The movie "The Annual Party Can't Stop!" ” hit the theaters, making the “Annual Meeting” once again attract widespread attention. As the Spring Festival approaches, the annual meetings of major companies have also been put on the agenda, and the "rehearsal + performance" mode has been launched. However, this event, which was meant to celebrate the New Year, has been criticized constantly.
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"Sister, my Sunday is occupied. I have to rehearse the annual meeting program with my colleagues..." Wang Xin, a post-90s girl who works in an Internet company, was forced to cancel the rehearsal with her friends two weeks ago after receiving the rehearsal notice. Just make a good travel plan.
Her department was just established a week ago. "The new team has a lot of work, which I was already annoyed about. Now they have added extra work to me, and even my rest time is taken up, which makes it even more annoying." Regarding the annual meeting, Wang Xin said that she did not have any positive views.
For Li Yingying, who works in Langfang, Hebei Province, the annual meeting is more like another form of overtime than a celebration. The annual meeting of her company usually lasts two days. Before the regular performances and meals, the company will also hold a full-day year-end summary meeting, where they discuss solutions to the current problems encountered by the company in groups, and then make PPTs. The next morning report. "This kind of PPT can't be completed with 8 or 10 pages. It usually takes 20 to 30 pages, or even 30 to 50 pages." Li Yingying said that at this time, everyone basically doesn't have to sleep that night. Busy working overtime.
Recently, the movie "The Annual Party Can't Stop!" ” hit the theaters, making the “Annual Meeting” once again attract widespread attention. As the Spring Festival approaches, the annual meetings of major companies have also been put on the agenda, and the "rehearsal + performance" mode has been launched. However, this event, which is supposed to celebrate the New Year, has been criticized constantly: "I am already busy at the end of the year, but I have to find time to rehearse", "I have worked hard for a year, and I have to perform for the leaders at the end of the year"... Many people Worried: “Can the annual meeting be stopped for a while?”
So, what kind of annual meeting do we need?
The annual meeting that is frequently complained about
For Li Ping, who works in an education and training institution, "social death" is the key word for her annual meeting, and the embarrassment starts from the early preparations. The company requires everyone to wear a formal dress, so many people buy new clothes or go to bridal shops to rent them. “Notwithstanding the huge difference in styles, the expenses are not reimbursed.” The annual meeting was held in the Northeast, and it was cold in winter. Many people wore cotton-padded jackets, cotton trousers, and skirts and went to the venue to change. However, the venue did not have a dressing room that could accommodate the needs of so many people. The clothes everyone changed were placed around the venue, which was very messy.
The presentation before entering the venue also embarrassed Li Ping. A background wall was set up at the entrance of the venue and a red carpet was laid out. After the department gathered 4-6 people, they had to go to the background wall to take group photos. "People who love taking pictures may like this part very much, but for someone like me who doesn't know how to pose and is usually very casual, this is too uncomfortable," she said.
The much-anticipated lottery draw and red envelope distribution did not escape the "embarrassing" fate at this annual meeting. "Generally speaking, the company will send a red envelope to everyone who did not win the prize, so that everyone can gain something. But that year, I don't know who came up with the idea. Instead of putting money into it, they stuffed I got two scratch-off tickets, but I didn’t get anything." Li Ping felt that the company wanted to hold an annual meeting but was unwilling to spend too much money, so he was "cautious" in the lottery.
Performances are the highlight of many annual meetings, but they also cause headaches for many employees. Li Ping once participated in a performance. "I was not included in the performance originally, but someone suddenly had something to do and there were not enough people, so I was forced to join." This is a dance performance similar to "Subject Three". From the beginning of the rehearsal, she couldn't let go. On the day of the annual meeting, while standing on the stage, “I saw someone taking pictures and my teeth almost broke. I really wanted to throw away his phone!”
Attendees of the annual meeting continued to complain about the event, and organizers also complained about it. The company where Li Yingying works decided to hold this year's annual meeting in Langfang. As an administrator, she and two other colleagues were responsible for the preparations for the event.
Look at the venue, find a hotel, negotiate the price, sign a contract, make a list, arrange a room, buy prizes, rent stage equipment, buy snacks... "All the company's employees working in North China have to come, but there are only three of us, so the workload is Extremely big." In order to do her best to hold the annual meeting, Li Yingying even handed over her daily work to the leaders. She and her colleagues prepared for a whole month, detailing everything, but in the end many people were dissatisfied. "It's hard to disagree. Some people feel that the food is not to their liking, while others feel that the program did not meet expectations..." Li Yingying felt that although she was tired, the results were not good and she was very unhappy.
