[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] The 'management diagnosis' process recently implemented by a large conglomerate is causing controversy over the infringement of employees' personal information and excessive abuse of power.

In the anonymous community for office workers, Blind, criticism and anger surrounding the management diagnosis of Hanwha Group (Chairman Kim Seung-yeon) are pouring in every day, and similar cases and voices of sympathy are continuing in other communities and social media.

“Worse than investigative agencies”… Management diagnosis that even demands cell phones and bankbooks

According to testimony from internal employees posted on Blind, during the recent group management diagnosis process, there were excessive demands for data, such as requesting the submission of personal cell phones, full provision of private data such as call records, text messages, and photos, and even several years of personal bank transaction history from some employees, even though no clear wrongdoing had been identified.

There have even been reports of cases where forensic investigations were mobilized and private information was accessed.

During this process, employees complained that they had difficulty performing their normal duties and felt that their privacy and personal information had been seriously violated.

One employee mocked the management diagnosis team's behavior, saying, "Do they think they have investigative powers? Are they prosecutors?" Another employee criticized the indiscriminate investigation within the organization, saying, "Hanwha Ocean needs to be completely investigated. Those big organizations." 

“Management Diagnosis, Prosecutors and Grim Reapers?”… Anger Explodes in Anonymous Community

Comments mixed with cynicism and self-mockery continued on Blind, such as, “Let’s leave the diagnosis to people who know how to do it professionally,” “Hanwha just did Hanwha,” “If it’s a group diagnosis, at least reveal the personnel and TOP,” and “How wronged must Lee Jae-myung be?”

An employee of Hanwha Aerospace said, “The problem is that the diagnosis is hidden. The group management diagnosis is not real. Every time a few people go out for a diagnosis, they send employees to the company, but since they don’t know the business or internal affairs, they have no choice but to hire existing employees. This is a self-contradiction,” criticizing the lack of expertise and transparency of the diagnosis team and distrust within the organization.

Another comment expressed dissatisfaction with the opacity of the diagnosis and the one-sided process, saying, “There is no way to check whether what is included in the report is properly reflected in my statement. It is a one-way process without even a proper open discussion.”

“Urgent need to improve rights violations”… Movement to report to Ministry of Labor and Human Rights Commission

Some employees of Hanwha Group and Hanwha Solutions are urging an investigation by an external organization, saying, “We have reported this to the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea.”

As the role of anonymous communities such as Blind grows, internal whistleblowing and collective resistance are spreading much faster and more systematically than in the past.

Management Diagnosis Must Be Reborn as a Transparent Improvement Tool, Not a ‘Dance of Swords of Terror’

Management diagnosis experts pointed out that, "If management diagnosis deviates from its original purpose of eradicating illegal activities or improving management within an organization and becomes a tool for indiscriminate invasion of personal information and abuse of power, it threatens the future, trust, and sustainability of the company." They added, "If this practice of violating the human rights and privacy of internal members is repeated, it will inevitably lead to social outrage and legal sanctions beyond a simple internal problem."

It is time for companies to adhere to the basic principles of transparency, rationality, and protection of employee human rights in management diagnosis, and to listen to internal whistleblowing and social criticism.

Similar cases in other companies and communities… “Unethical surveillance and control destroy corporate trust”

This problem is not limited to the group. Some large companies are also repeatedly raising controversies over human rights violations, such as mandatory inspection of employees’ mobile devices, KakaoTalk and photo albums, installation of remote monitoring solutions such as MDM, and random selective security inspections. Similar internal reports have also been made at LG Group, etc., regarding excessive pressure and humiliation by the diagnostic team, and treatment as criminals.

Other experts emphasized, “Indiscriminate invasion of personal information and abuse of power, as in the case of Hanwha’s management diagnosis, treating employees like criminals can not only lower corporate trust and reputation, but can also have fatal consequences for internal issues.” They added, “We must realize that internal personal information leaks, technology leaks, and the spread of a negative image of our company to the outside world are fatal acts that undermine the essential value of a company.”