The 2024 Global Volunteer Week, POSCO’s special volunteer service event, was held from May 23 to 31. More than 20,000 POSCO employees in Korea and other countries participated in large-scale volunteer work to practice sharing. POSCO Newsroom has taken vivid photos of the volunteer activities carried out by overseas subsidiary employees worldwide. Let’s meet them!

▲ POSCO-ZPSS employees carried out various volunteer activities to celebrate Global Volunteer Week. They held a bazaar in the cafeteria and in front of the parking lot and donated a total of 16,000 yuan to special schools and families in need. They also visited Jin Xiu School in Zhangjiagang City to provide a voluntary service of taking graduation photos for about 300 students from low-income families and donated sportswear and sneakers to the women’s volleyball team players.

▲ POSCO-QPSS employees participated in the “Love Sharing Blood Donation” event hosted by the Qingdao City Blood Donation Center and held a charity bazaar with donated goods from 48 employees in the office building’s first-floor lobby. They donated a total of 1,779 yuan to the underprivileged.

▲ POSCO-Asia (Hong Kong) employees visited a local support group for underprivileged children and donated the future generation support funds raised through the 1% Sharing activities and participated in Food Angel volunteer work to make about 2,500 lunch boxes to distribute to neighbors.

▲Twelve employees of BX Steel POSCO Cold Rolled Sheet Co. visited the Korean-Chinese Middle School in Benxi and held an art contest with the theme “Waste sorting for environmental protection starts with me” as part of an eco-friendly knowledge learning class and awarded excellent works.

▲ POSCO-CSPC employees visited the Children’s Love Center, which was newly established by the Hua Qiao Government to help special children live a safe and convenient life, and provided various learning aids for children to use. They also placed air-purifying plants throughout the children’s center to create a pleasant indoor environment.

▲ POSCO-CCPC employees carried out an environmental cleanup at the Yulin river’s Long Xing Estuary near the company’s head office and collected waste by going around approximately 2 kilometers near the river road for two hours.

▲ POSCO-CDPC employees held a handmade craft event with clay drawings with children at a Hong Yan daycare center near the company’s head office.

▲ POSCO-CFPC employees held a Healing Summer event by inviting families of the disabled. They invited the families of the disabled to the Guangdong Industrial Design Complex and ran a program where the visitors could experience Guangdong Province’s industrial development and POSCO’s corporate culture.

▲ POSCO-CHPC employees visited a Wuhan Yi De senior welfare center, where they have been carrying out volunteer services for 9 years, and spent time with the seniors making zongzi, a traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival.

▲ POSCO-CJPC employees visited a Jilin Chao Yang special school near the head office, laid out safety mats so that the children could rest comfortably and provided snacks.

▲ POSCO-CLPC employees donated five electric nursing beds to vulnerable groups living near the factory with donations collected through 1% Sharing activities.

▲ POSCO-CQPC employees visited the Qing Yu Village, a sister village that was having difficulties with timely harvesting due to a shortage of workers, helped the village people to harvest and package cherries, and donated the cherries to a local senior center.

▲ POSCO-CTPC employees collected 309 sets of old clothes that they no longer used and donated them to a public interest collection platform.

▲ POSCO-CWPC employees carried out activities to remove weeds from the factory’s idle site.

▲ POSCO-CYPC employees visited the beach in downtown Yantai, where many tourists go in the summer, and carried out environmental cleanup activities to pick up trash and put its ESG management philosophy into practice.

▲ POSCO-Japan PC employees carried out environmental cleanup activities for five days in the Toyohashi Sports Complex near the factory, the fishing park in the Yokkaichi Kasumigaura Industrial Complex, the area around the Kawasaki factory, and the vicinity of Higashi Ogishima West Park.

▲ POSCO-PMPC employees cleaned the roads and sewers to prevent flooding that may occur during typhoons and the rainy season in the First Philippine Industrial Park where the company is located.

▲ POSCO-Malaysia employees performed environmental cleanup at community halls and kindergartens near the company by trimming grass, painting old goalposts, cleaning the inside and outside of buildings, and collecting waste.

▲ All POSCO-MKPC’s Klang Factory employees walked a 2-kilometer path between the Klang Factory entrance and surrounding villages to collect waste to participate in the “Zero Disposable Plastic” waste reduction campaign.

▲ About 30 employees of PY NIVA (POSCO YAMATO VINA) purchased paint supplies using funds raised through the 1% Sharing program, repainted tables and chairs they previously donated to an elementary school near the company, and delivered scholarships of 10 million dong to students in need.

