SOOP ESG2023

In FY2023, operating expenses increased by 10.6% compared to the previous year due to higher personnel costs, including hiring for new business expansion, increases in employee benefits and perks, and the consolidation impact of digital marketing agency CTTD.

Change in Number of Employees *The number of employees at SOOP headquarters
(including contract employees)

SOOP has adopted a blind hiring system for open recruitment to select talented employees. We proactively adopted blind hiring practices in our open recruitment starting in 2018 and do not ask applicants to list their education, academic credentials, or age on their resumes. We also consider applicants’ diverse experiences and capabilities by allowing free-form content and photo attachments. By emphasizing job skills and growth potential rather than academic and professional background, we aim to select applicants who have a strong passion and understanding of our services.

SOOP adopts a variety of recruitment methods, including open recruitment once a year, always-on-hiring, and special recruitment when necessary. The open recruitment process is conducted in the following order: document screening → first interview(practical interview) → Be The BJ(BTB) screening → second interview → final selection. Prior to the actual interview, we provide information related to recruitment to applicants through our live streaming service and VOD. In the ‘AfreecaTV Culture Preview’ content in 2023, SOOP’s employees appeared in person to introduce various events, systems, and organizational culture, while the LIVE Recruitment Information Session provided a general introduction to SOOP’s services and a time for communication to answer questions about the recruitment process. In the first round of interviews, we evaluate applicants’ professionalism, communication skills, and growth potential through peer interviews, in which not only the current team leader but also a colleague participates as an interviewer. In addition, through the BTB test, which is a unique process for SOOP’s open recruitment, applicants who pass the first round of interviews can experience SOOP’s services in advance. Through the BTB session, candidates can improve their understanding of the service nature and have a chance to directly communicate with interviewers in a relaxed atmosphere.

SOOP offers a variety of training programs to help new employees adjust to the company and immerse themselves in the organization. We have various online and offline training programs such as HR and welfare systems, job-specific training, basic competency enhancement, onboarding programs, and mentoring training.

SOOP implements common competency development training and individual external training support programs to strengthen the employees skills. The common competency development training is offered to employees of SOOP and its subsidiaries through collective training, including lectures and discussions. The development program is available for all employees and offers recommended courses tailored to each position to facilitate the selection of appropriate training.

We also operate external training support program and the Online Smart Learning channel ‘SOOPER-CLASS’ for all employees. Through the external training support program, SOOP offers subsidies to employees to cover the cost of third-party training. Additionally, via the Smart Learning SOOPER-CLASS channel, we provide training opportunities through a variety of video streaming content. SOOPERCLASS includes a range of topics, from job-related subjects such as leadership and followership, and communication to other relevant areas. We also provide the Reading Training Program, through which we provide one book every month to employees who request it, and provide quality education related to leadership, economics and finance, and marketing according to a study plan designed by professors.

In the first half of 2024, we introduced and piloted ‘Inflearn,’ an education platform specialized for development, planning, and UI/UX functions. The Inflearn is available to all members of SOOP and its affiliates, and the company pays for the education. Through the Inflearn, employees can improve their job skills by taking various courses that can be used in their work, such as programming, data, and business skills.

SOOP’s goal setting and personnel evaluations are carried out efficiently and systematically using a performance management solution. The performance management solution is a tool that helps organizations and individuals manage their performance through goal management and performance record system. Employees can align the direction of their goals with the organization through the performance management solution system and continuously communicate about their performance through milestones, KPI management feedback tools. This helps employees focus on their goals by saving time and minimizing the process of collecting and delivering documents.

In 2024, SOOP made changes to its personnel evaluation system as it pushed forward with new changes and efforts. It switched from setting and evaluating goals on a semi-annual basis to setting and evaluating goals on an annual basis. By doing so, SOOP aims to improve the quality of company-wide goals by focusing not only on short-term goals but also on mid- and long-term goals and to create an environment where employees can have as much time as they need to achieve the goals.

SOOP’s personnel assessment system focuses on fairness by evaluating employees based on the KPIs and competency indicators they set, as well as execution results and efforts. Until 2023, assessments were conducted semi-annually, but starting from 2024, assessments are conducted on an annual basis. Competency indicators are metrics for the competencies required for each position and are managed by setting specific competencies, behavioral indicators, and assessment criteria for all positions, from executives to junior team members. These competency indicators include not only job-related competencies such as communication, planning, and execution but also factors that contribute to the sustainability of SOOP, such as ethical behavior standards and internal and external risk awareness. In addition, we adhere to an absolute assessment method to eliminate unreasonable or external factors that can lead to complaints. Assessment results are linked to promotions and rewards to provide tangible motivation, recommend forward-looking feedback, and encourage employees to find joy in their work.

The 360 Leadership Assessment is an upward, horizontal, and downward evaluation of employees, where they are periodically evaluated by their supervisors, peers, and team members on a common set of competencies, including leadership skills. The primary purpose of the 360 Leadership Assessment is not to rank, but to identify the evaluation subject’s strengths and weaknesses and provide candid feedback to foster self-reflection. In doing so, we aim to strengthen leadership capabilities across the company by providing customized training on each candidate’s relative weaknesses.

To assess actual and potential risks and opportunities related to attracting and retaining talent, SOOP conducts an organizational assessment for all employees. Through this, we check satisfaction with HR and welfare systems, the likelihood of leaving the company within a year, and satisfaction with various activities such as training programs, companywide events, and Team Day.

The assessment is composed of seven items, including organizational immersion, organizational culture, work environment, leadership, communication and cooperation, work-life balance, and personal development, and comprehensively identifies various factors such as employees’ satisfaction with their work experience, understanding of corporate goals, happiness, and stress levels. In addition, the survey asks employees to identify HR and welfare systems that they would like to improve or introduce, examine factors that determine long-term retention and turnover, and collect their honest opinions for the development of organizational culture. The results of the survey are shared with all employees, and the talent development team develops and implements short- and long-term plans based on the identified items requiring improvement.

In the organization assessment conducted in the second half of 2023, the ‘Organizational Immersion,’ which assesses employees’ sense of unity and attachment, recorded the highest score among all diagnosis items. In addition, scores increased in all diagnosis items except ‘Communication and Cooperation’ and ‘Work-Life Balance’ compared to the first half of the year. Items identified for improvement are set as priority tasks and pursued, and satisfaction with and effectiveness of measures taken for improvement are analyzed in the next organizational diagnosis. We plan to conduct organizational assessment every year from now on, and we will strive to continuously improve the deficiencies identified through the diagnosis to enhance employee engagement and satisfaction.

SOOP operates HR_ON, an in-house counseling channel, to handle employee grievances. Through HR_ON, employees can receive counseling on workplace issues such as discord, sexual harassment, and bullying, as well as personal issues, and the counseling is completely confidential.