Story 3: Young Worker – Staying positive through WeSupport lessons and Wechat’ s social functions
When Bi Xinlian was 13 years old she boldly decided to quit school and head off to the east coast to search for work. Leaving behind her hometown in Sichuan Province she found work in a small family-operated workshop that resembled something of a plastic factory. Working at such a young age coupled with her lack of schooling influenced her performance at work and her sense of discipline.
Now 24 years old, Xinlian recalls skipping work shifts to hang out with friends whenever she felt tired. The friendships she made were clearly an important influence in her life. When in 2009 she decided to head for China ' s manufacturing hub Dongguan, it was her friends who introduced her to the assembly line position she still holds today. Carving out new friendship circles was just as important to her in Dongguan as it was in Fujian, and with most workers around the same age as her, she had no problems finding a peer group to share her favorite past-times with: shopping and hanging out.
When Xinlian had a baby she moved out from the factory into a rented apartment nearby, but being a major breadwinner, she felt out of options when it came to daycare. With no job opportunities in her hometown in Sichuan, she made the difficult decision of leaving her baby girl with her parents. Knowing that she could only make the 36-hour journey back to her hometown once a year, WeChat quickly became the best tool for connecting and interacting with the family.
Xinlian taught her father, who is the only mobile phone user in her family, how to use messaging, video chat and the“ Moments” function in WeChat, so that she is kept posted about the family ' s wellbeing. Although Xinlian doesn’ t have a good data plan, she always saves enough data to talk to her family and exchange photos. Since she is under a lot of pressure work, WeChat public account providing funny video clips, entertainment gossip and Tencent News are among her favorites.
Xinlian was introduced to the young worker lessons through her factory’ s WeChat public account. She thinks that unlike the other eLearning courses, the Young Worker lessons depict real life situations through comic strips, and give practical instructions and advice to young workers about communication, conflicts resolution, stress relief and such. Xinlian is especially inspired by the tips on“ how to stay positive”:“ I was very young when I started working and lived alone by myself. I remember I was desperate to maintain a good relationship with colleagues at work. However, conflicts did happened and I lost my temper. I didn’ t know who to talk to. My then boyfriend( now husband) was my only comfort. As I grew up and after reading the posts, I realized that a positive and encouraging attitude is very important at work. If we helped and respected each other at work, we could all be happier and more efficient, and even earn more money. It is a win-win strategy. I hope I can be the sunshine of my line, where I can shine through the dark moments and provide my fellow colleagues with rays of happiness during the long work hours.”
When conflicts happen, Xinlian learned to first calm herself down, think from the other party’ s perspective as suggested by“ How to deal with conflicts and criticism”, and to not say angry words out of impulse. She says snacks have become her weapon against negative thoughts.
As for future plans, Xinlian would like to continue working in this factory for 1-2 more years, then go back to her hometown to have a second baby.“ Then I would consider working in a restaurant or a shopping mall near my home as my parents are getting older and I do not want to leave my two babies with them.”
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