In 2023, did you get promoted and receive a raise, or were you laid off and unemployed? Could you please share your career experience this year in detail?
As 2023 comes to a close, how has your work been this year? Do you have any unforgettable stories from the workplace? Has the gloom dissipated, or is life still unpredictable? Have you had the courage to let go of conventions and remain steadfast in your career? Zhihu Career has launched the End-of-Year Workplace Ten Questions event, inviting you to share your unique workplace stories! Event rewards Based on the quality of the content and the number of interactions, we will select 5 high-quality responses under this question and award each corresponding respondent with a copy of the Zhihu 2024 Calendar The winners will be announced on December 28th in the description of this question, so be sure to stay tuned! Event duration November 16th - December 24th Event rules 1 The answer should be no less than 500 words 2 The answer should be a true personal story and ensure originality For other questions, please follow this link » https//zhuanlanzhihucom/p/667117330
Unemployment, Part-time Jobs, Family Reunions, Selling Handicrafts, Job Hunting
Last year, the company started to decline, and in July of this year, I became unemployed.
There were signs of unemployment before. The consecutive closures of stores and the disappearance of colleagues were the most direct evidence. So, before the final ultimatum, I started to search for part-time jobs online.
In addition to my regular freelance writing and coding jobs, I also found an online part-time job as a health management consultant. According to HR, although I have certifications as a nutritionist and health management consultant, I still need to undergo three months of training before I can start working. So, I started the first phase of training, attending lectures and taking notes, as well as participating in meetings to share experiences. After studying for over a month, I slowly realized that something was wrong. I realized that they were brainwashing me during the training, without actually assigning any trainees. So, I searched on Zhihu (a Chinese Q&A website) and discovered that it was indeed a scam. They were using the guise of recruitment to develop job seekers as customers. After three months of training, if job seekers wanted a part-time job, they had to spend thousands of yuan to purchase health packages in order to obtain the qualification of being an assistant.
Feeling that something was wrong, I quickly distanced myself from it and stopped attending the training. However, this incident made me feel defeated. I thought I had found an opportunity, but it turned out to be a scam. I was the fool wearing a jester’s hat among the flourishing green leeks.
The new career never came, but the blade of downsizing did. After leaving the HR office, I bought a high-speed train ticket to go back to my parents' home in the afternoon.
I got married and moved from Guangdong to a small city in Fujian two years ago. I had been working continuously before, but because the income in the small city was not high, I always had to balance my main job with side jobs and never had time to go back home. This unemployment gave me the opportunity to return home and reunite with my parents.
Taking advantage of the “opportunity” of being unemployed, I stayed at home for over a month. My parents treated me very well, making delicious food for me in various ways and giving me suggestions for my future. In their words, whether I decide to stay or leave, they will support me both spiritually and materially. If I can’t find a job, they will support me financially every month. If I want to return to Guangdong, they will also support me. Their backup love gives me great warmth and strength.
During the month at home, enjoying good food and warmth, I also obtained a driving license for three-wheeled vehicles, converting my C1 driving license to C1D.
It was the first time in my life to drive a three-wheeler, hahaha.
During this time, I also applied for a subsidy for the professional skills certification I obtained earlier, and then I returned to Fujian.
After returning to Fujian, I filed a lawsuit against a private borrower for the first time (someone who borrowed money from me but didn’t return it). Fortunately, I won the case, and now I am applying for the reimbursement of 4,100 yuan in litigation fees and 260 yuan in announcement fees.
After the lawsuit, I started making and selling handmade bracelets. At first, I made them for myself, but later friends asked for them, so I started selling them along with my own handicrafts. It has been about two months now.
I sell them at very low prices, just to earn some pocket money, and I also give various accessories as gifts. But many customers become regulars, and they often make repeat purchases.
And most of the items I make are unique, unless they specifically request a repeat order.
For example, this handmade pendant has been reordered several times.