▲ POSCO-VST’s 130 employees went around the company to collect roadside trash and provided a fun time by holding a charity bazaar and traditional game competition at a nearby elementary school.

▲ POSCO-Vietnam’s 90 employees visited two orphanages near the company’s head office and had a good time with the children by distributing snacks and school supplies.

▲ POSCO E&C Vietnam employees visited Phuc Lam Orphanage Center and donated daily necessities, school supplies, and a support fund of about 1.6 million won to instill hope in children for the future.

▲ POSCO-Thailand PC’s 67 employees carried out the protection of the maritime ecosystem jointly with the Chonburi Province Coral Preservation Foundation by planting coral seedlings in the sea. Their activities were introduced in detail on the Foundation’s SNS.

▲ POSCO-TCS employees visited nearby Banpusai Elementary School, donated shoe racks and created a vegetable garden. Moreover, they replaced toilets and lighting in old bathrooms and provided education on safety and hygiene to the students.

▲ POSCO-Thainox employees cleaned pedestrian paths near the local municipality office, cleaned drains in preparation for the rainy season, and visited welfare centers for children and people with disabilities to donate daily necessities and carry out activities such as ceiling repair and restroom maintenance. Moreover, they donated relief supplies to nearby emergency rescue teams and self-made bulletproof panels in bulletproof vests to police stations.

▲ POSCO-ISDC’s employees visited a nearby school in Mangao, donated educational TVs and water dispensers, provided English lessons for students, and planted eco-friendly mango trees with the children.

▲ POSCO-Maharashtra employees visited a welfare center for visually impaired students and donated various items, including food and school supplies, to help students grow up in a good environment.

▲ POSCO-IDPC’s employess donated 30 barricades for traffic control to the Casola Police Station in the region. Moreover, they participated in the Indian government’s “Clean India Vision Campaign” by picking up trash and cleaning roads near the office.

▲ POSCO-IAPC employees walked around the roadside in front of the center, picked up discarded trash, and planted seedlings, contributing to creating a pleasant community environment.

▲ POSCO-ICPC collected trash around drainage ditches and removed steel items such as bolts from roads to prepare for heavy monsoon rains and safety accidents around the Chennai Center. In addition, to increase the convenience of nearby residents, the area was cleaned up with pedestrian roads and maintenance.

▲ Fifty employees of POSCO-India Pune Processing Center (IPPC) planted 500 fruit tree seedlings, such as guava, custard apple, and sapota, at Lake Talegaon Dabhade near the company.

▲ POSCO-IJPC’s 28 employees visited a nearby nursing home to celebrate Family Day in Indonesia, prepared chicken porridge and drinks for senior adults, and made and installed handrails in the front yard and walking path.

▲ PT. Krakatau POSCO employees visited a local school for the disabled, built a garden, repainted oil painting, and cooperated with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to build an artificial fish reef at Ketapang Beach and clean up the shore. Furthermore, they participated in a blood donation event, delivering 221 blood bags to the Red Cross. They also conducted environmental cleanup activities at five local landmarks with military units and municipal officials from the Cilegon area.

In Part 2 of ‘2024 Global Volunteer Week’ overseas employee volunteer activities,
Overseas corporations in Turkey, Poland, the United States, etc.
Lively volunteer activities participated by POSCO International executives and employees
We will report on the scene. Thank you for your interest!

Equal Opportunity for All

According to POSCO’s Open & Collaborative Human Resources Management policy, all members of POSCO Group are given equal opportunity regardless of their company or nationality and are capable of reaching the top level of the organization based on their abilities and achievements.

To expedite this policy, POSCO modified its existing HR system last March and implemented the Group Integrated Job Grade System, assigning “G grade” to all members of POSCO’s overseas affiliates.

Throughout 2015, POSCO has focused on securing superior talent in essential roles at overseas affiliates, as well as constructing a thorough process to foster and retain quality professionals and to help them to enhance their career competitiveness.

Global employees can master 18 subjects that are helpful in enhancing their skills through audio-visual education materials created by POSCO and are available in three languages (English, Chinese and Japanese). Overseas affiliates can create and enforce a comprehensive education system tailored to each affiliate by adding their own educational content to these materials.

Fostering Superior Global Talent

POSCO is committed to sharing its corporate vision with its global staff while helping them to acquire core work competencies through online modules which contain POSCO’s management philosophy, company history and innovative activities, and are available in eight languages. Global employees have been participating in this educational program since May.

Those who complete the e-learning programs and prove their excellence in learning will be promoted to “P grade” from “G grade.” These personnel will be given priority in global job recruitment and the Global Mobility Program application process, and can build their competitiveness by working abroad.

