Packaging Workforce Case Study: Huayuan New Material’s 59-Person Cardboard Workshop Named National Model Workers’ Home

The labor union branch of Huayuan New Material Company’s cardboard workshop regularly brings employees together for group activities.

Hiking, shared meals and short outings are among the regular options.

Migrant workers account for 85% of the cardboard workshop’s workforce.

The labor union branch has turned young people from different places into a tightly knit team.

With diverse activities, the cardboard workshop labor union branch is affectionately called the employees’ “family home.”

Step into the cardboard workshop of Huayuan New Material Company, and the floor is orderly while employees follow standardized operating procedures.

The workshop has 59 employees in total. Through small, everyday actions, they have built a warm “workers’ home,” and last year it was named a “National Model Workers’ Home.”

For many employees in the cardboard workshop, the labor union branch is their own “family home,” where people are united, dedicated and as close as family.

The branch’s activities are varied. Besides a monthly “family dinner,” it organizes holiday events such as wrapping zongzi and making dumplings, as well as table tennis, rope skipping, tug of war and a “Good Voice” singing contest to enrich employees’ spare time. Huayuan New Material Company also has a dedicated employee activity room equipped with treadmills, a billiard table, a table tennis table and other facilities, open free of charge.

Zero tolerance for unsafe operations: no safety, no production.

Safety is the most important guarantee. The cardboard workshop of Huayuan New Material Company has always placed safe production at the core of all work, applied a management philosophy of “unity, cooperation, safety and dedication,” promoted a “zero violations” mindset, and asked everyone to control errors in daily work, laying a foundation for safe production.

“To protect safety, the workshop has zero tolerance for unsafe operations and follows the rule of ‘no safety, no production.’

Safety inspections and sign-offs are conducted before work begins and at shift handover, assigning responsibility to specific individuals.” said He Genshui, workshop director. Hazardous areas are marked with safety slogans and fencing, and safety training is held regularly.

Accidental injuries can still occur in production. For employees hurt on the job, Huayuan New Material Company advances all medical expenses, and company leaders make occasional home visits to understand the situation promptly, helping employees feel family-like warmth and organizational care. Once, employee Xiao Lyu accidentally fell at a machine in the workshop and cut their hands and feet. After union leaders learned of the incident, they immediately opened a green channel for medical treatment, allowing the injured employee to receive care right away without advancing a single cent.

Meticulous care for employees’ daily lives frees them from worries.

Such care is reflected more in everyday life.

Huayuan New Material Company has opened a staff canteen that provides three meals a day and also offers a meal allowance.

It has also built supporting staff dormitories with water heaters, air conditioners, private bathrooms, balconies and internet access, offering good living conditions.

The warmth of home shows in the details. In the cardboard workshop, festival allowances are issued during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and other holidays; mung bean soup and ice cubes are provided in hot weather to cool employees; birthdays are celebrated; and each employee receives an annual health check-up. For senior employees with different years of service, post salaries are raised accordingly. In addition, many life challenges related to employees—such as employment for couples and schooling for children—have been resolved one by one.

In this warm atmosphere, employees have stronger cohesion and a greater sense of belonging. Yu Guozhang, chairman of the cardboard workshop branch of the Huayuan New Material Company labor union, said that facing hard work every day, cardboard workshop employees do not complain of hardship or fatigue; driven by love for their work, they devote themselves to whatever job they do. Likewise, because of the meticulous care for their lives, employees have no worries and put all their energy into work. In their eyes, the cardboard workshop is “a team that dares to fight tough battles.” Especially when facing temporary or unexpected tasks many times, all employees unite and strive, always finding ways to complete the task.

Employees show high enthusiasm for work and outstanding efficiency.

The average age of the cardboard workshop staff is only 30.5, and most were born in the 1990s.

Although they are young, they appear on their posts as mature-minded and highly skilled veteran employees.

Employees collaborate closely; while completing their own tasks, they actively assist colleagues, effectively improving work efficiency.

Even when facing monotonous, repetitive work every day, cardboard workshop employees remain enthusiastic, detail-oriented and committed to the zero-violation mindset.

It is reported that because on-duty employees always proactively gather production information, the workshop has never received a complaint about machine material shortages caused by untimely operation.

The cardboard workshop labor union branch also emphasizes professional skills. It holds a monthly employee skills appraisal to help staff improve continuously in basic knowledge, hands-on operation, safety awareness and quality awareness. “The cardboard workshop is a production department with high demands on professional skills, and product quality often depends on the operator’s skill and experience,” said Wu Yuedong. All employees in the workshop focus on details, insist on teamwork, uphold the zero-violation mindset, and take error control as a starting point, setting an example for the company’s safe production.

—Reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-352596.html