During the time of making handicrafts, my daily routine is basically buying groceries, cooking, taking care of pets, and exercising in the morning… I follow online cooking videos by renowned chefs to make new dishes, so my cooking skills have improved by leaps and bounds. In order to eat and drink well, I run five kilometers every day to prevent myself from gaining weight.
Last month, a colleague told me that she also resigned. The entire copywriting department was left empty, and the company even planned to stop live streaming house sales because it had no effect on attracting customers. To be honest, I am not surprised at all. Ever since I entered the real estate industry last year, I have witnessed its decline. By the time I left in July, a total of 20 new houses were sold in the entire city in July. In August, they didn’t even announce the data. This clearly indicates that there were no business opportunities anymore.
Of course, it’s not true to say that I’m not worried about being unemployed. I have also tried to find a job, but this city is basically like a small town. There aren’t many big companies here, and the entire city relies on just one state-owned enterprise. Even after my younger brother visited during the National Day holiday, he said there were very few people in the city.
Fortunately, my husband and I have a house to live in, and we don’t have a mortgage to pay. I also have another property that I rent out, so I earn some rental income every month. I also do some handiwork and freelance writing. My husband works as a teacher at a university, so his income is relatively stable. Our parents both have government jobs. As long as we don’t spend money recklessly, don’t start a business, don’t make risky investments, and don’t easily trust others, we can live a stable life.
Last week, I applied for a volunteer police motorcyclist position, and they said having a motorcycle license is preferred. I thought since I had just acquired mine, I might as well apply. If I get accepted, I will also receive training to ride a bigger motorcycle. Aside from this reason, the main reason is that there aren’t many companies here. Unlike when I was in Shenzhen, where there were always job opportunities in various companies.
Here, although the income of a volunteer police officer is not high, it’s still decent. At least it’s not lower than that of a company employee.
Just to give you all a rough idea of what companies here are like, I randomly took a screenshot. For example, this part-time job near my home, it says part-time, but in reality, it is a 10.5-hour shift. If we calculate based on working 22 days a month, the monthly salary would be 2,650 yuan, which doesn’t include social security or benefits.
In general, other full-time jobs here also pay around 3,000 yuan, so a monthly income of 4,000 yuan wouldn’t be considered low. Some jobs require fixed working hours, and some have issues with irregular salary payments. This gives you an idea of what private companies are like here. That’s why I want to start an online business, at least to escape geographical limitations.
As for why I want to find a job, firstly, staying at home for too long would be boring. Secondly, having a job provides a guaranteed income, and I can turn selling bracelets and writing into side jobs. Thirdly, when I work, I can interact with people. This way, I can wear all my different jewelry every day when I go out, hahaha. It gives me a sense of purpose, and I don’t have to stay at home wearing my Donald Duck robe looking disheveled and unkempt. Ah, if a woman doesn’t work, she’ll lose her charm!
Job hunting experience
2023 has been a special year in my life so far, and I feel like I have experienced a lot.
I became unemployed last year, and at the beginning of the year, I still had not found a job, but in January and February, I was still in a relatively good mood.
After all, it was the Chinese New Year, and I comforted myself, saying, “Most companies don’t hire before the Chinese New Year, so just stay at home and have a peaceful holiday.” It has been more than ten years since I graduated, and I have been working in the south since I left my hometown in the north. I can only go back home during the Chinese New Year, hurriedly. This year, I stayed at home for over a month, accompanying my parents every day, and I was extremely happy.
In early March, I returned to the small fishing village and started the new year’s job search journey, but my mood started to deteriorate.
Finding a job is really difficult! Every day, I would swipe through job search apps, but there were very few suitable positions available, and the ones I had already applied for seemed to have disappeared without a trace. I felt extremely anxious. At the end of March, I finally received an interview invitation. I went to the interview with joy, and I did well in the first and second rounds, but stumbled in the third round… I felt really discouraged at that time. It was a hard-won opportunity, and it was also a company and position that I quite liked. I felt that I was really mediocre and failed to seize the chance.
