The first staff meeting was held promptly at 2 pm on the 25th day of the lunar calendar. The reason for choosing the afternoon was to make it convenient for employees from surrounding areas and counties to catch up.
Gao Zhiyi had originally planned for people from outside the provincial capital to arrive the night before, but Feng Yiping vetoed the proposal. It was the end of the year, and there were many traffic accidents, so it was unsafe to take the overnight bus.
For this staff meeting, Gao Zhiyi also put a lot of effort into it. Unlike the supplier meeting, the biggest challenge of this meeting was that there were too many participants, nearly 1,000 people in total. It was not easy to find a place to hold the meeting, and after the meeting, there would be a dinner gathering. After the Lunar New Year's Eve, it was even more difficult to find a place that could accommodate thousands of people for dinner at the same time.
He led the team to look for a primary school, a secondary school and a university. Finally, he approached Mei Yiliang. So, on the day of the Lunar New Year's Eve, more than 20 construction teams from the decoration company entered the auditorium, an auxiliary facility of the hotel, at the same time to carry out surprise construction, and temporarily installed lighting facilities and an audio system.
Fortunately, the furniture factory had already produced a lot of furniture for the hotel, and most of the tables and chairs for the auditorium had already been made. Jiasheng Metal Products Factory found a few carts and transported the stock of tables with stainless steel countertops that had been produced the year before. Together, they were enough.
All the chefs from the company canteens, more than twenty of them, were concentrated in the large kitchen of the noodle restaurant. More than ten stoves were set up temporarily, with a household gas stove placed on top of a table. The chefs had been busy since the early hours of the morning.
In the morning, Feng Yiping went to take a look. Even from a distance, he could smell the rich aroma. He was several metres from the door when he felt the heat wave coming at him.
After he went in, he didn't want to come out. So many stoves were firing at the same time, and it was so warm inside that it felt like summer.
Now, Feng Yiping, sitting on the podium, looked at this hastily constructed auditorium, at the exposed concrete on the walls and floor, at the mismatched overhead lights, which were clearly meant for a warehouse, and at the front of the room, where some of the staff were sitting at a stainless steel table, while the rest were sitting in high-backed dining chairs. He suddenly felt a sense of celebration, as if it were a wedding in his hometown, but it was rushed and unprofessional.
The meeting was chaired by Gao Zhiyi. The first speaker, Wang Zhiqiang, the general manager of the sales department, was a little depressed. Although the figures he cited were really good, the employees below him kept buzzing about, as if many of them weren't listening.
Especially in the convenience store and Zhitong company and hotel staff, they were very surprised to see a young man in his twenties sitting in the middle of the podium.
Next to him were a president and two vice presidents. Could his status be even higher? But given his age, it didn't look like it!
Soon, employees who knew Feng Yiping's identity, such as the first batch of employees at the convenience store and the first batch of employees at Zhitong Company, who had already become supervisors, told those new colleagues who had never met Feng Yiping or had met him but didn't know his identity with a hint of pride that he was Feng Yiping, the chairman of the group company!
Although they were shocked, no one doubted it. With Feng Yiping sitting in the chair, and with the endorsement of so many long-serving employees, there was no mistake. And because there was no mistake, the more they talked about it. Come on, he is our peer, okay? He just started his freshman year in college. How did he do it?
Even the section of the metal products factory that knew Feng Yiping's identity was not quiet. This was the first time they had personally experienced the strength of the new group. The presence of so many employees on site and the hotel behind was the best proof.
They had also heard that the group had more employees than these, for example, the convenience store, employees from the province attended this meeting, the furniture factory, only employees from the provincial capital attended this meeting, and the Hong Kong magazine, the boss came to the meeting. If all the employees were gathered together, this auditorium would probably not be able to hold them.
The dozens of employees from the metal products factory in the village, and the young wives and daughters working in the noodle shop, were all attending their first formal meeting like this, and looking at the man in the centre of the podium, they all felt as if it was not quite real.
It could be said that they either grew up watching Feng Yiping, or grew up with Feng Yiping. When they were young, many of them played in the mud with him, and when they were a little older, quite a few of them even fought with him. But now, he is the boss of so many people.
Hu Junting, who is already a regional supervisor, looks at Feng Yiping on the podium, listening attentively to Wang Zhiqiang's report, and is also full of emotion. A few years ago, she and Feng Yiping were separated by a few rows of classmates. Now, a few years later, he is on the stage and she is off it. Although they are only separated by a few dozen metres, those few dozen metres represent an impassable chasm.
Zhang Zuodong sat with his apprentices, looking at Feng Yiping and Mei Yiliang sitting on the stage. Even now, he still couldn't quite understand why they had made the special trip to invite him. However, he was very satisfied with his current life. If it wasn't for the two of them, how would he have been able to afford to settle down in the provincial capital? How would his apprentices respect him as they did now?
