Foreign workers become workplace reform partners as consulting cuts turnover by 50%

Companies that brought foreign workers into labor-management consultations and let employees lead overhauls of performance and compensation systems have recorded measurable gains in productivity and organizational stability, according to cases presented at a government-backed forum Thursday. The government said it plans to spread such best practices to expand employee-driven workplace reform.

The Korea Labor Foundation held its fourth workplace innovation case-sharing forum of 2026 Thursday at Seoul Eoulim Plaza, under the theme "Workplace Innovation Built Together by All Members." The forum spotlighted outstanding cases from workplace innovation consulting conducted by Korea Management Association Consulting, focusing on the expansion of foreign worker participation and the establishment of job-specific performance and compensation systems.

One featured case was Bon Vivant, a bakery manufacturer where 35 of its 46 employees are foreign nationals. The company's labor-management council had previously centered on Korean workers, making it difficult to incorporate foreign workers' views into company policy. Through consulting, the company built a framework to include foreign workers as core participants in its labor-management partnership.

To address the language barrier, the company distributed interview forms in advance and had its chief executive personally assist with interpretation to gather feedback. It also appointed foreign workers as grievance committee members and revised its grievance and suggestion systems to operate in both Korean and English. The changes laid the groundwork for foreign workers' opinions to feed directly into policy improvements.

Results followed. After the consulting, Bon Vivant's sales rose from 7.88 billion won ($5.28 million) to 8.58 billion won, an increase of about 8.9 percent, while its turnover rate fell by half, from 20 percent to 10 percent.

Nova Semi, a semiconductor components maker, saw sales climb 23 percent — from 12.6 billion won to 15.5 billion won — after all employees participated in revamping job-specific performance and compensation systems and work processes. Wage satisfaction scores also rose 7.8 percent, from 2.57 to 2.79.

"Workplace innovation takes root more effectively on the ground when diverse members — including foreign workers — participate directly, rather than leaving it to a handful of managers or specialists," Korea Labor Foundation Secretary-General Park Jong-pil said. "We will continue to expand field-centered support so that every worker can become an agent of workplace innovation."