My friends advised me to go out and relax through traveling, as I had the time they desired. But I dare not! Every day, I calculated how long my savings could support me. Moreover, when I felt confused about the future, I even lost the mood to go out.
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of April. Apart from the previous interview, I had not had any interviews for a long time. However, during this period, I forced myself not to feel down and started cooking for myself and going out for walks. It was from this moment that I began to feel better.
Cooking for myself is truly economical and enjoyable. When I watch videos and see delicious dishes, I make a note of them and prioritize making them for myself. I watch dramas while cooking and then eat the food I like, which feels wonderful.
Going out for walks is also a way to make myself happy. It doesn’t cost money and allows me to meet people. I wander aimlessly, changing to a fresh location every day, experiencing different scenery. Occasionally, when I come across a small shop that looks delicious, I would go in and taste it. But most of the time, after I get tired from walking, I would take a bus or subway back home, and then cook and eat on my own.
During the walks, I think about many things, and while thinking, I suddenly feel relieved.
At the beginning of May, I went on a trip to Chaozhou, which was nearby. Going on a trip on weekdays was absolutely fantastic. There were fewer people, and I was able to take beautiful photos and have a great experience. Everywhere I went, I received a warm welcome. I even rented a sightseeing car for a tour (because I was the only passenger…). The most cost-effective part was the accommodation. The room cost over 700 yuan during the Dragon Boat Festival, but when I stayed, it was only 179 yuan… emmm.
I returned in mid-May. I don’t know if it was because I obtained good luck at Kaifeng Temple in Chaozhou or if something happened during my trip that changed my luck, but suddenly I had several interview opportunities. I entered a cycle of preparing for interviews, attending interviews, preparing for more interviews, and attending interviews.
The interviews continued until mid-June, and except for one company (which is now my current company), I failed in the final rounds for the others.
Afterwards, I slowly focused on the only opportunity I had. On weekdays, I would occasionally send out resumes and cook for myself, go shopping, and go on short trips in the surrounding area. My days were quite comfortable. Except for the lack of money, everything else was enjoyable.
Then came the successful interview and the offer. I started my new job at the end of August.
In terms of salary, my current job pays much less than my previous one. However, the company’s environment is pretty good, and my superiors and colleagues are nice. Although there is work pressure, it is acceptable. I don’t usually have to work overtime. As a newcomer, I need to familiarize myself with the job, but they count my overtime and give me the option to take time off in return. It feels pretty good. I won’t talk about promotions and salary increases this year. My main hope is to successfully complete my probation period in this position :)
Looking back on my experience, I have a lot of emotions.
I used to be a competitive and ambitious person who enjoyed comparing myself to others and was quite greedy. After going through this period, I feel much more content. Now, from the bottom of my heart, I believe that everyone’s life is unique and worth enjoying. I allow everything to happen and truly feel that every experience is valuable. Let’s fully experience our own lives.
After going through this period, I also feel that I’ve been quite lucky. Relying on luck to navigate through life, that’s definitely me. Thankfulness!
I hope that my days will continue to get better. In 2024, I feel that my goal is not about promotions and salary increases. I hope to fulfill my duties at work, avoid being unemployed if possible, and just have enough to support myself. My main hope is to have more experiences in 2024.
The Dilemma of Unpaid Wages
Unpaid wages, unpaid wages, and still more unpaid wages. “Unpaid wages” is the biggest keyword of the year!
As I type these words, I have accumulated five months of unpaid wages.
The rhythm of unpaid wages this year is as follows: unpaid wages in January, February, and March,
Salary for January and February paid in April, salary for March paid in May, and then the cycle of unpaid wages continues. Salary for April paid in July, salary for May paid in September, and the remaining salaries up to today, November 16th, have still not been paid, totaling five months of unpaid wages!
