Meet Yu Donglai ‘silliest boss’ in China who puts staff happiness ahead of making money

Yu Donglai came from a poor family and understands the hardships working people face. Photo: Weibo

• Supermarket chain boss is making waves by introducing 'unhappy leave', puts staff happiness at top of list of priorities

The boss of a supermarket chain in China has been dubbed the country's "silliest boss" for putting staff happiness at the top of his list of priorities.

In March, Yu Donglai, the president of the Pang Dong Lai chain, announced that his company was going to offer its 7,000 employees 10-days of so-called unhappy leave, and let them freely decide when they want to rest.

"I want every staff member to have freedom. Everyone has times when they are not happy, so if you are not happy, do not come to work," Yu said.

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The special leave was given in addition to 30 days annual leave and five-day Spring Festival break, which is rare for a Chinese company.

Yu said he wanted his company to have a "European-like working environment".

His move to cherish employees, give them high salaries and set up bonus schemes to comfort them if they are treated unfairly by customers has landed him the nickname "China's silliest boss".

The standard amount of paid time off is five to 15 days a year in China.

Pang Dong Lai chain also set up a "Grievance Award" of between 5,000 and 8,000 yuan (US$700 and US$1,100) for employees, as compensation for when they received unreasonable complaints and treatment from customers.

Yu's generosity has paid off. He said fewer than five per cent of his employees leave the company each year.

The company has 13 outlets in Xuchang and Xinxiang, three and four-tier cities in central China's Henan province, and has a reputation as a "customers' paradise" for its meticulous service.

At a time when the bricks-and-mortar retail industry is struggling, Yu said Pang Dong Lai made 140 million yuan (US$19 million) last year, seven times more than forecast.

Yu, 58, was born into a farming family and started work after leaving junior secondary school.

He opened a 40-square-metre grocery shop in 1995, and stuck to the policy of only selling authentic goods, despite fake products being rampant in the market at the time.

Yu's business rocketed and he opened a tobacco and liquor company in 1997.

However, his shop was set on fire by a group of gangsters after he stopped one of them harassing his female staff.

Yu soon got back on his feet, eventually building the retail empire Pang Dong Lai.

He said he has chosen not to expand his business to other provinces because it is already big enough and his goal is to "run a shop well".

Yu said he does not overvalue money and fame, preferring to run his business with honesty and integrity.

Of the business chiefs who focus on massive profits at the expense of their employees' happiness, Yu said: "They are not entrepreneurs, but slave owners."

He said a true entrepreneur should be "healthy, happy and lighthearted", and does not think Pang Dong Lai is a legend despite many calling it so.

"We are only a little more honest and kinder. It is sad if this makes you a legend," he said.

"Yu is the pioneer of a future society with a better working environment and employment benefits," one person said on Douyin.

"Thank you for setting an example for Chinese bosses," another commented.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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