158: Overtime is prohibited

Everyone knew that the next era for Xinghe was coming. With the Group's new strategy and this Solid-State Battery Technology, the era belonging to Xinghe had arrived.

This technology would be the beginning of Xinghe becoming a world-class enterprise, and they, the sailors standing on this great ship named Xinghe, would sail into the boundless ocean with the captain.

"For publicity, President Wang, you have rich experience; remember to coordinate well with President Xu and President Chen."

Because Ji Jun still had to manage the entire Group, the new energy sector was fully entrusted to Xu Minghao.

Wang Ke immediately stood up and said decisively, "Yes, Chairman Jiang! I will cooperate fully."

"Mm." Jiang Chen nodded and turned to Wu Gezhi, "President Wu, the Investment Department will suspend all non-essential investments and free up funds to fully invest in the Group's new energy strategy. No problem, right?"

Wu Gezhi reacted and quickly stood up, "No problem, Chairman Jiang!"

Jiang Chen nodded, took out a cigarette. Zhu Zhe, behind him, immediately stepped forward to light it for him.

Whoosh—

Smoke slowly exhaled, Jiang Chen's gaze calmly swept over everyone, his tone steady yet carrying an undeniable weight: "Before the meeting ends, I will announce a new decision."

Everyone stopped their discussions and looked at him in confusion.

"President Li." Jiang Chen looked at Li Ziyan, the administrative director, "Listen carefully to what I'm about to say."

Li Ziyan immediately stood up, "Yes, Chairman Jiang!"

"From today onwards, the Group and all its subsidiaries are prohibited from habitual overtime."

These words were like a stone dropped into a calm lake; the conference room instantly fell silent, and everyone showed expressions of disbelief.

Jiang Chen ignored everyone's reactions and continued, "If extreme emergency situations require overtime, a written request must be submitted to the superior, and it must not exceed two hours per day, two days per week, and a cumulative total of one week per month."

He emphasized, adding, "Moreover, for all approved overtime, overtime pay must be issued according to the highest standards stipulated by the state, not a single cent less. I do not wish to see anyone exchanging invaluable time and health for meager subsidies again."

"The Administration Department, based on this principle, formulate a new assessment plan. You can fill in the specifics yourselves. What I want is efficient work, not ineffective time-wasting."

The conference room was silent; the executives exchanged glances, and even Ji Jun looked at Jiang Chen with surprise and uncertainty, not understanding why he would make such a decision, as it was a groundbreaking approach in the industry.

Which company, which Group, doesn't have overtime? Even if overtime pay is provided, working overtime a maximum of twice a week, and no more than two hours each time, was simply unheard of.

Jiang Chen seemed to have anticipated their reactions. He smiled and said, "I know this sounds incredible, but—"

His tone suddenly became heavier: "But everyone here, including me, who hasn't struggled through days of nine-to-five, or even nine-to-none?"

"Since the Group's environment is so good now, and funds are relatively abundant, I don't want my employees, like I and we once did, to exhaust their youth and health on endless overtime."

His gaze became profound and firm, "Work is for a better life, not the other way around. A company that respects its employees' time and labor can truly unite people's hearts and go further."

Jiang Chen's decision was not made on a whim; he had considered doing this before, but various reasons had prevented him from making up his mind.

He was someone who had been drenched in the rain. Before he got the system, he was just a workhorse who worked overtime day and night, and he deeply disliked this culture of overtime.

Yesterday, when his mother complained to him about Li Yuran, an intern, still working overtime for so long, and then seeing Li Yuran drunk, he finally made up his mind.

Since he now had the ability to hold an umbrella, why should he let others get wet? He wanted to completely eliminate this overtime culture within his Group.

Jiang Chen's gaze slowly swept over everyone. The conference room remained quiet, and everyone's expressions varied: some were touched, some admired, and some disagreed.

But no one dared to object, nor could anyone voice a reason for disagreement.

Jiang Chen continued to address Li Ziyan, "Also, President Li, this is not some superficial project this time. If I find out that anyone is forced to 'voluntarily' work overtime, or conceals overtime, there will be severe penalties. Include this in the performance appraisal as well."

"Yes, Chairman Jiang, I've noted it all down." Li Ziyan said to Jiang Chen, holding a pen and paper.

Jiang Chen extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray, stood up, straightened his suit jacket, and said in an undeniable tone:

"Then, the meeting is adjourned."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned first, no longer bothering with them, and strode out of the conference room, with Zhu Zhe following closely behind.

After Jiang Chen's figure disappeared at the door, the tense atmosphere in the conference room finally relaxed. After a brief silence, whispers surged like a tide.

"This... this is too sudden, isn't it?" Someone lowered their voice, full of disbelief.

"Yes, only two overtime sessions a week at most, and each not exceeding two hours. Can this project still be completed on time?" another person echoed worriedly.

Just then, Wang Ke from the Marketing Department asked Ji Jun, who was still sitting in his seat, deep in thought, with a smile, "President Ji, based on your understanding of Chairman Jiang, do you think Chairman Jiang is serious, or is this a whim?"

As soon as he said this, several executives nearby who were listening attentively also looked over; clearly, everyone had the same question bottled up inside.

Ji Jun looked up, the surprise and uncertainty on his face had faded considerably, replaced by a calm expression. He pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "Chairman Jiang said this isn't some superficial project this time, and when has a decision made by Chairman Jiang not been serious?"

He paused, his gaze fixed in the direction Jiang Chen had left, and continued, "We just need to know that we should diligently complete the tasks according to the orders Chairman Jiang has given."

Xu Jinzhong, sitting beside him, also nodded in agreement with Ji Jun's words. For him, no matter how outrageous Jiang Chen's orders were, he would find them good.

"Then... what if it affects the project progress?" Chen Yang asked, still uneasy.

Ji Jun shook his head and looked at him, saying, "It's too early to conclude whether it will affect it or not. Didn't Chairman Jiang say it? He wants efficiency, not time-wasting. Perhaps he just wants to force all of us to get moving and improve our work efficiency."

He stood up and tidied the documents on the table: "Alright, stop guessing. Since Chairman Jiang has already decided, we just need to execute the orders. If there are problems, report them then. Let's adjourn."

After speaking, he turned and left the conference room. Xu Jinzhong quickly followed. After he left, Xu Minghao also left with Chen Yang.

The happiest person was undoubtedly Chang Niande, who was about to retire. For him, this news was simply too good. No overtime, great! No overtime, great! He could leave work early and go home to hug his grandson.

He tidied the documents in front of him, greeted everyone, and then, with a smile on his face and his hands behind his back, slowly walked out of the conference room.

Seeing this, the other executives also greeted each other and left. They needed to digest the Group's new strategy and Jiang Chen's decision.