It is now November, not the season for job hunting. Everywhere people are talking about the economic downturn and the difficult job market. Now we are faced with a dilemma. Should we endure five months of unpaid wages, continue to stay, and risk the possibility of the boss running away and having nothing? Should we wait until the Chinese New Year to switch jobs? Or should we choose to resign, settle the five months of unpaid wages, and leave the risk of finding future employment to ourselves?
Everyone is talking about how the economic environment is not good and how it is difficult to find a job. But being in a job and having five months of unpaid wages is also very difficult! How can we describe this kind of difficulty? It means having no passion for work, no hope for income, living a tight life. In name, we have a job, but in reality, we live even tighter than the unemployed. The company is a well-established company, over thirty years old, with a comfortable seven-hour workday and weekends off. Many of the old oil hands have settled down nearby, planning to work until retirement. Many of the old employees have been working here for over ten or twenty years. It would be difficult for them to find a job if they left. They choose to endure, to be owed wages until they lose their temper and dare not speak up. They stay in their positions, without any movements, coming back home every day to work with negativity, drinking tea, playing with their phones, passing the time. After all, the longer they stay, the more wages the company has to pay. As long as the company owes them wages, they will continue to work.
If one chooses to resign, the company will settle the outstanding wages of the individual “resigned employee” at the end of the following month. Because they have been owed for five months, it is a large sum of money for several hundred people in the company. Therefore, the wages of those still employed are difficult to be paid out. It is impossible to settle the wages of individual employees, as they say, it is not that there are too few resources, but that they are not evenly distributed. Currently, the situation of the company is that there are some repayments, but they are inconsistent and inadequate. They struggle to pay a small amount each month. Currently, they have already accumulated five months of unpaid wages for the employees. It is unlikely that they will be settled before the Chinese New Year. However, for those who leave and have unpaid wages, they can be settled because the wages of one or two people for five months can still be paid.
If we continue to stay, the biggest risk is “bank run”. When everyone realizes that something is wrong and collectively resigns, the company will not have enough money to settle the wages of all the departing employees. This is the biggest risk.
Secondly, the snowball effect will occur. The longer the wages are overdue, the heavier the burden becomes. Eventually, the boss may not be able to bear the pressure and run away. Although this boss has a strong sense of social responsibility and insists on not laying off employees or cutting salaries, continuously owing wages is not a solution. Undeniably, the longer the time goes on, under heavy debt and inability to turn a profit, even with the boss’s philanthropy, they will not have the ability to keep the “ship” carrying several hundred old employees from sinking.
I would like to ask my fellow friends on Zhihu three questions: First, it is already November. If I resign and settle my wages, is it really difficult to find a job outside now? Second, for those who are still unemployed and have not found a job, what are your plans? Third, are there any friends like me who are still employed but also suffering? Let’s encourage each other.
The overall environment is not good. We need to communicate with each other in terms of employment opportunities and overcome these difficult times together.
Career Journey: From No Future to the Right Path
Is the highest salary and promotion considered a promotion? Today’s achievements come from a change ten years ago.
In 2013, I was still working in a government agency doing an administrative job with no future prospects. Yes, it’s the job that Zhihu users envy, desire, and even call it a “successful” job.
Because this job was nine to five, with at most two hours of actual work time in a day. The rest was spent chatting on Taobao. It was almost like the work pace shown in many old movies.
But I realized that this was like boiling a frog in warm water, so I quickly improved my education, and changed my career. Ten years ago, I laid the foundation for switching to software and intelligent technology, so that today, no matter how the organization changes, I can always find a job and have a stable income.
The happiest thing for me this year is that several leaders from a company have actively invited me, offering double the salary and an independent office, among other conditions. Although I didn’t accept it, these things indicate that I’m on the right path.
I’ve always believed that in the workplace, it’s not about climbing the ladder and getting rich, but about ensuring that no matter where you go, you can always make a living. The more people you cooperate with, the more people will appreciate you and be willing to give you more opportunities for cooperation. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Annual Salary Expenditure is Used Up, Salary Distribution is Restricted.
