Rebirth Tokyo 1986

Chapter 438 Good Employees, Good Self

I spent the Japanese New Year with Izumi-nee and her daughter, and the Chinese New Year with Lin Qingqian and her son.

Before we knew it, it was already late February.

But in such a short period of time, two major events occurred that affected China, Asia, and the world.

In early February, George Soros, a Wall Street pawn, began tentative attacks on the Thai stock, real estate, and currency markets…

He was very satisfied with the results.

He only lost a few million dollars, but that gave him a taste of the complexities of Thai finance.

Another event occurred in China, where the great man who spearheaded the opening up to the outside world left the motherland he loved all his life forever.

"I really envy you!"

Takeshita Masato looked at Lin Qingqian with regret in his eyes.

He was a foreigner his whole life and was unable to attend the funeral of that great man and personally say goodbye to the person he respected.

"Don't do that. You can apply to visit Babaoshan Cemetery after this is over."

"Okay, I'll definitely apply if I have the chance."

Masato Takeshita made a decision: he would definitely visit all the memorial halls and landmarks in Nanjing, Fengtian, and Beijing.

His soul doesn't need it, but his body still needs atonement.

After the matter concerning the great man came to an end, Takeshita Masato picked up Gao Feng and submitted it to Wang Aimin. Wang Aimin then submitted the inspection results of all the factories in China under Xinghai Group, as well as the rectification plan.

There's not much to say about the inspection results. Apart from a few companies with minor issues, the vast majority of factories are rife with corruption.

The main problem is that Xinghai Group expanded too quickly, and the company's workforce development simply couldn't keep up.

Huawei in its past also went through a similar period, with the company in complete disarray internally.

Later, I went to IBM to learn. Although there were still many shortcomings, all that remained was the pain of scabies.

What Xinghai Group needs to do now is to reduce the problems in its Chinese factories to a level that is merely a minor, insignificant issue.

As for completely eliminating corruption, that is a goal that humanity has always pursued but can never achieve.

We can only conduct regular inspections and surveillance, eliminating some as they are discovered, thus creating a turnover rate among company personnel.

After carefully reviewing the document twice, Masato Takeshita instructed his secretary to summon Wang Aimin, the head of Xinghai Group's China region, and Gao Feng, the recently promoted head of the supervisory department, to his office.

"I have read the report, and this is my opinion on how to handle the personnel."

"You guys take a look first."

After speaking, Masato Takeshita handed the two of them a copy of the report that his secretary had made.

The above handling advice is simple: for minor cases, the company will give them face.

After you return the embezzled funds, the company may issue a public reprimand, deduct this year's bonus, or issue you a notice of termination.

In cases of slightly lower severity, the embezzled funds are returned, and the offender is dismissed as a warning.

For those in the medium to upper-middle range, not only will they need to return the embezzled funds, but they will also have to file appeals for compensation.

As for those whose offenses are serious, they will be dealt with severely, with a minimum sentence of five years behind bars.

"The chairman is wise. This not only demonstrates the company's benevolence but also serves as a strong warning to employees who want to do bad things."

Wang Aimin observed quickly and showed great respect for Takeshita Masato's handling of the matter.

Employees should not be dealt with too harshly, but neither should they be tolerated.

This is good as it is; focus on the big picture and let go of the small details.

The cases are handled simply, or sometimes not at all, with only a deduction of bonus or an internal company notice.

For serious cases, then I'm very sorry. If we don't deal with you severely, we won't be able to quell the anger within the company.

"Can we refer to this outcome in the future?"

Gao Feng thought further ahead; he hoped this explanation could become a model, providing a framework for handling similar situations in the future.

The chairman can't possibly have to personally intervene to deal with even the lowest-ranking employee.

"Okay, but don't expose it to lower- and middle-level employees."

Masato Takeshita certainly didn't want his leniency to become a means for legitimate corruption at the bottom of society.

If lower- and middle-level employees knew how much they could embezzle without being fired, there would definitely be employees with evil intentions who would follow suit.

Compared to those who embezzle, canceling the half-year bonus is nothing.

This is especially true for sales staff and field promoters.

"Yes, please rest assured, Chairman, this document will only circulate among the senior and middle-level personnel of the supervisory department."

The right to dismiss employees has always been a very powerful right. While Xinghai Group may not be as strict as the state, it only allows employees at the middle to upper levels to have this right.

