At SK hynix, our people are the core of our success. When our people thrive, so does our business. That’s why we place such an emphasis on company culture, workplace environment and employee wellbeing.
And to celebrate upcoming Mother’s Day and all of the incredible, hard-working mothers at SK hynix, we spoke to women across our global network – from Icheon to Minsk – to discuss motherhood, work-life balance, and what makes mothers such valuable team members, colleagues and leaders.
Jun Mo Kim (SK hynix Inc.)
Icheon, South Korea
Joined SK hynix in 2005
One daughter (8-years-old)
Figure 1. Jun Mo Kim, SK hynix Inc.
Her day-to-day: It’s been 16 years since I first joined the company. Now, I work on the Solution Tech Strategy Team, which mainly works to establish an operating plan for mobile products. By separating my weekdays and weekends as much as possible, I try to focus on my family on weekends, and focus on my work during the weekdays. I also try to work at the office even if I have to work late so that I can fully switch to the mother and wife mode after work is done.
Why she’s stayed so long at SK hynix: There was no time to get bored! Even though I’ve spent most of my career in sales and marketing, I’m still learning new things all the time.
My pregnancy period was one of the biggest challenges during my career at SK hynix, but I was able to overcome the difficulties and was thankful for the help from my teammates and leaders.
Her motivation: In the meantime, the support of my family has also been a long-standing force for me. When I feel this help, I promise to be a better person as a mother and wife, and I will reflect this attitude in my work attitude.
Alena Strapko (SK hynix memory solutions Eastern Europe)
Minsk, Belarus
Joined SK hynix in June 2014
Two daughters: Anastasia (4-years-old) and Eva (2-years-old)
Figure 2. Alena Strapko, SK hynix memory solutions Eastern Europe
What she does: I am responsible for failure analysis (FA) in the Mobile Firmware code that runs on SAFE simulator and finding ways to fix them. I also participate in the development of the tools that help to do FA faster, as I use my own FA experience to make them more efficient.
How she does it: One has to make compromises, but the key is to finish everything in time. I rely on the support of my husband, my colleagues and the company to make my work-life balance possible. My husband is so helpful at home, and I am thankful to have kind and understanding colleagues as well. And from the company, flexible working hours guaranteed by the company are so important.
I also use different planners, apps, and other resources to keep track of my never-ending to-do’s. I add events to a shared calendar so that my husband can easily see what’s coming up and help out.
What’s special about SK hynix? After all the years I have spent with the company, we have become like a family. I have many friends among colleagues, and I like our friendly team. Recently, the company organized an office excursion for employees’ children and my girls and husband were happy to see how the company looks from the inside and get to know my colleagues.
What she’s learned from motherhood: Our children make us more patient, flexible and able to multitask. Now I can manage to feed and play with my children and respond to emails from my workplace at the same time. Before, I didn’t even imagine that such a thing was possible!
Li Hui (SK hynix Semiconductor (China) Ltd.)
Wuxi, China
Joined SK hynix in 2006
Two children (8-years-old, 5-years-old)
Figure 3. Li Hui, SK hynix Semiconductor (China) Ltd.
Her day-to-day: I am currently an expert engineer responsible for the system management in SK hynix Wuxi FAB and I have been working at the company for over 13 years. My husband is currently in Korea, and my father stays with me to help to care for the children. I focus on work during work hours and focus on childcare after work.
Why SK hynix? This job and this company have always been very suitable for me. There are many learning opportunities, challenges, meaningful and fulfilling moments. Even during my time here, SK hynix has made many efforts to create a better working environment for women and mothers. The company’s leaders are considerate of the challenges we face in caring for both our families and our jobs.
What she’s proudest of: While we were working through two massive migration operations of the company’s computer system, I was 5 months pregnant with my second child. Withstanding the work was challenging, but the most meaningful moment was seeing the success of the migration, after the birth of my child. Over time, it’s been incredible to watch our system grow and improve as I watch my children do the same.
Priya Lanka (SK hynix memory solutions America Inc.)
San Jose, California
Joined SK hynix in 2013
Two sons (12-years-old, 10-years-old)
Figure 4. Priya Lanka, SK hynix memory solutions America Inc.
What she does: I am a Product & Applications Engineering manager in SKHMS A which is part of Systems Engineering group. This role requires sound technical understanding of solid-state drive (SSD) product features, specifications, and test infrastructure. It also needs good communication and failure analysis skills.
How she does it: I consider myself lucky to have a very supportive husband. There are times when I call him last minute to pick up kids, and he will gladly do it for me. There are times when my business travel gets extended unexpectedly, but I never hear a complaint from him. I can completely focus on work knowing kids are safe and taken care of. We support each other and do our part in navigating the demands of work and family.
The challenging part has to be the mental transition from home-to-work and work-to-home on a daily basis – context switching, juggling between the two roles, and making sure the ball is not dropped in either case.
What she’s learned from motherhood: The tech industry is about collaboration and problem-solving. Mothers bring in soft skills that complement the hard skills many already possess. This not only helps in problem-solving but also helps in building and nurturing teams. We are go-getters. Women navigate challenges flawlessly at home, and given a chance, we can do the same at work.
What she wants to change: There is a perception in the industry that a woman who is married with kids cannot commit herself to her work, or at least not at 100%. This is not at all true. Providing mothers-at-work trust instead of skepticism encourages them to perform at their highest levels.
Our motivation
SK hynix continues to look for innovative solutions to develop the work and life balance for all of our employees by complying with SK Management System (SKMS), which is SK group’s principles for management pursuing stakeholders’ happiness and well-being including our employees. We are proud of the culture being built because our leadership is underlining the importance of trust and belongingness, like the ones you’d find within your own family.
We are always so glad to hear from some of our great mothers who overcome adversity every day to excel at where they are now, and we admire their expertise and commitment to inspire the industry and workforce as a whole. To all the dedicated mothers across the world, happy Mother’s Day from SK hynix!
