Military-style Organizational Culture Imposed on Recruitment Scene

A text message demanding military-style discipline sent by a recruitment officer at a youth culture and arts company to a job applicant has sparked controversy.

On the 22nd, JTBC's 'Incident Report' aired the story of an individual, referred to as A, who received a bizarre text message from the recruitment officer after applying to a company called 'Youth Culture and Arts ○○○.'

According to A, after submitting an application in response to a job posting seeking a planning, directing, and scriptwriting manager for a "youth musical and various subsidiary programs," they were shocked by the contents of the text message received from the recruitment officer.

In the message, the recruitment officer stated, "I am providing you with basic FM guidelines. FM is taken very seriously and is emphasized conservatively. You must adhere strictly to this," and added, "Using 'DANAKKA' is mandatory. It is essential to refer to me as 'Sir' at the end of your sentences. You must be able to immediately respond with 'Yes, Sir, this is OOO, the manager of the OOO department. Please go ahead' whenever your name is called. Acknowledging requests simply with 'Yes, understood, Sir' is not enough; you must say 'Yes, understood. I will do this, Sir,' etc."

Here, FM refers to the strict adherence to established rules and procedures. Even more shocking was the content that outlined expected employee postures.

The message also included details such as, "The formal posture is to be in a standing position with eyes closed, hair tied back, back straight, and feet together. The informal posture, while seated, is the same as the formal posture except that you do not close your eyes or tie your hair."

After explaining the military-style rules, the officer asked A, "Can you agree to and adhere to this?"

The questionable company explained to the production team that "this has become a requirement due to internal incidents and accidents," and that it was created to verify the attitudes of applicants due to issues like negligence, no-shows, and early departures among casually applying job seekers. However, netizens responding to the news have strongly criticized it with comments such as "Is this mafia management?" and "This isn't the military. It's ridiculous."

Particularly noteworthy is the fact that this company was previously criticized as a "disrespectful employer" for actors during the job recruitment process two years ago, further amplifying the controversy.

Image source: youtube 'jtbc news', reference photos for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank