Produced | Sohu School of Business
Editor | Xu Xiaoqi Wang Zhen
Today, when the pressure of social competition is accelerating, so-called irregular working time mechanisms such as the “996 work system” have been derived. Some people say that this is a kind of blessing that allows young people to grow up quickly. Others say that this is a shortcut to self-destruction.
Is the “996 work system” really a blessing? Entering the era of digital economy, what changes will corporate organizations have? Sohu Business School talked with Lv Shousheng, president of the Beijing Chinese and Foreign Enterprise Human Resources Association. Lv Shousheng believes that corporate competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and some companies with strong sense of crisis and weak profitability have to work overtime to adapt to this competition. To a certain extent, proper overtime can help to enhance the competitiveness of enterprises, but excessive overtime can harm work efficiency to a certain extent.
Talking about the obstacles that Chinese companies face in “going out”, Lu Shousheng said that some countries have set many restrictions on the investment of Chinese companies, especially some industry associations and trade unions, which are full of vigilance about the entry of Chinese companies. “Some companies worry that we will move their technology to China in the course of mergers and acquisitions, thereby reducing local production. Therefore, they have doubts about our investment sincerity.”
According to Lu Shousheng, the “Going Global” of Weichai Group, where he belongs, is a successful case. Weichai is an international company with cross-field and cross-industry operations. It has power systems, automotive business, construction machinery, intelligent logistics, agricultural equipment, marine transportation equipment and other business sectors around the world. Its subsidiaries are in Europe, North America, Asia and other regions. , Products are exported to more than 110 countries and regions.
Lv Shousheng said that Weichai Group began its international exploration in 2009. In this process, The first is to be good at using international talents; the second is to establish a regular exchange mechanism for talents; the third is to do a good job in cultural communication and integration. Because the integration of cultures and people in different regions takes time, we must use the spirit of responsibility, communication, tolerance, and innovation to promote the two sides to reach consensus when differences arise.
The “14th Five-Year Plan” announced on March 12 and the 2035 long-term goal clearly stated that the statutory retirement age will be gradually delayed. What is the impact of delayed retirement on the job market? Lu Shousheng said that the overall situation of delaying retirement has been determined. In the future, it will be common for people in their 50s and 60s to find jobs in the job market. The silver hair market will gradually rise in the future, which is a useful supplement to the current shortage of talent market and labor supply.
Lu Shousheng believes that To deal with delayed retirement, companies need to provide timely training to people of similar ages. Some employees are limited by knowledge and skills, and have insufficient grasp of the new economy, especially digital capabilities. Companies should do some counseling and training early in this regard to avoid them Fall behind prematurely.
Second, create as many opportunities as possible to give full play to the talents of the elderly. Third, companies should strengthen health management and energy management, such as providing fitness facilities, enhancing the physical fitness of employees, and regularly arranging physical examinations to prevent them from getting too early. The exhaustion of physical function; the last thing is to do a good job of career guidance to prevent employees from not reaching the age of retirement, but they think of retirement early in their minds.
The following is a compilation of interviews:
Sohu Finance: 996, large and small work week, what are the underlying reasons for the existence of overtime culture in Chinese companies? From the perspective of corporate management, can it really improve corporate efficiency and competitiveness?
Lu Shousheng: At present, the competition among industries is very fierce. Companies mainly want to improve their competitiveness and increase output. They often actively and passively let employees work overtime. Some companies have unmatched advantages in natural resources, business models, core technologies, and customer acquisition. In this case, these companies do not need to work overtime.
However, some companies have a strong sense of crisis and relatively weak profitability. In addition, the production rhythm and production tasks are relatively heavy, and they have to work overtime to adapt to this competition. To a certain extent, proper overtime can help improve the efficiency and competitiveness of enterprises. Excessive overtime is not enough, which will damage work efficiency to a certain extent.
Sohu Finance: Excellent Chinese companies such as Huawei and ByteDance often face local policy challenges and pressures when going overseas. What do you think is the most important problem that Chinese companies need to solve in the process of internationalization?
Lu Shousheng: First of all, we must understand and understand the local employment policies and business rules, pay attention to cultural differences, and avoid discomfort.
Secondly, Chinese and foreign companies also have differences in personnel dismissal. European companies have relatively strong trade unions, and it is often very troublesome for companies to dismiss a person. But in China, the entry and exit of corporate personnel is relatively flexible.
Some countries have set many restrictions on the investment of Chinese companies in order to protect local industries. In particular, some industry associations and trade unions are full of vigilance about the entry of Chinese companies, and even doubt the sincerity of investment. These are obstacles that Chinese companies have to face in “going out”.
Sohu Finance: What are the successful examples of companies in the process of internationalization?
