Chapter 371 A New Official's Three Fires (2)

“Thank you, President Yang.”

Li Qing’s eyes were sparkling with admiration. ‘President Yang really is a good boss.’ It had been worth it to secretly lend a hand back when Yang Na helped get his position confirmed.

As he was leaving Yang Hui’s office, he ran into Manager Fu from HR. She whispered to Li Qing, “Congratulations.”

He immediately guessed she was referring to his official appointment as Operations Manager. Li Qing said in a low voice, “It hasn’t been officially approved yet.”

Manager Fu shook her head. “I asked HR at headquarters. As long as President Yang agrees, they’ll push it right through.”

Li Qing felt a little dazed. ‘President Yang must be the regional general manager with the most authority in Ruijing Commerce’s history.’ But then again, he had contributed a great deal to the company. On his very first day on the job, he had already solved the mall promotion issue that had been plaguing the company for over a month.

“Manager Li, I’m going to report to President Yang. We’ll talk later.”

The moment she entered, she heard President Yang giving instructions. “Manager Fu, talk to Fang Zheng about his severance package by tomorrow at the latest. He’s no longer a good fit for Ruijing Commerce. It’s better for him to move on.”

“Understood.” Manager Fu had disliked Fang Zheng for a long time. He had little ability but loved to put on airs. Getting rid of him was a cause for celebration. Besides, President Yang was willing to give him a severance package instead of using tactics like a job transfer to force his resignation. That was more than decent of him.

This wasn’t a personal vendetta on Yang Hui’s part. He had considered Fang Zheng incompetent back when he was managing the Operations Department. It was just that at the time, a problem arose that the Channel Development Department was supposed to handle, and he ended up solving it himself. He wasn’t in charge of the entire company back then, so he didn’t care whether the Channel Development Department did well or not.

But things were different now. He was responsible for the company as a whole. A crucial division like the Channel Development Department certainly couldn’t be left in the hands of an incompetent person like Fang Zheng.

“President Yang, headhunters have recommended a few candidates. I’ll be speaking with them over the next couple of days and will present you with anyone suitable.”

He nodded. As long as he was here, the Channel Development Department wouldn’t fall into chaos. The core issue with Xinyue Square was settled, so there were no other major problems. As for the other commercial areas, like the street-front shops and supermarkets, even if issues arose, the impact would be minimal. Those were all small stores with low productivity and slim profit margins.

Manager Fu sat down across from Yang Hui and took out a printed copy of the company’s salary schedule she had compiled. She handed it to him.

Ruijing Commerce’s salary structure was a mess. Pay for the same job level varied wildly between departments. For instance, Fang Zheng, the manager of the Channel Development Department, had a base salary of 10,000, the same as Yang Hui had made as Operations Manager. Yet Manager Fu, the head of HR, had a base salary of only 8,000, and Qin Hong, the General Affairs Manager, made a mere 6,000. No wonder Qin Hong was always trying to transfer to the Operations Department.

This was because at Ruijing Commerce, the core business divisions—the Channel Development and Operations Departments—had the highest base salaries. On top of that, those two departments also received bonuses.

The support departments, on the other hand, were on fixed salaries with no bonuses. (The year-end bonus didn’t really count, as it wasn’t much and was sometimes just paid out as a thirteenth-month salary.)

Yang Hui flipped through the documents. The pay was indeed a bit low. Ruijing Commerce’s raises had been small in recent years, and they were always concentrated in the core departments. The support staff hadn’t seen a raise in years. No wonder they all just coasted through their workdays with zero initiative. If you were in their shoes, earning just enough to get by with no hope for the future, what motivation would you have?

And these were just the managers. One could only imagine what the regular staff earned. Employees in the Operations and Channel Development Departments had a base salary of around 5,000 yuan, and other departments were similar, the only difference being that the first two also received bonuses.

However, there was one thing Ruijing Commerce did smartly: the income for their front-line store staff was decent. The base salary wasn’t high, but at 2,800, it was considered acceptable for the industry. After all, sales associates relied on commission.

He picked up a pen and began scribbling on a piece of scratch paper, occasionally tapping a few numbers into a calculator. He was clearly figuring out how to implement raises. Manager Fu watched him with an expectant look on her face, not daring to interrupt.

She hadn’t gotten a raise in two years, either. What office worker didn’t love a raise? It was just that the budget for raises had always been limited, and priority was always given to managers and the core departments. So, while the Channel Development and Operations Departments would get small raises, she would only occasionally get a little something. More peripheral departments like IT and General Affairs almost never saw an increase.

But with the cost of living rising so quickly, a salary that might have been fine a few years ago was now barely enough to support oneself. And supporting a family on this pathetic wage? Forget about it.

Yang Hui was completely focused on his revisions. Manager Fu, sitting across from him, strained to see the numbers he was writing, but it was difficult. Still, she tried her best to look. She could just about make out the numbers, but recognizing the names upside down was nearly impossible.

She couldn’t make out the other names, but she could recognize her own. She remembered exactly where her name was located on the document she had given him. So when Yang Hui started revising that section, she held her breath, terrified that the slightest sound would break his concentration. If he stopped right when he got to her name, she would absolutely die.

‘Will President Yang give me a raise? My base salary isn’t high at only 8,000 yuan, but it’s still 2,000 more than the other support departments. He’ll probably prioritize their salaries first, won’t he?’

‘Sigh, it’s been two years for me, too. Please, oh great Immortals, please… President Yang, just have a heart and give me 500 or even 1,000 yuan. 500 a month is 6,000 a year! I could treat myself to a new phone.’