A flag with the logo of Samsung Group flutters in front of its office building in Seoul. Yonhap

Criticism is mounting over what is widely considered as the "outdated and inefficient" introduction of a six-day workweek for executives of Samsung Group and SK Group, as the move is feared to end up dampening the overall morale of employees, according to company officials, Thursday.

The concern came in response to Samsung Group's latest decision to make executives of its key affiliates — such as Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDI and Samsung SDS — work an extra day either on Saturday or Sunday.

Executives from Samsung C&T, Samsung Heavy Industries and Samsung E&A, worked for six days a week, as part of their move to step up risk management amid increasing global economic uncertainties.

However, officials from the industry said that this goes against the global paradigm. They pointed out that the move will weaken employee confidence and the overall morale in the workplace.

"Even if regular staff members do not work for six days, they will feel a sense of pressure and fatigue from the introduction of the six-day workweek for executives," an official from a conglomerate here said. "This clearly goes against the global labor paradigm, and it also remains doubtful as to whether such an extra-work system will be able to generate tangible outcomes."

An official from an affiliate of Samsung Group said that the decision is aimed at dealing with the lingering business uncertainties here and abroad.

SK Group also recently resumed a biweekly meeting on Saturday for top executives from its affiliates for the first time in 24 years since it adopted the five-day workweek back in 2000.

Another official from a major firm also raised concerns over the latest moves by Samsung and SK.

"As the two companies are the nation's top conglomerates, this is feared to cast a negative impact across the industry by creating a mood for executives from other big or small firms to follow a similar way," the official said.

On top of that, if executives work on the weekend, they will likely push their employees or team members to carry out more tasks under the nation's general work environment, according to the official.

"As executives are mapping out the roadmap of each division, non-executive-level officials will be under more pressure to work harder, which many young staff members consider an outdated work style. It is doubtful whether the six-day workweek by executives will help improve the productivity of any companies."