Lu Shousheng: The Weichai Group I serve now, their “going out” is a good case. Weichai Group began its international exploration in 2009, and successively acquired French company Baudouin with a history of 100 years. In the process of integration, many companies lost money at the beginning of mergers and acquisitions. However, through domestic and foreign linkages, we have achieved a turnaround from loss to profit, and achieved industrial synergy.
In the process of Weichai’s going global, the first is to be good at making use of international talents. The second is to establish a regular exchange mechanism for talents. We will invite the heads of overseas investment companies to the Chinese headquarters or affiliated companies for visits, learning, and exchanges. At the same time, high-potential talents cultivated in China are sent abroad to participate in their project learning process like a shadow plan.
The third is to do a good job in cultural communication and integration. Finally, the employees of Chinese local companies learn how foreign countries pay attention to quality and quality process optimization, so as to enhance our own management capabilities and increase the practical experience of the front line.
Sohu Finance: Compared with Western management models, what are the characteristics of Chinese management models and what practical results have they achieved? What aspects need to be learned from Western managers?
Lu Shousheng: It is difficult to have a unified definition of Chinese-style business management, let alone any standard. Chinese companies emphasize authoritative leadership, and employees have a strong sense of awe and respect for leaders. The West is relatively democratic. In terms of decision-making mechanisms and strategy formation, more emphasis is placed on teamwork.
Secondly, with regard to management style, the West favors a coaching style of leadership, that is, I teach you how to do it. In China, the leadership style is more command-based, that is, I say you do it. Chinese-style management has a strong affinity, and the West emphasizes equality and fairness. What needs to be learned from the West is to play the role of a coach, do less preaching, and provide more guidance instead of telling the answer directly.
Sohu Finance: Three years after Pinduoduo went public, Huang Zheng resigned as chairman, completing the exit of all the founders. How should we evaluate the impact of the founder’s exit on the company?
Lu Shousheng: The founder’s withdrawal from the company may be due to other pursuits of the founder. This is a proactive action, such as Wang Shi withdrawing from Vanke, Jack Ma withdrawing from Alibaba, and Huang Zheng withdrawing from Pinduoduo. Some of these withdrawals are motivated by personal hobbies, and some are motivated by the pursuit of other life values and higher missions.
Some companies have made preparations for this a long time ago, such as Vanke’s Yu Liang and other managements, who are familiar with the company’s governance structure, management capabilities, company culture, and operating mechanism. Therefore, the exit of the founder will not have a major adverse impact on the company, but will be beneficial to the iteration and growth of talents.
Sohu Finance: The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has made it clear that the statutory retirement age will be gradually delayed. What is the impact of delayed retirement on the job market? As a company’s HR, how to deal with delayed retirement and what preparations should be made?
Lu Shousheng: The society needs to emphasize flexible employment, which means that people who are older but still have a good skill can continue to work. Companies should pay attention to employees’ innovation, willingness to work, and vitality. They cannot be one size fits all, but only look at age.
In the future, it will be more common for people in their 50s and 60s to get new job opportunities in the job market, and the silver hair market will gradually rise. This will be a useful supplement to our current shortage of talent market and labor supply, and it will also ease relatively speaking. The gospel of labor shortage and talent shortage.
First, companies must provide timely training to people of similar ages. Some personnel are limited by knowledge and skills, and have insufficient grasp of the new economy, especially digital capabilities. Companies must do some counseling and training early in this regard to avoid them prematurely The lagging behind.
Second, create as many opportunities as possible to give full play to the talents of the elderly. Third, companies should strengthen health management and energy management, such as providing certain fitness facilities, enhancing the physical and physical fitness of employees, and arranging regular physical examinations to prevent them from premature physical failure, and to prepare for a longer term. .
The last thing is to do a good job of guidance to prevent employees from thinking about retirement early in their hearts before they reach the age of retirement. Companies need to clarify their own mechanisms to provide better opportunities for older, but still vigorous and energetic employees.
Sohu Finance: Has the company’s requirements for outstanding employees changed under the influence of the long-term epidemic? Under the global market environment, how do companies carry out the strategic layout of talents?
Lu Shousheng: The first requirement for outstanding employees is performance. The second is strong learning ability and innovation ability. The third is attitude. Outstanding employees often have a strong sense of professionalism, collaboration, and teamwork.
Under the influence of the epidemic, some companies hope that outstanding employees can be more resilient and not give up because of temporary difficulties, which may cause doubt or frustration about the company. Excellent employees must be able to actively adapt to this change and turn the crisis into vitality. , Turn pressure into motivation. Excellent employees are those who seldom complain about the objective environment and will proactively look for opportunities.
If an enterprise has a globalization and internationalization strategy, it must reserve talents in advance. For example, whether the selected managers have bilingual communication skills, and whether they have a certain understanding of the international business environment. In addition, as the international situation continues to change, globalization issues are temporarily facing some challenges. Enterprises cannot change their determination to globalize. Under such circumstances, the acquisition and preparation of talents must be advanced, rather than behind closed doors.
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