain work-family balance. These include flexible working hours and allowances for work-from-home and remote-working situations. Also in place are support measures for pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare. Most importantly, Handok has been cultivating a family-friendly culture throughout its organization. At present, there are 371 employees who work flexible hours. Both women and men at Handok take parental leaves.