The entire staff of Fengcheng 7080 “took a break from their busy schedules,” enjoying a 3-night, 2-day autumn trip just to bring a smile to everyone’s faces. While the staff skipped work to go on a trip, the boss stayed behind to man the office—something most people would find hard to believe. From January to November 2018, the team had been working under intense pressure. Many plans from 2017 were set to be completed in 2018, and employees often worked overtime until 10 p.m. As the top decision-maker at Fengcheng 7080, he decided to give all staff a chance to skip work and unwind on an autumn outing.
Who gave them the right to “take a break from their busy schedules”?
From January to November 2018, Fengcheng 7080 had been operating under high-intensity work pressure, with many holidays postponed. Working under prolonged stress would inevitably affect the physical and mental health of the staff. In September 2018, when the company’s leadership returned from a business trip, Mou Chunming from the design department drove to pick them up. During the ride, the leader noticed that Mou Chunming didn’t seem to be in the best health and asked a few questions. It turned out that, in order to meet design deadlines, many in the design team often worked overtime alone at their desks after hours. Those without laptops frequently stayed in the office until around 10 p.m. After work, they’d ask colleagues to bring takeout or instant noodles to the office, or make cup noodles there. After eating, they’d continue working. “I’m not very good at designing main images or detail pages, and I was afraid of delaying the work plan, so I stayed up until four or five in the morning to keep designing. The large temperature difference between night and day gave me a cold.”
After hearing this, the Fengcheng 7080 leader immediately said: “If you work late, you don’t have to come to the office the next morning. Make sure you get at least eight hours of rest. We have a design director in the design department. If you don’t know how to design something, ask the director. Don’t be afraid of being criticized—there’s no job where you won’t face criticism. The more you’re criticized, the faster you’ll grow.”
Hosting the Fengcheng 7080 “Talent Cup” to alleviate high work pressure
After hearing the feedback from Mou Chunming in the design department, the Fengcheng 7080 leader thought about it overnight. The next day, he told Chen Zhao from the operations and marketing planning team: “In October, you figure out the timing. The company will hold a speech-focused event—the first ‘Talent Cup’ speech competition at Fengcheng 7080—with the theme ‘Who Do You Really Believe In?’ The original idea was to use the speech competition and prize money to help relieve the intense work pressure.”
The boss notices and remembers the efforts of the staff
The goal was to ease the intense atmosphere through an internal speech competition. However, the event revealed that many employees lacked self-confidence, team awareness, language organization skills, and the ability to grasp the theme. The Fengcheng 7080 leadership began to wonder if it was their long-standing practice of setting overly rigid work targets that had caused this. When they saw or heard about employees pushing themselves to work overtime and sacrifice rest time to complete tasks, or when the company’s 2018 strategic plan rigidly postponed holidays without much consideration for employee opinions—often disrupting their vacation plans—they didn’t hear much complaint from the staff.
Reflecting on how often he traveled between Guangzhou, Foshan, and Nanning, often neglecting the mental and physical well-being of his staff, the leader arranged for the design director in the general management office to plan an autumn trip in November. There was no set budget or destination—the director could arrange it freely, just needing approval from the general management office.
A 3-night, 2-day autumn trip (to the Sanniang Bay and Bazhaigou scenic areas)
On October 29, the general management office received the autumn trip plan for early November prepared by the company’s design director Lin. The office made an 80% revision to the original plan.
1. Increased the number of scenic spots from one to two.
2. Used a comprehensive structural approach—front to back, left to right, top to bottom, and center—to position the hotel midway between the two tourist attractions, making it convenient for those wanting to explore freely in the evenings.
3. No restrictions on the itinerary—all arrangements were left to the employees.
4. Two days of group activities and one day of free time.
5. Provided transportation so employees could set off at any time.
6. All meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—were fully covered by the company.
7. Set aside travel funds for emergencies.
8. Everyone traveled together and returned home safely together.
Design Director Lin never expected the general management office to arrange the trip in such a way. The 80% revision to the travel plan provided valuable insights for organizing future team activities.
Drop the work and focus on relaxation—while the boss watches the office, you can play with peace of mind.
Few companies let their employees skip work for a trip while the boss stays behind. To many, it seems like the boss is off having fun while the staff holds down the fort. But at Fengcheng 7080, the staff are the lifeblood of the company—without their hard work, the company wouldn’t exist. As the saying goes: “Drop the work, we just want you to relax. You’re allowed to skip work—we’ll watch the office.”
As the leader of Fengcheng 7080, it’s not only about meeting strategic goals on time but also about consistently caring for the physical and mental well-being of the staff. Hopefully, this 3-night, 2-day autumn trip will give them more than just beautiful scenery—it will remind them that we’re a team. We work together, we take responsibility together. We’re interconnected, heart to heart and soul to soul.