The more relaxed the atmosphere, the more interesting the annual party will be
Why does the company still hold annual meetings when it is frequently complained about?
According to Fan Yangyang, a teacher of human resources management at the Zhongrui Hotel Management School of Beijing International Studies University, the annual meeting is not only a summary of the past year, but also the beginning of the new year; it is not only a recognition and gratitude for everyone’s efforts in the past, but also a reflection on the past year. Motivation for work in the coming year. "From the organizer's point of view, department preparation programs require organizational coordination. In this process, it helps to promote communication between departments and enhance team cohesion."
Fan Yangyang believes that employees’ feelings about participating in the annual meeting are related to their personal personalities and the overall atmosphere of the company. "If the leader of a department is very humorous and willing to go on stage to perform, he will lead everyone to perform; if this person is busy working all day and doesn't pay attention to the annual meeting, employees may not enjoy it," she said.
The leader's speech was awkward, the program was unoriginal, and the food was unpalatable... When it comes to the annual meeting, Sun Yang, who once worked in a bank, like many people, also keeps complaining. But if he had a choice, he would still like to attend the annual meeting. "The year must have an end, and the annual meeting is a reflection of the sense of ceremony."
An annual meeting was notified only three days before it was held, and he and his colleagues urgently rehearsed a "San Sentence and a Half (a folk art genre, named after a set of performance words with only 3 sentences and 1 phrase - reporter's note)". The lines were randomly searched from the Internet, and the program was rehearsed during work. There was no need to memorize the words for the performance, just copy them in hand and read them directly. There are a total of 6 programs at the annual meeting, 4 of which are singing and 1 is poetry recitation, all of which are so "rough". "Almost all the singers don't tune in to the original tune. It's rare that one of them sings in tune, but it's out of tune." Sun Yang said, although it's embarrassing, it's very interesting. Even if it's out of tune, you still have the opportunity to show yourself.
Li Yingying believes that the enjoyment of the annual meeting is also related to the nature of one's work. As an administrator, you need to keep a close eye on the overall process of the annual meeting, and keep your nerves tense when everyone else is relaxing and watching the performance. Salespeople are generally cheerful and good at dealing with interpersonal relationships. For them, this is a good opportunity to expand their network. "Take an online shopping platform as an example. Customers list products on the platform, and sales can earn commission from the advertisements in the middle. Each sales area is responsible for different areas. If a customer in area A opens a branch in area B, he will be responsible for the sales in area A. Introduce customers to the corresponding colleagues in area B, and the sales in area B can make money." According to Li Yingying's understanding, many people do benefit from sharing the network resources accumulated at the annual meeting.
From “can we stop” to “don’t want to stop”, what will the ideal New Year be like?
What kind of annual meeting do we need? Everyone has their own answer.
"Everyone has a different personality. Forcing employees to perform will make many people uncomfortable. The annual meeting will become a burden for everyone." Fan Yangyang hopes that the annual meeting will not be too complicated. "As an employee, I still just want to watch, I don’t want to act.” She hopes that the annual meeting can be more creative, such as adding funny awards and other aspects, so that everyone can have fun while also understanding the work of various departments in the past year.
Sun Yang hopes that the annual meeting will be more interesting, and both the programs and games must be innovative.
"I like to attend the annual meeting simply because I don't have to go to work that day, but if it is held on the weekend, it is better not to go." For Li Yingying, not having an annual meeting is the best annual meeting, "just discount it."
Yu Zhu, a financial practitioner, has a photo that she has treasured for a long time. It is a photo of her and a well-known domestic technology industry boss. She once interned at the private equity company she founded, and this photo was taken while attending the annual meeting.
"I had just joined the company for a month and was not familiar with anyone else. I didn't want to participate. Later, my colleagues told me that I could get at least 500 yuan if I went, so I went." Yu Zhu recalled that on the day of the annual meeting, not only Taking into account working hours, taxi fares can be reimbursed; there are many entertainment facilities in the venue, including basketball hoops, pool tables, etc., and you can even get a manicure done. "Everyone can choose the projects they like, and there is no need to perform. Almost all the female colleagues present have done manicures." Yu Zhu made the most basic solid color model, which was also her first time doing manicures.
In Yu Zhu’s view, an ideal annual meeting should not take up personal time, be formalistic, and require no employees to bear any costs. The annual meeting she attended during her internship perfectly fit the above characteristics. She said that if future annual meetings were of this format, she would be willing to attend.
(At the request of the interviewees, Wang Xin, Li Yingying, Li Ping and Yu Zhu are all pseudonyms in the article)
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily trainee reporter Li Danping reporter Guo Shaoming Source: China Youth Daily