Dawn of Life

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lin Yue projected her proposal onto the television screen and began to explain it point by point. Sheng Xing listened attentively, asking questions and nodding occasionally. Lin Yue focused her explanation on the potential risks of Qu Liang's proposal and how to persuade headquarters.

After the explanation, Sheng Xing took the mouse from Lin Yue's hand and reviewed the entire plan again. This was the first time Lin Yue had seen Sheng Xing so serious; it seemed this matter was also extremely challenging for him, and he wasn't entirely confident of success. Lin Yue waited quietly beside him, her heart sinking even further.

After a moment, Sheng Xing put down the mouse, focused his gaze on Lin Yue, and said, "The overall logic of the plan is sound, but all the content only analyzes the risks and expectations for the future. There are no parts that show immediate results. For example, Qu Liang will say that more than 400 people will be reduced in a month, which, based on an average cost of 12000 per person, would save more than 4.8 million in expenses. This is still convincing to headquarters in terms of risks and expectations."

Lin Yue nodded, agreeing. Businessmen prioritize immediate profits, a point Shengxing understood better than she did. Therefore, she needed a multi-pronged approach: considering risks and future expectations while also achieving cost savings. It didn't have to be as much as Qu Liang's plan, but it had to be at least half or more. Because even if the expected returns could be translated into concrete figures, it was just a pie in the sky—the employees didn't like it, and neither did the boss.

She quickly racked her brains, met Sheng Xing's gaze, and said, "Then let's review the projects first, cut some unprofitable ones, and then reduce staff based on those projects. This approach is more likely to be accepted by employees than simply laying off staff proportionally. Also..."

She paused, then, as if gathering a great deal of courage, continued, "There's another method: we can break down everyone's current salary into a base salary plus performance-based pay model. We'll take 10% from each employee's base salary as performance pay, and the company will supplement it with another 10%. For employees, while there's the risk of receiving less, there's also the possibility of receiving more. For the company, the extra performance is more than enough to cover the extra 10%. The layoff rate based on projects can reach approximately 20%. If performance targets aren't met, we can also save an additional 10% per person in expenses. These two parts combined can save over 340 million yuan. This way, we can control all the risks and increase employee motivation."

After listening to Lin Yue's supplement, Sheng Xing smiled with satisfaction and said, "That's good, a very good plan. We'll lay off people on a project-by-project basis. The director-level positions won't be affected, including yours; you can be promoted to Recruiting Director. As for HRBPs, they can be transferred to business departments or within their teams according to your plan, and severance pay will be negotiated on an individual basis according to your plan. Also, you still need to take over this project; I feel more at ease handing it over to you. I'll report to headquarters."

Shengxing quickly reported to headquarters, which naturally agreed. Although it would save about 100 million yuan less per month, the plan was clearly more scientific and comprehensive. Shengxing didn't tell Qu Liang that it was Lin Yue's plan, but said it was his own idea, even though Qu Liang knew Shengxing wasn't telling the truth.

But headquarters has already agreed, and Shengxing said that's fine. He originally wanted to use this plan to make a good impression on headquarters, but now that the plan was created by Shengxing and executed by Lin Yue, the millions of yuan in savings per month are naturally no longer his responsibility.

Although Shengxing preserved Lin Yue's salary and director position to appease her, there's a difference between an HR director and a recruitment director, and she'll still be working under Qu Liang. This has cemented her feud with him, and she knows things won't be easy from now on. However, she currently has no better option than to focus on finishing this project.

Lin Yue first reviewed the HRBP team, which was the most difficult part of this layoff project for her. She had led them when she was the HRBP manager, and she vividly remembered all the nights they had stayed up together, the boasts they had made, and the fights they had with the business departments.

This time, she really couldn't protect them anymore.

Lin Yue was picking out her outdoor clothes in her room after lunch on the weekend when Xiao Yu came over to show her the Lego bunny he had just built. He excitedly said, "Mom, look! Grandma bought me this Lego set. I've finished building it! Isn't it cute?"

