Chen Yu (former Los Angeles deputy mayor, headhunter for top 500 CEOs)
NetEase Research Bureau NO.583
Core features:
1, 996 is neither normal nor healthy in my opinion. To put it bluntly, this is abuse.
2. The disadvantage of a busy working mechanism is that all things that focus on achievement may become obstacles to creation, strictly pour all our efforts into one direction, which affects our ability to innovate, and at the same time restrains us from being busy Insight beyond work.
3. Being busy does not mean efficiency, nor does it mean creating more value. This hard-working and self-dedication spirit is certainly worthy of recognition, but it does not mean that we have to pursue this kind of busyness for a long time, and we should not "busy" meaninglessly and inefficiently for the sake of "busy".
The following is an exclusive interview:
"Unceremoniously, the 996 mode of work is abuse"
NetEase Research Bureau: What do you think of the Internet company 996 work system? Is this a normal phenomenon?
Chen Yu: In the past 30 years, I have had four professional experiences on three continents, including politics, enterprises, and headhunting companies. Before I came to work in China, I had never seen a work model like 996 in any other place. This is why it shocked me to see my friends working under such a system. What shocked me even more, My boss friend thinks that it is normal to require their employees to comply with this 996 working model.
In fact, the working mode of 996 is neither normal nor healthy in my opinion. To put it bluntly, this is abuse. First of all, this will hinder China from going global, because skilled workers in other countries will not be willing to obey this type of work model. Second, this work model is likely to hinder employees’ own innovation.
Netease Research Bureau: Why does the 996 work system hinder a company's innovation?
Chen Yu: Innovation comes from moderate working hours. Stanford University researcher Alex Soojung-Kim Pang studied the world’s most prolific scientists, mathematicians, writers, artists, novelists, painters, sculptors, astronomers, and psychiatrists, and then discovered the "creator paradox" theory. The so-called "creator paradox" means that their creativity, and even their productivity, is not the result of endless work, but the result of enviable rest! In the history of
, many geniuses have done much easier work than you and me. Most people spend only four to six hours a day on actual work! A study of scientific researchers also showed that, judging from published scientific papers, those who work more than 60 hours per week have the lowest hourly efficiency.
Take Charles Darwin as an example. He is the most influential biologist in history. His scientific discoveries are still the unified theory of life sciences, even in the Internet age more than a century later. Darwin’s "Work" includes only three 90-minute schedules per day. But he wrote 19 books, including "The Origin of Species", which may be the most famous in the history of science in the world, and it still affects the way we think about nature and ourselves. The disadvantage of the busy working mechanism of
is that all things that focus on achievement may become obstacles to creation, and strictly pour all our efforts into one direction, which affects our ability to innovate and inhibits our busy work. Insight beyond.
In 1870, French obstetrician Stephane Tarnier (Stephane Tarnier) was walking in the Paris Zoo (this is a good thing). When he looked at the chickens in the incubator, he suddenly thought about a question: Why not for humans Do babies use such things? He hired a zoo poultry breeder to build what he called a baby heating device, which he used to reduce infant mortality by 28%. The modern baby incubator was developed during Tanier's trip to the zoo a century and a half ago.
Many CEOs of companies believe that the 996 work model is the key to their innovation, but the reality is that even without 996, innovative companies from other countries still dominate the world.
"Want to make the enterprise the most efficientDahua needs to increase the internal motivation of each employee for their work."
NetEase Research Bureau: Why do Internet bigwigs publicly express their support for the spirit of "996" at this node?
Chen Yu: If a company is in The key point of development, if a company is now overcoming difficulties, if a company has a serious emergency now, I think as a member of this company, employees will spontaneously implement the 996 working model, and even continue to extend it voluntarily Your own working hours, but this should not become the norm for a company to work overtime. As a company’s CEO or senior management,
must have a long-term vision and a grand pattern to lead the company to a healthier, better, and more A path that suits you. You must know that busyness does not mean efficiency, let alone creating more value. This kind of hard work and self-dedication is certainly worthy of recognition, but it does not mean that you have to pursue this in the long term. Busy, let alone “busy” in the pursuit of “busy” and meaningless and inefficient.
When worrying about the future of China’s innovation, many people accuse the education system of giving priority to rote memorization rather than critical thinking. But maybe the problem Part of it is: 996.
This is the paradox of our time. Under the pressure of increasing productivity, companies require workers to speed up. However, in order to be more creative, we must find ways to slow down. We must all learn to work Combining with rest makes us more creative, more productive, happier, and more successful.
NetEase Research Bureau: What kind of work system, management and incentive system should be implemented by business managers to maximize efficiency?
Chen Yu: In my opinion, if you want to maximize the efficiency of your company, it is obvious that you cannot rely on external requirements such as the 996 work system, but to increase the internal motivation of each employee for their work. When employees like their work Content and feel that their work is truly meaningful to others, then employees will want to devote more to their own work. Many modern young people are not tired of games, when employees are passionate about their work, and When you really want to do it, the job is just like a game, and employees will enjoy their work, do more and complain less. Therefore, the company should strive to ensure that each employee’s job is very suitable for them. The most important thing is What is important is that the company should clearly understand how its products and services will benefit society, and this is not just a decorative or slogan thing, the company should truly align its practices and systems with the company’s mission.
Netease Research Bureau: What advice would you give to Internet enterprise managers who advocate the 996 work system?
Chen Yu: Compared with other companies with low-skilled labor, the future of Internet companies depends more on their talents. If Food delivery companies lose some drivers, food delivery companies can always Recruit another wave of drivers to replace the drivers who have left. But if Internet companies have a large number of programmers who are not satisfied with their jobs, these Internet companies will encounter a real problem. Everyone knows that 996 is an abuse, and no one wants to work under abuse, especially a highly educated scientific and technological worker. Therefore, I suggest that technical directors publicly say "no" to these obvious abuses, so as to attract the most creative talents who want to be respected, and then establish a sustainable and healthy company with them. Then, I hope that through their leading role, a change in the company’s culture will begin, and other technical executives will follow suit.
