The lobby of the Yangjae headquarters, the control tower of Hyundai Motor Group, has been reborn as an open plaza for employees to share ideas. Hyundai Motor Group Chair Chung Eui-sun said, "Meetings between people will not disappear no matter how much the world advances; they will become even more important," adding, "It is important for the company to provide strong hardware support for various forms of collaboration and communication."
On the 14th, Chair Chung attended the "Lobby Story Town Hall" held at the Yangjae headquarters in Seoul. It was an occasion to share with employees the philosophy and direction of the lobby renovation, which ran for 1 year and 11 months from May 2024 to Mar. this year. Key Hyundai Motor Group executives, including Vice Chair Chang Jae-hoon, Seo Gang-hyun, head of corporate planning and coordination (president), Choi Jun-young, head of policy development (president), Sung Kim, head of strategic planning (president), and Park Min-woo, head of AVP division (president), all turned out alongside Chair Chung.
The lobby renovation proceeded under the theme of "a plaza for freely interacting and sharing ideas." On this, Chair Chung stressed, "It is important to work in an environment where communication is easier and more comfortable than now," adding, "Just as office workers can work in this space and engineers can work here, there are various forms of collaboration. The most important point was how the company could provide strong hardware support for such communication."
Chung added, "If you keep working at your desk staring at a screen, ideas about your life and your work will not come easily," noting, "It is very important to meet people and talk. Meetings between people will not disappear no matter how much the world advances; they will become even more important."
Chung also reiterated that employees should be able to use the Yangjae headquarters comfortably. He said, "What I have felt from seeing many buildings is that people must come first. The key was to avoid being overwhelmed by the building and to give a feeling more comfortable than one's own home," adding, "It should be enjoyable to do your best at work. It is important to work happily while using the Yangjae headquarters comfortably and to feel that coming to the office is rewarding," and, "Going forward, we will keep improving and fixing it as we watch you use the Yangjae headquarters."
That day, while explaining the in-house cafeteria, Chung also mentioned the late founding chair Chung Ju-yung. Chung said, "One of life's great pleasures is eating," adding, "Founding Chair Chung Ju-yung considered meals extremely important in the past, and the culture of serving generous meals has continued to this day."
As for the space he liked most in the renewal, he answered, "The cafe and the third-floor meeting space are nice." He said, "There are many spaces where you can meet in various ways, so Heads of Team may find it hard to locate their staff," adding, "If so, I am curious how the Heads of Team will solve that problem, but rather than the company prescribing a method, each should find their own way." Chung expects that these spatial changes could also transform Hyundai Motor Group's culture.
On the Hyundai Motor Group brand award, he said, "Rather than simply being a company with high sales, I hope we become a brand that people genuinely love." Chung emphasized, "We want to be evaluated as 'so good,' 'very thoughtful,' and 'so considerate' in terms of understanding customers' minds and in various conveniences, safety, and quality," adding, "It is good to be recognized as the world's best in a certain technology or theme, but above all, we want to be good corporations for our customers."
The renewed space spans from one level below ground to the fourth floor above ground, totaling about 36,000㎡ (about 10,900 pyeong). First, the first-floor lobby was designed so employees can gather naturally around the Agora, a stepped lounge inspired by ancient Greek plazas. A robot station was also installed to create a cutting-edge lobby environment where employees and robots coexist. The watering robot "Dali Gardener," which manages plants placed throughout the space, the delivery robot "Dali Delivery," and the protocol and security robot "Spot" have been introduced.
The second floor houses 17 meeting rooms for in-depth discussions. The Grand Hall, which spans the second and third floors, has been revamped into a multipurpose hall. It used to be a dead space used only for specific events and left idle the rest of the time, but with a variable stage and seating that can be stored when not in use, it can now host exhibitions, forums, town halls, and other functions. The third floor features an urban training center, "Learning Lab," for programs such as education and lectures, and the fourth floor has an outdoor garden.