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An HYBE employee reportedly shared their experience of working at one of the labels while also sharing their thoughts on the recently unveiled workplace death allegations at the National Assembly audit. On October 15 at the National Assembly audit, ADOR CEO Kim Joo-young who was previously the Human Resources Chief agreed that an employee was found sick in one of the restrooms at the company.
The incident took place in 2022, and the employee reportedly passed away a few days later in the hospital. Progressive Party rep. Jeong Hye-kyung accused HYBE of hiding the employee's death due to alleged overwork and exhaustion. However, Kim Joo-young denied hiding any information and stated that with the bereaved family’s agreement, the incident was not reported as a workplace death.
On November 8, Biz Hankook released an interview with a person claiming to be a HYBE employee who had been working at the company even before the COVID-19 era. The employee reportedly spilled the beans about the hectic work culture at the company.
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However, the label they currently work at was not revealed. When asked why they believed that the cause of the employee’s death was due to over exhaustion at work. They said,
“Because I experienced it too. It was when COVID was at its peak, and my teammates and I were saying, “I’d rather get COVID.” It was so hard. It was when I was working at Big Hit. The work style was so absurd.”
HYBE insider reportedly gives anecdotes of the company’s alleged hectic work schedule
On November 8, in an interview with Biz Hankook a HYBE employee stated that the employee's death in 2022 which was revealed during the National Assembly audit could be possible due to overwork. They gave anecdotes from their work experience at HYBE. The insider alleged that there were no set working hours and that working during the early hours was normal and accepted.
“It was a structure where we had no choice but to produce at dawn. There were no complaints about this. After work finished around 5 or 6 in the morning, it was normal to go home and rest. However, even after production was finished, we couldn’t go home. If there was a request for revision after the report, we had to make revisions right away.”- they said
Reportedly, the 52 working hours per week system had not been implemented previously. Furthermore, each label had a different structure to follow, and following the reports some employees were paid for working extra hours in the morning while others did not.
They stated the set production schedule was reportedly not a problem however, gaining approval from the higher-ups within the schedule became a hurdle and led to inefficiency in work. They also revealed losing 10 kgs in a month due to the schedule.
“There were many parts that I did not understand. Approval from above kept not coming, but there was no clear reason. In the end, there were cases where the first work done was adopted. In short, it was inefficient. I lost 10kg in weight within a month.”- they stated
According to the HYBE insider, it is uncertain whether Chairman Bang Si-hyuk was aware of the working situation of the company himself. However, there was a clear difference in the working style of labels he had the authority of.
“The system is a bit different. I don’t know if Chairman Bang Si-hyuk knew the situation at the time, but there is definitely a difference between labels that Chairman Bang Si-hyuk is directly involved in and those that he is not.”- HYBE employee about the changes in the system now
As per Biz Hankook's report, HYBE implemented the 52 working hours per week system on January 1, 2021, all across the company. This autonomous system reportedly allowed employees to flexibly set working hours at their convenience. It proposed easy commuting and created work-from-home opportunities.
The entertainment conglomerate is also operating an unlimited annual leave system, where one can reportedly take a leave from a particular day till the end of the year. Reportedly, a bonus of 500K KRW is given to the employee once they have used all the statutory annual paid leaves.
Meanwhile, on October 15, 2024, Rep. Jeong Hye-kyung requested HYBE to submit additional reports regarding the alleged workplace death at the audit. Given that HYBE is a private entity they are not obliged to comply with the representative’s request. Notably, as per the representative’s office, the company has reportedly not made any additional document submissions.