Amidst the buzz of discussion, Wang Zhiqiang ended his speech with a slight hint of displeasure. Before Gao Zhiyi announced the next agenda item, Group Vice President Cai Dexiang patted the microphone and said, 'Everyone, I know that many of you are interested in our chairman, but can we save the discussion for after the meeting? The content of the report is closely related to everyone, so I hope everyone can observe the meeting discipline and listen carefully.'
'Yes, please ask the supervisors at all levels to maintain order. Next, please have the vice president of Youjia Convenience, Zhou Xinyu, give a report.'
After they had said that, the order in the meeting hall improved a lot, and Jin Ling's face also looked a lot better. She had just wanted to interrupt Wang Zhiqiang's speech several times and lose her temper, but in the end, she restrained herself, considering that this was the first time she had appeared in front of so many employees in her capacity as the group president.
There were quite a few speakers, but everyone's speech was very concise, including the three CEOs. On average, it was just over ten minutes. Everyone's speech mainly consisted of a factual summary of last year's business situation. The employees were very proud to hear about the results of a hard year's work.
After the speeches by the general managers, the highlight of the event came: the recognition of outstanding employees.
In the envious eyes of everyone, a total of 20 outstanding employees selected by each company took to the stage to receive certificates and bonuses from the group leaders. The bonuses were not too much or too little, each person receiving 5,000 yuan.
Feng Yiping personally handed the certificate and prize money to Wang Jinju. This was not the result of him using his privileges. The selection of outstanding employees in the company was very open, and also referred to the practice of publicising the promotion and use of cadres in the civil service system at a later stage. The nominated employees were all publicised for a month to be judged by everyone. The final twenty were all able to stand the test.
For example, Wang Jinju was in charge of the convenience store, and although its absolute sales were not the highest, its data in all aspects was outstanding.
The benefits for outstanding employees don't stop there. Their parents also get a chance to go on a company trip.
The advanced employees, some with heads held high, some with heads bowed in humility, walked down the podium. Gao Zhiyi followed and announced, 'Next, please let Group Chairman Feng Yiping make a concluding speech.'
The audience burst into applause, and Feng Yiping walked steadily to the speaker's rostrum. 'There are already catering trucks parked outside, and I'm worried that the food will get cold, so I'll keep my speech short. In short, last year was a very good year. Without mentioning the new companies and projects, the earliest established companies, Jia Sheng Decoration's operating income has increased threefold, Zhitong's operating income has increased tenfold, and the convenience store is the most impressive. The number of stores has increased by 323, and sales revenue has increased 15 times. It is the first company in the group to have sales revenue of over 100 million yuan. I would like to thank everyone very much for their hard work over the past year. This year's...
He was interrupted by the applause before finishing his sentence. He smiled and joined in the applause, 'This year's situation will only get better. Our sales outlets will blossom everywhere. Our furniture factory, our decoration company, and our magazine may all become companies within the group that generate annual sales revenue of over 100 million yuan.'
Feng Yiping's speech was interrupted by applause again.
Hearing this, Bao Zhuoyuan, who had specially rushed over to the meeting, was under a lot of pressure. He said that the situation of the second issue of the magazine was not expected to be very good. Sales revenue of over 100 million yuan this year would mainly depend on advertising. However, in the current situation, how could Feng be so confident?
'If the company's performance is good, everyone's income will be high. I am confident that I can lead the company and everyone in this virtuous cycle. Are you all confident?'
'Yes, yes,' everyone was happy about the increase in income, and the shouts could be heard clearly along the Yanjiang Avenue.
'Just one last thing: spend less and buy a house sooner. Now the meeting is adjourned and we're getting ready for the dinner!'
Since everyone was family, the dinner menu was not very varied, but it was solid and there was plenty of it. A whole truckload of beer and various drinks was pulled from the convenience store warehouse. In short, everyone ate with an open stomach and drank liberally.
Feng Yiping did not stay until the end. The group executives toasted in sections. After he and Jin Ling had toasted ten tables, they quietly withdrew from the lively auditorium. At this time, the atmosphere inside was very lively. Nearly a thousand of their own people gathered together for a meal. No one had experienced such a scene before. At this time, colleagues, classmates, fellow villagers, and friends had already been toasting at many tables.
The car is Zhou Xinyu's Century. Jin Ling's suitcase is already in the car. She seems a little tired and squints her eyes as soon as she gets in.
'Sorry, Jin, for making you come all this way,'
'I'm not tired, I'm just a little excited, you know? This is exactly the kind of thriving scene I've always wanted to see, and this is exactly what I want to do, to take the company from glory to even greater glory.'
'To be honest, we are not yet glorious. Besides, one should not only focus on one's career and neglect personal happiness,'
'Okay, okay, stop it, you're just like my father,'
'Forget it, don't mention it. Mentioning this in front of her is like asking people at the New Year's reunion how much you earn.
At the security check, Feng Yiping handed Jin Ling her suitcase. She hesitated for a moment and gave Feng Yiping a light hug, 'Happy New Year!'