For example, only managers at the ministerial or deputy ministerial level have the right to dismiss the lowest-ranking employees.

At most, junior managers like project team leaders can apply to their superiors to transfer employees out of their teams.

"Yes, Mr. Aimin, you can tell a few of the vice presidents, but the rest must be kept secret."

"Yes, understand!"

After the new employee supervision regulations were finalized, the three began discussing suggestions for factory improvements.

The main focus is on addressing the shortcomings previously pointed out by Masato Takeshita, and making improvements in areas such as accommodation, hygiene, and dining hall.

In addition, there is further optimization of the factory processes.

We don't expect them to reach the level of the company's Japanese factory, after all, the two countries have different national conditions.

Japanese people are now more educated, and their workers are of higher quality.

In addition, Japanese workers and management have long been exposed to competition in the global market, enabling them to become world-class in the manufacturing sector.

In China, the quality of workers in the 1990s was relatively low. Not to mention high school or vocational school students, even those with junior high school education were few and far between.

Many contract factories primarily employ migrant workers, many of whom don't even have a primary school education. There are a large number of illiterate and illiterate workers.

Of course, the factories under Xinghai Group are much better.

Although corruption is rampant in many factories, the workers' benefits and wages are still among the best in the industry. The workers' education level is also generally at least primary school level, with many having a junior high school education.

Therefore, Xinghai Group currently sets higher standards for its factories in China than for other contract manufacturers in mainland China, requiring them to meet at least 80% of the standards in Japan. Furthermore, this figure needs to be continuously improved, ultimately reaching 90% of the standards of Japanese factories by the early 21st century.

As for after 2010, Chinese manufacturing will improve from its previous shoddy production to the level of world-class high-quality industrial products. At that time, Chinese factories and Japanese factories will need to reach the same level.

However, there is still plenty of time, and Xinghai Group's factories in China have ample time to make adjustments.

“That’s good, excellent advice. Our company has the funds, so don’t worry about the cost of buying land and building the building.”

"Four-person rooms, two-person rooms, and single rooms must become the mainstream in the company."

“We even need to have larger two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments to provide for employees who have started families.”

At this point, Masato Takeshita added, "By the way, the company must buy more land and build houses, and then we will sell them to the company employees at a price slightly higher than the cost."

“Housing is too tight in China right now, and many of the company’s key employees are crammed into tiny rooms.”

"How can this be done!"

Before the 21st century, housing was extremely scarce for urban residents in China.

Often, three generations of a family, seven or eight people, are crammed into a small room of twenty or thirty square meters.

The old hutongs in Beijing are a living history of this kind of situation.

Xinghai Group needs to build more buildings so that its employees can live in spacious residential apartments. Of course, the apartments can't be sold haphazardly after construction. The company will assign you to different residential areas based on your educational background.

Well, the difference in quality between people with different educational backgrounds is quite obvious.

As for what to do if you can't afford it, you can apply for a housing loan within the company.

With the salaries at Xinghai Group, even an ordinary worker could easily pay their mortgage every month.

Of course, if houses are cheap, then there must be limitations.

The house cannot be bought and sold freely. If you no longer want it, you can only sell it to the company.

The company will repurchase your shares at a price higher than your selling price, but lower than the market price.

Furthermore, renting it out is not allowed.

Masato Takeshita certainly doesn't want the residential complex he built, which belongs to his company, to be used by a bunch of random people.

It should be noted that the group of people working for Xinghai Group are considered middle-to-high-income earners in China, and there must be many shady characters who want to profit from it through dishonest means.

As for legitimate business operators, they can simply rent shops outside the residential area to conduct their business.

In addition to building staff housing, shops and supermarkets along the housing area should also be built.

Xinghai Group will operate the supermarkets and shopping malls themselves.

As for the stores along the community, they are outsourced to individuals.

Masato Takeshita had an idea in mind for these outsourcing projects to individuals and brand stores needed by shopping malls.

The rent should be divided into two parts, just like the Xinghai Group canteen: a base rent and a certain percentage of turnover.

This reduces the initial investment required for businesses to open a store and makes it easier to attract high-quality individual businesses.

Of course, Xinghai Group will also draw a line in its mind.

If a merchant's turnover and rent do not meet the requirements, the contract will be terminated within six months at most.

Of course, these are still just ideas and will need to be further improved before they can be formally implemented.

Initially, the main focus was on collecting rent.

