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| Samsung revised its flexible working policy for some US employees in April and implemented it in July. Aleksander Kalka/NurPhoto via Getty Images |
Samsung is tightening its return-to-office (RTO) rules for some US-based employees in its semiconductor business and it’s adding a compliance tool to ensure staff are following them.
The South Korean tech giant implemented a full five-day in-office policy for a select group in early July, replacing its previous “FlexWork” arrangement that allowed up to two remote days per week. The move is part of a broader push to restore in-person collaboration and, according to internal emails obtained by Truth Sider, has already resulted in “more smiling faces in the hallways.”
From Flexible Schedules to Mandatory Office Presence
In April, Samsung informed certain semiconductor division employees that it wanted “a more consistently full campus environment, where innovation and collaboration can happen in real time.” By May, the company began phasing out remote work, asking staff to return to the office more frequently.
By June, HR reported visible signs of change from busier parking lots to crowded cafeterias on Fridays. That same month, the company revealed it was developing a compliance tracking tool to help managers monitor attendance.
The tool, set to launch within weeks of an August update, will give managers “visibility to the number of days & time in building metrics for each team member.” It will also be used to prevent “lunch/coffee badging,” a growing workplace phenomenon where employees swipe into the office for brief appearances before leaving.
Targeting Compliance in a Post-Pandemic Workplace
While Samsung did not disclose the exact size of the affected group, a spokesperson confirmed that the stricter RTO mandate applies only to part of its US semiconductor division. The company declined to elaborate further.
Samsung’s shift follows a broader corporate trend toward full-time office work. In the past year, companies including Amazon, AT&T, TikTok, and Dell have announced five-day in-office requirements, with some setting full implementation deadlines by 2025.
The RTO push comes amid ongoing debate over whether mandatory attendance improves productivity or risks driving away talent. For Samsung, the stated goal is to boost collaboration, innovation, and team engagement while using technology to ensure those goals are met.