I changed jobs and took a pay cut this year, but work has been going smoothly without any interruptions. I’ve been on the road all the time.
In March, I transferred from an operational position to the office, responsible for research documents and organizational management.
The friends in the office are all very nice. They prepared many gifts for me when they knew I was coming, such as long-forgotten files, several summaries to write, a total of eight seals from the company and department combined, management of the meeting room, and numerous official documents to be issued…
My professional qualifications were like a sudden explosion, overflowing everywhere. They all said that during that time, I was burning with intensity. Maybe it was because I couldn’t go to the restroom more than once a day, and my kidney water had accumulated in my body.
I also learned a lot, such as why colleagues who had been resting at home for three months last year due to the epidemic complained that they earned less money this year.
It’s because the total salary expenditure, like the one below, would make anyone who hasn’t dealt with it say, “Wow, even State-owned Enterprises don’t have money!”
Yes, he doesn’t have money this year, mainly because the set total salary expenditure by superiors has been exhausted.
For example, at the beginning of the year, the superior set a total salary expenditure of 10 million yuan for the subordinate unit. This year, only 10 million yuan can be used to pay the employees. If you have 100 people, the average annual salary per person is 100,000 yuan.
But we frontline employees didn’t know. We enthusiastically started the “Opening Red Packet in the First Quarter” and the “Time Half Over, Tasks Half Over” actions.
The leaders saw that we were doing a good job and rewarded the employees every month. As a result, by the first ten months, the 10 million yuan had been fully used. We’re sorry, but in the remaining two months, such a situation will occur: no money to distribute.
For example, when organizing activities, the more important a person is, the better treatment they enjoy.
The comrades in the organization carried out an activity called “Tracing Red Memories and Walking the Path of the Era’s Exam”. When arranging accommodation, they would give a single room to a teacher who was the most troublesome. The main reason is that no one wants to stay with him, really.
The teacher is quite fierce. He holds a less demanding position and usually does nothing but enjoys meddling in other people’s affairs. In the few years since I came to the factory, I’ve seen him have friendly interactions with colleagues, cafeteria chefs, bus drivers, and outsourcing units.
Maybe it’s a problem caused by having too much free time.
For instance, among the office staff, the proportion of girls is the highest in the entire company, with a total of seven people, including two girls, accounting for a staggering 28.57%.
The personnel allocation is also interesting. We have one director, one vice director, one propaganda officer, and one administrative officer. The remaining three are all borrowed from other departments, and I am one of them.
Let’s stop here and go check how much is left of this year’s total salary expenditure~
The Bitter Experience of Returning to the Workplace
I am a stay-at-home mom who has returned to the workplace. Before I started working at this company, I had already changed jobs five times.
These five jobs were my experiences after being a full-time mom for two years. Prior to having children, my career was relatively smooth. I received raises every year and generous year-end bonuses.
However, after having children and especially after returning to the workplace as a full-time mom, my career took a downturn and was filled with bitterness.
In my first job, I only lasted for more than 20 days. After being a full-time mom at home for only two years, I was unfamiliar with office software and faced various criticisms upon returning to the workplace. In the end, I resigned because I had to work on Saturdays, had to work late at night, and the work atmosphere was tense. Considering that I couldn’t sustain it in the long run, I decided to quit.
In my second job, I actually liked the work atmosphere there. I also had good leaders and colleagues who helped me adapt to the new work environment. The work hours were from nine to five, with weekends off, and I had complete social security and housing provident fund coverage. However, I had only worked there for two months when the company dissolved due to the withdrawal of investment.
To be honest, I wasn’t very happy with my third job. I always felt a lack of trust there. I persevered for nine months because of the outbreak of the pandemic. The job required me to start work at 8 a.m. and finish at 6 p.m., and sometimes there were demands for overtime on weekends. Considering the long term, I couldn’t balance it with picking up and dropping off my child, so I decided to resign.