Not only is it simple and convenient, but you also don't need to compete with merchants for sales revenue.

After listening to Masato Takeshita's series of explanations about real estate, Wang Aimin quickly took notes in his notebook while also asking questions about things he wanted to know.

"Then, do we need to set up a new real estate company?"

"Yes, the residential building issue is complicated and involves many people. It would be best to set up a separate company."

"As for the name, let's call it China Changhe Real Estate Company."

Construction companies whose names begin with "Xinghai" have no problem building shopping malls and skyscrapers; they generally don't attract much public attention.

Residential buildings are a major focus of public attention, and starting with Xinghai, people have easily been led astray.

"Understood. So, which company will handle the shops and such next to the residential buildings?"

"The shopping mall and supermarket are located in Xinghai Building, while all other projects are located in Changhe."

"Yes, I understand."

When it comes to real estate matters, Masato Takeshita can only talk a lot about them; the specific details are basically none of his business.

But it doesn't matter, because even if the shopping mall and shops don't make money, we can always buy them back by selling the land in the future. Right now, location isn't an issue when it comes to investment.

After all, there are large areas of rice paddies even in places like Nanshan District in the Special Economic Zone, the Fifth Ring Road in Beijing, and the area near Lujiazui in Pudong, Shanghai.

It can be said that as long as the house is built, the only question is how much money you will make, and even more money.

But considering that next year will be the worst year of the financial crisis, land prices in China will also drop significantly.

He quickly added, "But don't take on too many projects this year. Focus on accumulating experience with a few small trials first."

"Next year, or after next year, we will make a large investment."

When it comes to lower land prices next year, Shanghai should have a lot to say.

Because of the land that Shanghai will sell off cheaply next year, one building was completed and was about to be topped out, but it suddenly became an abandoned project.

This has resulted in a vacant, unfinished building that has been abandoned for twenty years in Lujiazui, China's most high-end area and the place that best represents China's private finance.

While other buildings nearby were brightly lit, that one building remained dark and gloomy.

"Yes, I understand."

After discussing real estate, Masato Takeshita steered the conversation back to factory management.

"Many of our workers have left their hometowns to work in our factory, which is very difficult for them."

"In addition, many are influenced by their families and are afraid of being targeted by lower-level management if they speak out, so they dare not report to the higher levels."

"We must promote this more and strengthen the upward feedback mechanism for employees."

"It would be best to place suggestion boxes outside the offices of middle and senior management, as well as in the factory lobby."

"Then the secretary or you yourself will collect the relevant letters every day."

"This method may not be very effective, but it can still stop some of the unhealthy practices."

Suggestion boxes and the like do have a certain deterrent effect.

Because in a good company, the leadership team can't all be slackers or bad people.

As long as one person takes things seriously, those at the bottom will feel uneasy.

Those who are more timid wouldn't dare to use their meager power to cause trouble.

"Okay, but with surveillance cameras, employees might not dare to."

In response to Wang Aimin's question, Takeshita Masato said seriously, "Then we'll upgrade the surveillance permissions so that people can't just watch it."

He then looked at Gao Feng and said, "Gao Feng, you're in charge of this. If there's any problem with the recording, I'll hold you accountable."

The video recordings of Xinghai Group are all managed by the supervisory department.

This was done partly for confidentiality and partly to facilitate the Ministry of Supervision's access to information.

He certainly didn't want the recording to suddenly break down during a mission.

"Understood, please rest assured, Chairman. It is impossible for unauthorized personnel to easily see the recording."

Gao Feng trusted the security guards, gatekeepers, and staff who managed the surveillance footage the most.

Because the security guards at Xinghai Group are all top-notch employees from within the military.

Not only are they highly qualified, but they also have a strong sense of confidentiality.

Of course, Xinghai Group also paid a high price for this.

A typical security guard earns three to five hundred yuan a month, but security personnel at Xinghai Group never earn less than a thousand yuan a month. Even in Shanghai and Beijing, this is considered a high-paying position.

But it was all worth it.

In the 1990s, public security in China was still quite poor.

Everyone knows that Xinghai Group's factories are not to be trifled with, so there aren't many criminals who come to steal or rob them.

In addition, Xinghai Group's decision to allow banks and other departments to directly operate within the factory is also a form of protection for its employees.

It's really unsafe to go to a place too far away to withdraw money.

(End of this chapter)