Lin Yue took the rabbit from Xiao Yu's hand, recalling the time her mother had run away from home because Xiao Yu had left Lego on the bed. Now, her mother was even buying Lego for Xiao Yu. So, while carefully examining the rabbit, she asked, "Sweetie, do you like Grandma?"

Xiaoyu nodded emphatically and answered without the slightest hesitation, "I like it, and I've noticed that Grandma's cooking is much tastier than before. Mom, why do you think that is?"

Lin Yue patted Xiao Yu's head and answered earnestly, "Because Grandma loves you, she keeps adjusting the food to suit your taste."

Xiaoyu stared into Lin Yue's eyes, thought seriously for a few seconds, and then said with certainty, "Yes, she loves me very much and wants me to eat more."

Lin Yue recalled that recently, Xiao Yu had been hugging Liu Cuiying and acting cute more and more often. Several times when Liu Cuiying was about to get angry because he had left things lying around, he would run over and hug her, sweetly calling her "Grandma, Grandma" a few times, and Liu Cuiying's temper would immediately subside.

After putting on a black trench coat, Lin Yue turned around and pinched Xiao Yu's cheek, saying, "Grandpa and Grandma will take you to ride bicycles in the central park today. Mommy has to go out to work for a bit."

After saying that, she picked up her bag, greeted Liu Cuiying and Lin Haifeng, and went out.

In the afternoon, she planned to pay for the HRBP team to go to a sauna. Although it was already springtime, she felt more relaxed after a bath, with everyone snuggled together in their pajamas. Lin Yue planned to tell them about the layoffs in this environment. Because of Qu Liang, they could only try to negotiate on an individual basis. However, she would definitely fight for the highest possible amount for these sisters who had always been with her.

They sat on the floor, leaning against the soft sofa, their expressions somber, as they began to consider their future paths. Even with severance pay, they would still be unemployed. Some were of marriageable age, others of childbearing age, and still others were mothers. The job market had a low acceptance of such employees, and they would face difficulties finding work and potential pay cuts.

Lin Yue popped a cherry tomato into her mouth, avoiding everyone's gaze, and mumbled softly, "I feel really bad for everyone. I didn't have any other choice, so I thought I'd tell you as soon as possible so you can make plans. I'll be leading the recruitment team from now on. The company hasn't been recruiting much in recent years, and recruitment has always been handled by the HRBP. So even though I have the title of Recruiting Director, I'm basically a lone commander. Yuehua and Xiaoyu will go directly to the training team to report to Qu Liang, while the others will have to talk to their business partners to see if there are any suitable positions. I plan to talk to you last, and I'll also try to help you out when I'm reviewing candidates with the business teams later."

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and her emotions became increasingly dejected. Suddenly, a girl sitting next to her grasped her hand and said, "Sister Lin, we understand. This has nothing to do with you. You've done your best. We just really miss you." With that, she leaned in and hugged her tightly.

Lin Yue felt a cool tear slide down her cheek. At that moment, she suddenly felt very content. The workplace wasn't just about exploitation and cooperation; there were also friendships like Su Ling's, and bonds forged through shared struggles like this.

Next, she gathered the heads of each business team to review the layoff list.

When Lin Yue saw Yin Jie from the technical department open the layoff list on the computer in the conference room, she stared at the list, speechless for a long time. Of the 20-odd people on the list, apart from five older men, the rest were all women. She turned to Yin Jie, puzzled, and asked, "Is this list arranged by gender?"

Yin Jie scratched his head helplessly and said, "I've been struggling with this for a long time. These people have all been with me for several years, and they're all my favorites. But with fewer projects in the future, the boss's requirements will definitely increase, and I need to keep the best and brightest. Women aren't naturally good at technical work; they're not as logical, and after getting married and having children, their energy shifts to their families. These are all people I recruited when it was hard to find people in previous years. I haven't even looked at women's resumes in recent years."