The kickoff ceremony (始務式) is a representative event for corporations to mark the New Year. In the past, corporations held kickoff ceremonies in auditoriums, presented management goals, rewarded outstanding employees, or staged celebratory performances.
Recently, some pharmaceutical and biotech corporations are either taking time to recharge at year-end or skipping the kickoff ceremony and starting New Year's work right away. As executives who value work efficiency over unnecessary formalities and employees from the Millennials and Gen Z generation (born in the 1980s–2000s) seeking practicality increase, corporate culture is changing little by little.
According to the industry on the 7th, LG CHEM did not hold a kickoff ceremony this year. Founded in 1947, LG CHEM used to gather executives and employees for a kickoff ceremony. In the 2000s it emphasized "securing competitiveness," and in the 2010s "strengthening global protectionism," "a difficult management environment," and "overcoming crises by sticking to the basics." But the mood has changed in the 2020s.
Instead, LG CHEM shared President Kim Dong-chun's New Year's message with employees at the beginning of the year. Kim emphasized "pabuchimju (破釜沈舟)." Pabuchimju means breaking the pot used to cook rice and scuttling the boat you would take back. It signifies the resolve to go to war without the expectation of returning alive. The message conveyed the intent to break through the crisis with innovation amid fierce global competition. An LG CHEM official said, "If in the past most corporations held kickoff ceremonies in separate venues, these days the mood is different."
Samsung Biologics and Samsung Bioepis also did not hold kickoff ceremonies this year. Instead, they substituted with New Year's messages from Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim and Samsung Bioepis CEO Kim Kyung-ah. Rim emphasized "ultra-gap competitiveness," while Kim stressed "employees' spirit of challenge."
A Samsung Biologics official explained, "When there were fewer executives and employees in the past, we held a kickoff ceremony, but as headcount has grown, it seems difficult for everyone to gather."
Samsung Bioepis, for its part, has not held kickoff ceremonies at all. A Samsung Bioepis official said it is "a work-focused atmosphere." Typically, personnel shifts are made in late November to early December and the organization is restructured, so the trend is to concentrate on work rather than hold a kickoff ceremony, the official said.
Hanmi Science, Hanmi Pharmaceutical, and other Hanmi Group companies also did not hold separate kickoff ceremonies. Instead, they posted Chair Song Young-sook's New Year's message on the internal network. A Hanmi Science official said it was "about leaping forward into a global corporations based on creativity and challenge, consolidation and communication."
HK inno.N also had no kickoff ceremony. Instead, at the end of last year the company held a remote gathering among executives and employees to share performance. An HK inno.N official said, "With around 1,700 employees in total, it is difficult to hold a (large) kickoff ceremony," adding, "Those who could participate met remotely to discuss what happened over the year."
HUGEL held a town hall meeting at its Chuncheon plant in Gangwon at the end of last year instead of a kickoff ceremony. Global Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Carrie Strom, Korea CEO Jang Doo-hyun, and executives and employees from domestic and overseas affiliates shared management plans and celebrated promotions. Strom and Jang joined HUGEL in Oct. and Sep. last year, respectively.
A HUGEL official said, "We do not particularly hold kickoff or closing ceremonies," adding, "We held a town hall meeting to emphasize 'one team' as we established a management structure with global and Korea CEOs."
SK bioscience also did not hold a kickoff ceremony. The company plans to relocate soon from Pangyo, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, to the Songdo global research and process development (R&PD) center. The center will be equipped with state-of-the-art research facilities. The company is expected to hold an event then that doubles as a kickoff ceremony.
Some say the landscape of kickoff ceremonies has changed as the trend of taking vacations from year-end to the start of the year, as overseas corporations do, spreads. An industry official said, "Some Millennials and Gen Z employees work hard throughout the year and wrap up early at year-end to recharge," adding, "The mood is to focus on work right away instead of a grand kickoff ceremony."
Office workers, watching kickoff ceremonies that were streamlined during COVID-19 gradually disappear, say they are "still disappointed," while others say they "can cut inefficiencies and jump into important work."