BREAKING Canada will cut its permanent immigration levels by at least 20 per cent
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, 愛污传媒 confirmed Wednesday.
When South Korea announced its decision to lift most COVID-19 restrictions earlier this month, 29-year-old office worker Jang was more concerned than happy.
The end of social distancing revived the time-honoured office ritual of after-work meal gatherings, part of a tradition called "hoeshik" in Korean. Jang was among the increasing number of young workers here who consider it an obsolete company culture that intrudes on employees' personal time.
"Hoeshik is part of your work life, except it's unpaid," said Jang, who lives and works in Seoul. She asked to be identified only by her last name in order to speak candidly about her employer.
Beginning last week, South Korea removed a midnight curfew on bars and restaurants, along with a cap of 10 people for private gatherings. The rules had served as guidelines for companies to adopt remote work policy and rein in non-essential gatherings, such as the off-hours drinking sessions.
"The worst part about the after-work dinners is that you don't know when it'll end. With drinks, it could really continue well into the night until who knows when," Jang said.
Even before the pandemic, an increasing number of South Koreans, particularly younger workers, were already souring on company dinners and similar events, such as company retreats or weekend hiking with co-workers.
The pandemic may ensure that the old hoeshik culture is fading for good, an expert said.
"Now that employees know what it's like to have off-hours kept for themselves, companies won't be able to fully restore the old after-dinner and weekend gathering culture," Suh Yong-gu, a marketing professor at Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul, said.
According to a recent survey by Incruit Corp, a recruiting website operator, nearly 80% of respondents said their companies' meal-gathering culture had changed during the pandemic, with 95% of them expressing satisfaction over the change.
The past two years taught Jang what hoeshik-free evenings were like. She spent more time to keep her house clean, make herself a good dinner and work out.
Kim Woon-bong, 30, who began working for a city government last year, said he felt lucky not having had to go through the mandatory hoeshik culture, thanks to the distancing rules.
"I actually liked meal gatherings held during lunch hours, because I knew they would end at 1 p.m.," he said. "I am cautiously hoping the company dinner culture will change now that it has been almost gone for two years."
Despite young employees' growing displeasure with after-work dinners, many senior workers still believe such gatherings are necessary to build bonds with colleagues, Professor Suh said.
"It will be yet another conflict between the old and new generation," he said. "But even if the after-dinner and weekend-gathering culture manages to survive, they won't be able to be held as often as they used to be."
While many companies are gradually returning to their offices, some are seeking to find a middle ground, opting for hybrid models instead of implementing a full-fledge return-to-office scheme.
SK Telecom Co Ltd, for one, is operating new workspaces to allow its employees to choose whether to work from home, at their head office, or at small dispersed work spaces that the company has opened.
"We don't have specific guidance on company dinners, but they will be less frequent when many of our employees are working from home," a company official said, asking not to be named as he was not authorized to talk to media.
"The key is that we don't mind where our employees work or how often they come to the office, as long as it helps improve their efficiency."
(Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; editing by Josh Smith and Bradley Perrett)
___
With the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant of concern, labelled Omicron, CTVNews.ca wants to hear from Canadians with any questions.
Tell us what you鈥檇 like to know when it comes to the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
To submit your question, email us at dotcom@bellmedia.ca with your name, location and question. Your comments may be used in a CTVNews.ca story.
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, 愛污传媒 confirmed Wednesday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberal party is 'strong and united,' despite efforts from within his caucus to oust him as leader.
The Bank of Canada made a sizable cut to its key lending rate Wednesday from 4.25 per cent to 3.75 per cent as the global economy continues to expand. The half percentage point cut is the fourth rate cut in a row by the central bank as inflation dropped from 2.7 per cent in June to 1.6 per cent in September.
The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.
A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.
A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
Turkiye鈥檚 air force struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday in apparent retaliation for an attack at a key state-run defence company that killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others.
Air Transat says it is laying off as many as 400 flight attendants, but plans to bring them back to work at some point.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.