Furthermore, POSCO is also offering various learning opportunities including group training at POSCO Headquarters, an e-MBA program at local universities and higher-level programs at POSTECH Graduate Institute of Ferrous Technology (GIFT). Any POSCO employee can apply for the learning programs and improve their competencies. POSCO is also establishing a strategic HR scheme to motivate employees through a reward system based on individuals’ achievements.

Ms. R. Khuanhatai of Thailand, one of the first participants of the Global Mobility Program, noted that the opportunity to participate in such training has expanded her knowledge and enhanced her job skills. “I was originally assigned to STS Quality Control in Pohang, where I learned about POSCO’s defect mechanism, inspection control and quality standard. Additionally, I had a great opportunity to spend a month learning about quality design and new product development in GTC Solution (Seoul) and marketing concept in PAC (Songdo). Now that I have returned to Thailand, I am developing a plan to adapt the quality standard of Pohang to POSCO-Thainox.”

New Global Staff Training Program

In 2008, POSCO implemented the Global Challenge Program, which consisted of a Korean Regional Studies educational program, a short-term assignment at Headquarters and job rotations, in order to train and foster global talent.

This program came to a halt in 2011 and was reborn as the Global Mobility Program this year. During this four-step program, selected candidates will participate in an introductory course, a group project, a personal project, an interim workshop and an evaluation process.
Currently, the GMP is a form of affiliate-to-Headquarters assignment, but the scope of work place will soon be expanded to connect affiliates in the same region, as well as in different countries.

Application for the GMP is open to superior talent working for an overseas affiliate who hold a leadership position and demonstrate strong growth potential. GMP participants will be involved in various projects and will be trained by POSCO so that they may better understand the work culture at Headquarters, as well as establish their social networks.
“I have learned how to strengthen relationships with overseas employees by having a better understanding of their cultures and traditions, and experience first-hand how they face their personal and work-related challenges,” noted Ms. Andrea G. Medrano of POSCO-Mexico. “I think all global employees should strive to participate in the GMP so they can feel proud of POSCO, and feel more confident in regards to the job they do.”

Ms. Bei Huang from POSCO-China had a similar experience, having entered the program with the expectation to learn more and to build good relationships with her colleagues in Korea. She remarked, “Through the six-month assignment, I was able to experience a better working environment in Seoul than in Beijing. The staff in Seoul motivated themselves to be more positive regarding the harsh market situation. They always worked together to find the optimal solution to various problems. This positive working attitude is what influenced me the most.”

But GMP participants not only have a chance to enhance their own work skills, but also to take what they’ve learned in Korea and apply it to the workplace in their home countries. Mr. Yerui Liang of Zhangjiagang Pohang Stainless Steel (ZPSS) in China consistently took note of how things were done at Headquarters, comparing it to his own throughout the duration of the program. “I was able to learn many new things, as well as areas to improve,” he said. “As soon as I arrived back at ZPSS, other challenges were waiting for me. I was able to share with my colleagues at ZPSS my experiences and knowledge gained during my time in Seoul.”

Through these efforts, POSCO will continue to strengthen its position as a global leader in the steel industry, all the while fostering the skills of its global employees so that they, too, can reach their full potential.

Each drawing in the exhibition had its own story. There were images of a child riding a bicycle with her dad, hanging around with their friends and their parents’ workplace; QPSS. Our young painters must have input so much thoughts and efforts in their paintings. If you were there, you would have felt their innocence and playfulness showing in the lovely works.

A sticker was given to the QPSS employees who visited the scene so they could pick the artwork they liked the most. Once the vote was over, QPSS held an awarding ceremony to congratulate the winners of the exhibition. Let’s take a look at some of the excellent artworks.

Manager Ha Jae-chul, who has been working in QPSS, shared his review on the exhibition with ‘Hello, POSCO.’ He said, “It was interesting to see my colleagues’ daily lives in the children’s pictures. Because their partings were so lovely, we all had a very enjoyable moment.” I believe our ‘Hello, POSCO’ readers would also be feeling the same way with the adorable and warmhearted minds of the little kids.

Actually, there is a story behind how the exhibition was held at QPSS. To celebrate China’s Children’s Day on June 1st, QPSS prepared special gifts for the employees with kids. The present was a box of colored pencils and a sketchbook, providing them with the space to draw their creative thoughts and delightful dreams. Needless to say, the children absolutely fell in for the presents and in return, gave QPSS their wonderful pieces of artwork.

Have you decided which drawing you want to put your sticker on? Let’s find some peace of minds by staring at these loveable images. Who knows? It could remind you of the happiness and innocence when you were young.