This year, to celebrate Mother’s Day and all of the hard-working mothers at SK hynix, we spoke to women across our global network to discuss motherhood, their work-life balance, and what advice they have for mothers returning to the workforce.

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Polly Wang (SK hynix America)
San Jose, California
Joined SK hynix in March 2014
One daughter: 8-year-old

• What she does?

I am a Sr. Account Manager and started by managing Apple NAND business, contract and pricing negotiation before switching to Apple DRAM business in early 2020. I work with Korea and local teams to define business opportunities and risks through day-to-day activities in commercial, operational and enabling arenas.

• How she does it?

Through years in high-tech industry and living in the fast-pace Silicon Valley, I learned to manage work and family with extra planning and preparation. I usually start my day with quick glance on work emails, set priority and plan on tackling the pending issues and tasks. I use my morning exercise to review my tasks again, while also planning family meals. Knowing what to do next with a clear mind makes my day go smoother and more efficient.

• How do you separate work and home?

Like every family, the most challenging part is always about balancing work and family. Instead of separating work and home, I manage to mix these two very well throughout the workday. I take breaks to prepare meals and do housework while still planning my work ahead in order to minimize interruption during our family time.

SK hynix also has a clear work-from-home policy and safety procedure that addressed our concern during this pandemic time.

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Sunmin Yun (SK hynix Memory Solutions America)
San Jose, California
Joined SK hynix in 2019
One daughter: 1-year-old

• Her day-to-day?

I have been working as a Senior Staff Engineer of NAND/SSD Characterization in SKHMS America as a member of Media algorithm team. My primary job is to develop and implement EOL(End-of-Life) reliability tests with the eRDT system and give customers and internal teams feedback. I am also participating in the development of new algorithms to improve performance and reliability.

• Her work/life balance?

During the COVID pandemic, my husband and I have shared a daily schedule and it has helped each other. For example, if I have a meeting at 1 pm, my husband plays with our daughter and returns to work after my meeting. Luckily, our meeting schedules were not often overlapped. The flexible working environment help mothers balance work and parenting better.

• Why SK hynix?

SK hynix has a very mother-friendly culture and resources. When I joined SKHMS America, I found a cozy mother’s room in the building and was impressed. I was able to pump breastmilk and take a rest in the room. A mother-supportive team leader and co-workers have always helped me to have a flexible work schedule and be confident as a working mom.

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He Qian (SK hynix Semiconductor (Chongqing) Ltd.)
Chongqing, China
Joined SK hynix in February 2014
1 son: 4-year-old

• What she does?

I served as the head of the production management shift team for 3 years and in May 2017, I was promoted to mother and transferred to the ordinary work after working in three shifts to take up the role of education and expenses in the department.

• How she does it?

As a working mother in the manufacturing industry, there is no fixed life, only sudden changes, and at the same time children can’t stay still as they are overflowing with energy. Therefore, I try my best to maintain a harmonious family relationship, mobilize the members of the family to share daily chores and drive my husband to play and study with the children.

At the same time, I also try to be rational and patient to distinguish between work and daily life. I am conscientious and responsible at work, and accompany children attentively, so that the pressure and emotions at work will not affect the harmonious atmosphere of the family, and of course, the attitude at work must not be affected by home life as well.

• What she’s proudest of?

When I returned to my job after taking maternity leave, I was catching up with the company organizing a band competition. As a musician, I needed to prepare for the band competition while completing normal business, but the child had a sudden illness before the competition.

I was really exhausted physically and mentally, but I did not fall down because of the understanding and help from my family and my dear colleagues in the department who worked together to successfully complete the band competition. Although I didn’t win the prize in the end, I was very proud of having such a great colleague and partner, loving and understanding family, and proud of being such a superhuman mother.

Hongxia Zhao (SK hynix Semiconductor (China) Ltd.)
Wuxi, China
Joined SK hynix in 2008

• Her day-to-day?

I am a manager of SK hynix’s technical improvement department. Our team name: RD Beauty Group, my team is all Women.

• Why SK hynix?

My career growth is inseparable from SK hynix. After graduating from university, I changed jobs a lot including personnel, R&D, administration, etc. I always felt that it was not my ideal job. Until the moment I joined SK hynix in 2008, I felt right, and then in the blink of an eye I have been working in this place for 14 years, and I feel I will continue to do it.

• What she’s learned from motherhood?

After I became a mother, I discovered that the identity of a mother is added to my work. First of all: I am more responsible. The so-called mother is strong. After having a child, I became more mature, more responsible and consistent. Second: I treat work and subordinate employees with patience for children, and the work environment for employee relations is more harmonious and caring.

• What she wants to change?

Many people stubbornly think that women can’t care about work when they have children and the unfounded notions caused current working mothers to be restricted by their positions and ceilings in the workplace. Even many women in the workplace are afraid to have children, but I hope everyone can change their views and provide a good working environment for women in the workplace.

Elena Korunnaya (SK hynix Memory Solutions Eastern Europe)
Belarus, Minsk
Joined SK hynix in 2014
Three children: 19-year-old, 15-year-old, 3-year-old

• What she does?

I am a part of an Administration team as a Chief accountant, and I am working in the company from its foundation. It is going to be seven years since my working here. I remember how everything started: how we built our team, changed two offices and dealt with every situation. I like my job because it makes me learn every day.

• Her work/life balance?

It is very important for me to become a great accountant because I am very inspired by my work. At the same time, spending time with my family is just as valuable to me as my career. It is not so easy to keep up to do many things at work and home, but without the support of family members, it would be impossible.

SKHMS E is a “family-friendly” company. The management is sympathetic to the fact that I am a mother of many children. This attitude helps me to find a balance between work and family. In addition, I have an excellent team that always supports me and helps solve any problem.

• What’s special about SK hynix?

Our company also has a wonderful tradition – to celebrate Family Day every year. Before we started work remotely, we came to the office with the children and they could see where their mother works, what important and responsible position she occupies. It helps them understand that a mother is not just a mother but also a professional.

I am happy to work at a company where a person’s love for their family is understood, respected and supported with additional family days off throughout the year and different family corporate events.

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The post Mother’s Day 2021: Celebrating our mothers at SK hynix first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.

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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

The post In Her Words: Celebrating all of the Mothers at SK hynix first appeared on SK hynix Newsroom.