Apple partner Foxconn boosts 'entertainment' time to curb suicides
Apple's overseas manufacturing partner has instituted a new strategy that intends to prevent employee suicides by offering more "entertainment" time and cutting overtime work hours.
The Wall Street Journal on Friday described an event held at the Foxconn plant in Shenzhen, China, this week in which tens of thousands of employees wore costumes, sang, danced and paraded. The theme for the event was "treasure your life, love your family and care for each other."
An employee said that the change in focus has helped to boost morale, as employees are less stressed and receive more time off from work. A company spokesman said that Hon Hai Precision was "blinded" by its success, and didn't cater to the emotional needs of its young workforce, of which 75 percent is between the ages of 18 and 24. Foxconn is the registered trade name of Hon Hai.
"Unlike the previous generation of workers that regarded work and basic necessities as top priorities in life, post 80s workers don't just work for money," said Louis Woo, special assistant to Hon Hai's chairman. "The new generation of workers is changing China and Hon Hai is changing to meet this new reality."
The company assembles some of Apple's most popular products, including the iPhone and iPad. Its massive factory in Shenzhen holds nearly a half-million workers.
Earlier this year, a number of Hon Hai employees committed suicide -- some in a very public fashion, by jumping off of the factory. The company responded by installing safety nets around the facility.
Hon Hai revealed in May that it planned to give a 20 percent pay raise to its employees. Entry-level workers at the company's factory in Longhua reportedly earn just over 900 yuan, or $131.80 U.S. per month before overtime and bonuses.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs spoke on the Foxconn issue in June at the All Things D Conference. He said that his company was "on top of" the matter, and that Foxconn "is not a sweatshop."
"It's a factory, but my gosh, they have restaurants and movie theaters, but it's a factory," Jobs said. "But they've had some suicides and attempted suicides, and they have 400,000 people there, The rate is under what the U.S. rate is, but it's still troubling."
The Wall Street Journal on Friday described an event held at the Foxconn plant in Shenzhen, China, this week in which tens of thousands of employees wore costumes, sang, danced and paraded. The theme for the event was "treasure your life, love your family and care for each other."
An employee said that the change in focus has helped to boost morale, as employees are less stressed and receive more time off from work. A company spokesman said that Hon Hai Precision was "blinded" by its success, and didn't cater to the emotional needs of its young workforce, of which 75 percent is between the ages of 18 and 24. Foxconn is the registered trade name of Hon Hai.
"Unlike the previous generation of workers that regarded work and basic necessities as top priorities in life, post 80s workers don't just work for money," said Louis Woo, special assistant to Hon Hai's chairman. "The new generation of workers is changing China and Hon Hai is changing to meet this new reality."
The company assembles some of Apple's most popular products, including the iPhone and iPad. Its massive factory in Shenzhen holds nearly a half-million workers.
Earlier this year, a number of Hon Hai employees committed suicide -- some in a very public fashion, by jumping off of the factory. The company responded by installing safety nets around the facility.
Hon Hai revealed in May that it planned to give a 20 percent pay raise to its employees. Entry-level workers at the company's factory in Longhua reportedly earn just over 900 yuan, or $131.80 U.S. per month before overtime and bonuses.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs spoke on the Foxconn issue in June at the All Things D Conference. He said that his company was "on top of" the matter, and that Foxconn "is not a sweatshop."
"It's a factory, but my gosh, they have restaurants and movie theaters, but it's a factory," Jobs said. "But they've had some suicides and attempted suicides, and they have 400,000 people there, The rate is under what the U.S. rate is, but it's still troubling."
Comments
Another issue are the tax laws. China only taxes 20% (or less) for corporate tax. The US corporate tax is 40% at least. Apple has shield about 50% of its cash flow via transfer pricing... WTO helps too. The average person has to pay much higher taxes. About time they fixed this issue and brought jobs home.
The government should actually encourage domestic manufacturing via tax laws and tariffs. Dump WTO and NAFTA.
Steve Jobs defends using this sweatshop to line his pockets. He should be ashamed. How would he like to work there? Why doesn't Apple just admit they use this place because it's cheap and it's how business is done in America.
Check the rest of your shopping. Try to find a product you bought that isn't made in China ... how much do you know about the working conditions of the people that made all the other products? Having said that, I would love Apple to manufacture at home for sure ... maybe one day.
I do not think there is anything wrong with that?
Apple's overseas manufacturing partner has instituted a new strategy that intends to prevent employee suicides by offering more "entertainment" time and cutting overtime work hours.
Perhaps we should do it here to reduce the high rate of suicide (which is higher per capita than Apple's overseas manufacturers) amongst our university students.
It is a shame that an innovative company like Apple does not want to make the effort to automate the assembly process so that their products do not have to be made by slave labor. In the end, automated production has always been cheaper than slave labor... as most industries learnt after the Civil War.
I think you should complain to companies like Siemens, Alstom and ABB for not coming up with better machines or manufacturing line designs.
But you are right....imagine Apple involved in manufacturing line design! The world would be different
Just pay them what's owed and do not make human being robots.
"So how come you are working 12 hours a day now?"
"Well I told my boss at work that I need some time at home with my family to sort things out and he told me that I can work half days for some time."
Check the rest of your shopping. Try to find a product you bought that isn't made in China ... how much do you know about the working conditions of the people that made all the other products? Having said that, I would love Apple to manufacture at home for sure ... maybe one day.
Re: Other products made in China
I did reference that in the last sentence of my post. We are in agreement on this issue.