The fourth job was close to home and only took a little over 20 minutes to walk there. The work environment, atmosphere, leaders, and colleagues were all nice, and I really enjoyed my job.
During my eight months there, my work abilities improved significantly, and I also gained recognition from my leaders. I had planned to work for this company until retirement, but things didn’t go as planned. The company relocated and it was too far from home, so I was forced to resign because I had to take care of my child.
Now, this job is my fifth job since returning to the workplace as a full-time mom. Although I have multiple responsibilities and have to deal with a demanding leader every day, I persisted because this job is close to home, and overtime is rare.
I have been working at my current company for two years, and my work abilities have finally gained recognition from my leaders.
Now, let me talk about the work situations of the people around me!
My husband works for a listed company. He got a raise this year, but the requirements have also become stricter. According to rumors, the company has plans for layoffs.
My younger brother, cousin, and cousin-in-law work for government agencies or state-owned enterprises, and they haven’t been affected by the pandemic for three years.
Two of my colleagues were laid off due to issues with their work attitude and abilities.
A new colleague said that it took him quite a long time to find a job this year, and opportunities are indeed not as plentiful as before.
We often see news of layoffs online, but there aren’t many people around me who have been laid off.
In summary, in a not-so-good overall environment, we shouldn’t have overly high expectations. It’s already good enough for ordinary workers to maintain their current situation.
If there are no opportunities for promotion or salary increases in the current job, don’t rush to quit.
We can try other avenues, such as developing a side business, reducing unnecessary expenses, or working hard to acquire knowledge and wait for the right opportunity.
Many companies are struggling and waiting for opportunities. When the opportunity comes and the economy recovers, there will be good prospects.
The same applies to ordinary people like us. When the economic environment is not good, we should learn to improve ourselves and study hard; otherwise, even when opportunities come, we won’t be able to seize them!
The Hardship and Rewards of an Embedded Engineer
No promotion, just a slight increase in salary, and no layoffs.
It can be said that 2023 has been a calm year, but also a year of aging, a year with more gray hair. I have been responsible for six hardware projects on my own.
Of course, firmware development and writing Linux drivers are necessary. Many people often describe coding as mundane work.
But writing drivers is different from mundane work. Genuine mundane work is when the company delivers a pile of ready-made bricks, which have already been polished into square shapes.
In driver development, however, you need to use unpolished stones to build bricks. You may need to polish them yourself, find the right position for these stones. Sometimes, the project is to build a bridge, and other times it is to repair a road. Your stones need to adapt to these different projects.
What’s different is that embedded engineering involves many edge cases that need to be resolved.
When there’s a problem with the device, they come to you. When there are bugs in testing, they come to you first. If someone else makes changes and needs testing, it’s your job. If there are production line bugs, you need to solve them. You also need to know how to write application software and keep track of project progress.
Claiming not to have grown is all fake.
So, it’s true that we are both tired and happy.
But the good news is that the team has slowly grown in numbers, and different people have become better at working together. Programming for applications has become more effortless, and communication is no longer as uncomfortable. As long as everyone shares the same goals and aims for improvement, I think it’s something to be proud of.
Changing Attitudes and Optimizing Work and Study
Got a raise.
But the raise is secondary. There were two things that truly made me feel accomplished and transformed this year.
The first thing is not directly related to my career. One morning, I suddenly experienced numbness in my limbs and then suffered from respiratory alkalosis due to excessive hyperventilation, which nearly caused me to lose consciousness and rendered me immobile. At one point, I even thought I was going to die. Later, I received emergency treatment and went to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with hypokalemia. This incident subsequently led to somatization symptoms of illness anxiety disorder, a form of anxiety disorder. When it was at its worst, my heart would race and I would wake up every time I closed my eyes to sleep, resulting in possibly only getting 2 hours of sleep throughout the night. Now, through my own psychological development, I have mostly recovered. However, the somatization symptoms of anxiety disorder still occasionally occur, and I have made multiple trips to hospitals for various examinations and tests over the course of several months.
