Yuhan-Kimberly named one of best workplaces in Korea

Yuhan-Kimberly, Korea's leading hygiene products maker, has been selected as one of the most favored workplaces in the local manufacturing industry for a third straight year, a survey showed.

According to the Korean Management Association Consulting, which surveyed more than 5,200 industry workers and human resources specialists, Yuhan-Kimberly came in third on the list of the best 30 manufacturers this year, following Samsung Electronics and POSCO. It also topped the living product category for the fourth year in a row.

A joint venture of Korea's Yuhan Corp. and U.S.-based Kimberly-Clark Corp., the company received high scores for its leadership in the industry, good social reputation and welfare policy for employees.

CEO Choi Kyoo-bok

Early this year, it was picked as one of the most admired companies in Korea by the KMAC for a seventh consecutive year.

"Yuhan-Kimberly has been contributing to the development of the country's hygiene culture by introducing toilet tissues, diapers and feminine sanitary pads since the foundation in 1970," it said in a statement.

The firm has earned recognition for its employee-friendly management philosophy, social responsibility activities and commitment to the environment.In efforts to step up work productivity and job satisfaction for its staff, Yuhan-Kimberly provides health benefits, long maternity leave, flexible work schedules and counseling services.

Such policies resulted in raising the fertility rate among female workers to 1.84 as of last year, the company said. The figure is higher than Korea's record of 1.74 in 1984 and the same level as in European countries such as Belgium, Denmark and Finland.

In addition, the manufacturer has been carrying out an environmental campaign called Keep Korea Green since 1984. More than 60 percent of employees volunteer in mowing grass, growing young trees, pruning twigs and other activities to protect trees and forests from diseases and harmful insects. Yuhan-Kimberly aims to plant 50 million trees through the program by 2014, of which more than 36 million trees have been cultivated to date.

By Shin Hyon-hee ( heeshin@heraldm.com)