"Unlike the previous generation of workers that regarded work and basic necessities as top priorities in life, post 80s workers don't just work for money," said Louis Woo, special assistant to Hon Hai's chairman. "The new generation of workers is changing China and Hon Hai is changing to meet this new reality."
This is the best part. Act like it's the employees that are weak. Sounds like my parents. "Your generation doesn't know what work is. Why in MY day, I walked uphill in the blinding snow to pump gas after school every day."
I guess global warming is real. Apparently the earth of the past was a much colder place.
I know how this entertainment might look like in communist country. I lived in one for decades. So what kind of propaganda movie will they show those workers? Or perhaps they will show military choir or orchestra at the local opera?
Current Chinese TV shows and movies are nothing like communist era stuff. For that you need to go to North Korea which is like a timewarp into the 50s.
I know how this entertainment might look like in communist country. I lived in one for decades. So what kind of propaganda movie will they show those workers? Or perhaps they will show military choir or orchestra at the local opera?"
I am no expert, but I believe the only thing that makes them communist these days is the one party system. In reality they are closer to a socialist system. Anyone saying otherwise is just spouting hate that they picked up somewhere. For all of those people complaining about jobs in China, that is where the industry is for some of these services. If you want to open a factory here, figure out how to make these things, and get people to work at them then great, but the easier solution is just to make sure our products are manufactured according to our moral code. It is not trivial to move manufacturing capability to the United States when there is no infrastructure for some of these services. I'm sure this also works in reverse and there are many industries we have that China cannot compete with. They may even be complaining about having to buy those overpriced American products. It is usually better business sense to go after new industries then try to compete in existing aggressive markets. The only way that could work is if you can guarantee a superior product like how Apple got in the phone market.
Reminds me of what my consumer behavior teach was telling me last year at uni. The problem is that in china that change has not happened, and in fact the change is being reversed in the US by the recession. Today people are taking whatever jobs they can get, work longer with no overtime just to keep a job and "put food on their family".
Plus think back to high school years. No one freakin stayed for the pep ralley. After 14 hours of cranking out the iPods a pro-life parade is more of a burden then a joyful event.
Who are they kidding? It is a sweat shop! It is a shame that an innovative company like Apple does not want to make the effort to automate the assembly process so that their products do not have to be made by slave labor. In the end, automated production has always been cheaper than slave labor... as most industries learnt after the Civil War.
Another issue are the tax laws. China only taxes 20% (or less) for corporate tax. The US corporate tax is 40% at least. Apple has shield about 50% of its cash flow via transfer pricing... WTO helps too. The average person has to pay much higher taxes. About time they fixed this issue and brought jobs home.
The government should actually encourage domestic manufacturing via tax laws and tariffs. Dump WTO and NAFTA.
Yeah right!!! Lets use Robots and manufacturing lines, and fire all these employees who need money to get food clothes and god knows what. You know AjitMD before making such bold statements you should compare the working conditions in other places in china. I can tell you Foxconn is comparatively all right. The problem there is to 95% that the employees are isolated from their social groups where they used to live.
This said, I have certainly the opinion, that Foxconn ought to do even more for their employees. But they made a start and thats to be acknowledged.
Haha, older generations put work as top priority, but post 1980's want to work for something else?
Reminds me of what my consumer behavior teach was telling me last year at uni. The problem is that in china that change has not happened, and in fact the change is being reversed in the US by the recession. Today people are taking whatever jobs they can get, work longer with no overtime just to keep a job and "put food on their family".
Plus think back to high school years. No one freakin stayed for the pep ralley. After 14 hours of cranking out the iPods a pro-life parade is more of a burden then a joyful event.
Yeah, thought the pro-life pep rally comment was strange. Maybe it lost something in translation and was a fun event.
Haha, older generations put work as top priority, but post 1980's want to work for something else?
A result of the one-child policy. Only one kid and you spoil em like crazy. Or two sets of grandparents do. We do the same thing here with our trophy kids but to a great extent I feel it's just the usual old people grousing about how the kids don't want to work anymore.
Every generation thinks the following generation is a bunch of slackers. They're wrong but they sure like to think that.
And then we have the tool that talks about entertainment being government propaganda and all his other dribble. No, they are lined up at 5 a.m. to get tickets to the constantly sold out showings of Avatar at the local iMax theater. My wife, our newborn baby and I are currently living in China and I have been coming here for the last 11 years (my wife is Chinese) and I can tell you that you are all clueless as to what it's really like here. China has modernized like no other country in history. Factories are making conditions better all the time as expectations and worker demands are higher, and wages are increasing as are living conditions. So please, it would be better to keep your fingers off the keyboard when you truly don't know what you are talking about.
Yeah, thought the pro-life pep rally comment was strange. Maybe it lost something in translation and was a fun event.
Pro life as in don't commit a suicide, not don't kill babies. I think that is what the chinese called it when I watched this on the news.
. Every generation thinks the following generation is a bunch of slackers. They're wrong but they sure like to think that.
So true. In MY day, we only had one TV set. And one phone in the kitchen. These young kids today with their long hair and their drugs and their open sex any time of the day and night for no reason.
Oops, that's the seventies. I'll update it. These kids today with their iPods and their texting any time of the day and night for no reason.
No one minds the sex part anymore.
blah blah 'mericans are ignorant deleted
M'kay...lighten up Francis. I'm sure when you were in college you had to walk to the auto plant up hill both ways and surely nobody currently living in the US works long hours anymore.
Living in a major chinese city as an expat is one thing. Living dirt poor in the countryside is different. Parts of China have modernized significantly. Others have not. It's still a communist country and the Chinese are pragmatic.
Keep your head down, make money, live well while you can. Emperors are fickle.