'Employee sharing' eases labor crunch amid COVID-19 outbreak
Chinese companies have come up with a creative way of sharing eployees to optimize human resources during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Qiu said that many companies in the zone are auto parts manufacturers. As their parent companies in Hubei province face logistical issues caused by outbreak-related travel restrictions, these companies had to suspend their productions and assume the costs for surplus laborers.
For Sheng, workers borrowed from Ruizhi Automotive Parts could not have come at a better time. He said they were "perfectly tailored to their demand," as most of the workers had been working on assembly lines similar to the mask machines. More importantly, the team spirit they had in their past work experience made the work here better coordinated. Compared to hiring workers through HR service companies, Sheng said the employee sharing scheme saved him a lot of time and intermediary fees, and the borrowed workers can get to work as soon as possible without much training.
"I don't see any difference, except for the place where I am working," said Yang Qing, the person in charge of the production line of Ruizhi Automotive Parts. "[Hua'erte Technology] allows us the most freedom. The management of workers and the division of labor are both at our hands, as long as we complete the tasks they give us."
According to the short-term agreement signed by workers and their temporary employer, Yang and his team still receive wages from their original employers, which are then reimbursed by the temporary employers. Meanwhile, the team's original employer remains responsible for making their social insurance payments.