Afterwards, I read many books and articles about anxiety disorder. I now feel that the initial cause may have been acute panic disorder leading to hypokalemia, rather than the other way around, although this is no longer important.
What is important is that I have had a major change in my attitude towards work. I no longer strive for perfection in my work, as it only adds unnecessary pressure. I no longer turn red-faced when I make mistakes at work, nor do I become anxious and stressed when I have too many tasks at hand. If I can’t finish something, so be it. I can always postpone it a bit.
And then I realized, when I approach work with a calm mindset, my efficiency and quality of work have not decreased. The bosses also do not hold any negative feelings towards me. It’s a sure thing that I’ll get a raise at the end of next year.
The second thing, as everyone knows, is the AI boom this year. Localizing large language models is something that many companies are doing, and this large model is also useful for us. I am very interested in this, and I thought about mentioning it to my boss during a meeting. I planned to finish my current tasks and then move on to working on the large model.
However, one of my colleagues had the same idea as me, but he brought it up first and decided to directly dismiss his unfinished tasks to work on the large model. As a result, I had to keep working on my current tasks while he went on to work on the large model.
When I first entered the workforce over two years ago, I kept reminding myself to fully utilize the platform provided by the company and seize the maximum benefit for myself. This included using various resources to enhance my technical abilities. But as the past two and a half years have gone by, I must admit that I haven’t truly achieved this.
Why couldn’t I be like my colleague, who thought of finishing the current tasks first before moving on? This may be related to my perfectionist tendencies towards work. I always feel that the tasks assigned to me are ones that I must complete and do well, in order to be a capable professional. Deep down, I still see myself as an employee to be managed by the company.
However, the reality may not be this way. I can make various requests to the company, taking full responsibility for myself to the greatest extent. This is the true meaning of going to work, being accountable for my own future.
Foreign Companies Facing Layoff Risks
In 2023, there is no promotion or salary increment, and currently there have been no layoffs, but there is a risk of being laid off by the end of the year. Because we belong to a foreign-funded enterprise, specifically American-funded, the process of localization in China is becoming intense. Some orders from overseas clients are restricted by the US government’s regulations and will gradually shift out of China within the next 2 to 3 years. This is the dilemma the company is currently facing.
Due to the substantial loss of orders from foreign clients, the company has been facing difficulties since the beginning of this year. The originally agreed-upon promotion and salary adjustment ratios have also decreased significantly. For example, in previous years, employees who were promoted would receive a 20% salary increase, but in 2023, this has been reduced to 10%. Non-promoted employees used to receive an annual general adjustment, but this year, the proportion of the adjustment has also decreased. Quarterly bonuses used to be distributed every quarter, but now they are distributed every six months.
Furthermore, with the sharp decline in business volume, a small batch of layoffs has actually been ongoing since the second half of this year. It starts with regular employees, then moves on to technicians, engineers, and managers, with corresponding layoffs at each level and in every department. At this point, anyone could become affected.
But there is no other choice. If it’s really your turn to be laid off, you can only comply with the company’s arrangements, because after all, the company is indeed in a difficult situation. Layoffs are simply the employer’s only option.
However, the best thing about a foreign-funded company is that even if layoffs do occur, the compensation for employees is quite regulated, fully in accordance with labor laws, with no flaws whatsoever. Some employees who have been with the company for 10 or 20 years are willing to apply for a layoff at this time, willing to receive a large sum of money and seek new opportunities, because once this opportunity is missed, there won’t be another chance. Isn’t it satisfying to have several hundred thousand yuan in hand?
In 2023, every industry is facing challenges. Waves of layoffs come one after another, whether it’s listed companies or foreign-funded companies, they are all making life and death decisions.