Special interview
Written by: Lin Leqian
2020-09-10 07:00
Last update date: 2020-09-10 07:00
A new crown pneumonia epidemic has rewritten the daily workdays of employees around the world.
Due to social distancing and immigration restrictions in various countries, many well-known companies have extended their work from home arrangements. The “local ginger” start-up 9GAG also announced the abandonment of more than 7,000 square feet of office space and fully entered the “Work from Home” era.
However, the work-from-home arrangement has exposed some management problems.
As early as the beginning of the epidemic, when Hang Seng Bank was reported to have WFH employees, it was walking in groups and being questioned that working from home would make employees lazy and trigger a crisis of trust between superiors and subordinates.
9GAG co-founder and chief executive officer Chen Zhancheng (Ray) said frankly that colleagues now work more efficiently than before, save a lot of effort in management, and share the three "Buddhist" management philosophy.
The start-up 9GAG announced the abandonment of more than 7,000 square feet of office space and entered the "Work from Home" era.
(Provided by interviewee)
Advertising volume fell by nearly 30% to abandon office buildings to reduce expenses
Many well-known technology companies admire comfortable offices. "Local Ginger" 9GAG spent 2 million yuan on renovations in the early years. The Tsuen Wan headquarters has a ping-pong table, massage chairs and PlayStation, as well as an unlimited supply of beer and snacks. Start-up talents join.
However, with the outbreak of the epidemic, the office may become a hotbed of "cross-infection", and large companies have arranged for employees to work from home.
Ray believes that office space is no longer important. "Last year, a trial of remote work began to allow employees to freely choose their office location. Until the outbreak of the epidemic, there were only 3 to 4 people working in thousands of square feet of space every day, which was a waste, so I ended it early. The lease will not be renewed for the physical office.”
9GAG is one of the most viewed social media sites in the world. Users can share their own images and videos on the platform. The most active regions are the United States and Germany.
Ray revealed that many people stayed at home during the epidemic, and the number of users on its platforms has increased by 10 to 20%, but the amount of advertising has decreased by nearly 30%. He admitted that the epidemic has put pressure on the company’s finances and that abandoning rented offices is one of the ways to save costs. Although some difficulties were encountered during the initial implementation of the plan, the employees were satisfied with the arrangement and did not affect their daily work.
Method 1: Employees with consistent ideas work automatically and consciously
Ray’s management philosophy is very "Buddhist". "When hiring new employees, we will ensure that they are consistent with the company's philosophy and provide ideal salary packages. Colleagues will naturally work consciously." He explained that the work of operating social media is very independent. Colleagues are responsible for different areas. Most of them do not require collaboration, such as managing media content. It is easy to quantify work performance, and there is no need to "catch hands" to teach employees how to do things.
For some younger colleagues, they need guidance and management from their supervisors. He said that direct supervisors will spend more time with them to conduct "one-on-one" assessments, such as asking them to set a work schedule, even if they are working from home. Be regular, don’t mix life and work together.
As for whether WFH will make employees feel "half holiday", he said that many people always think that one day they will return to the office and delay the work plan. Colleagues must adjust this mentality to make remote work smoothly executed.
Ray pointed out that at the beginning of the company's establishment, 7 to 8 of them worked in a small HOS flat, hoping to move into the big office, so they rented the 7,000 square foot Tsuen Wan headquarters.
(Provided by interviewee)
Method 2: Give up useless and trivial matters
9GAG moved into Tsuen Wan’s 7,000-square-foot headquarters in 2015, spent 2 million yuan to renovate the office and add entertainment facilities such as ping-pong tables. Five years later, Ray believed that this concept was out of fashion. "Every stage focuses on different things. In the early days of the company’s establishment, 7 to 8 of us worked in a small HOS flat, and we naturally expected to move into a huge office, but now many colleagues have established families and just want to go home as soon as the work is completed. The rest facilities are no longer available. No matter how important it is.” The outbreak of the epidemic became an opportunity for the company to scale down.
He mentioned that working from home can enable employees to focus more on their work and not be affected by trivial things.
"Some colleagues may not be hygienic on weekdays. The entire desk is full of rubbish, which will attract attention and affect the relationship between colleagues or the working environment. Some bosses pay special attention to how many times employees go to the bathroom a day, and wonder if employees are lazy. The trust between superiors and subordinates.” When the company arranges for employees to work from home, they can be directly managed based on their work performance and reward and punishment mechanism, which saves a lot of complicated details.
Ray pointed out that working from home allows employees to focus more on their work, and not be affected by trivial things.
(Provided by interviewee)
Method 3: Pay attention to employees’ feelings from time to time
The living space in Hong Kong is small, and not everyone can work comfortably at home. Ray once asked employees to take pictures of their working environment at home and asked them about their satisfaction. If the environment is not ideal, they will be responsible for their expenses for renting a shared office, with a monthly amount. Foreign subsidies for snacks, etc.
He said that at present, employees report that working at home can reduce travel time, meals and transportation expenses. However, he pointed out that if most employees hope to return to work in the end, the company will also consider renting a place again.
The office is part of maintaining the corporate culture. Working from home naturally reduces the chance to meet with colleagues. Ray said with a smile that he still hasn't had the opportunity to get along with newly recruited colleagues. "The sense of belonging of colleagues to the company does not arise when they meet every day. It is whether the work mode and employee benefits satisfy them. WFH does not restrict employees from staying at home. They can also meet friends or colleagues to work in coffee shops.” He revealed that the company has applied for the government’s "Employment Guarantee" program and will provide funding Half of the amount is distributed to employees.
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