Chapter 234 - 132: Stock
"What? For real?" Zhou Xinwang was both shocked and delighted.
"Of course it’s real. I didn’t get any, though. I think I have to wait until July of next year to get my virtual stock," Xiaofan said with a smile, shaking his head.
Zhou Xinwang hurriedly pushed his way into the crowd.
After squeezing past several people, he finally made it to the inner circle and stood before the bulletin board.
Another veteran employee saw him and flashed a toothy grin, teasing, "Old Zhou, you’re a major company shareholder now! You have to treat us!"
"Heh, Ke the Sixth, stop thinking about free food and drinks all day. If you have that much free time, you’d be better off learning some new skills," Zhou Xinwang retorted, but his eyes were glued to the dozen or so pages of documents on the bulletin board.
After looking for a moment, he found his name on the list for Nanhu Farm.
[Zhou Xinwang (Employee ID 00000059): Employee Level D4, Position: Agricultural Technician, No Medals. Approved virtual stock allocation for 2025: 9,500 shares. Virtual dividend: 3,325 yuan.]
"Why did I only get 4,500 shares?" a veteran employee next to him muttered.
"Toad, are you dreaming?"
"This isn’t about everyone getting the same handout. Did you think they’d just split it evenly?"
"Exactly. You should be happy you got anything. Don’t be so picky."
The others all chimed in, piling on the middle-aged employee nicknamed "Toad."
Toad didn’t back down. "Can’t I even think about it? Is it any of your business?"
Another employee sneered, "Tch, being a fast talker is useless. You’d be better off learning some skills from Old Zhou. He got over three thousand in dividends this year."
"Alright, we’re all colleagues here. Let’s drop it," Zhou Xinwang said quickly, trying to mediate. He didn’t want to get involved in their squabble.
In the employee break area not far away, a few regular employees were sitting around, discussing the company’s new virtual stock incentive plan. Everyone had a different take on it.
After all, it takes all sorts to make a world.
Xiaoliu, a document handler, had a glimmer of hope in his eyes. His voice was tinged with excitement as he said, "I got 5,500 shares in this virtual stock incentive. I’ll get a dividend of 1,925 yuan at the end of the year. I used to feel like there was no future at this company, but now with this opportunity, if I work hard, maybe I can make some real money."
Xiaochen, a quality inspector, was holding a water cup nearby. He looked hesitant and said with a frown, "Don’t get your hopes up too soon. It’s not certain if this virtual stock will bring us any real benefits. After all, dividends depend on performance and gross profit. If the company doesn’t do well, wasn’t all our hard work for nothing?"
Ma, the calm and steady forklift driver, took a silent drag from his cigarette and said slowly, "HUFF... I think there are pros and cons. The good thing is it gives us more motivation. The bad thing is it might put more pressure on us. But either way, let’s just try our best first."
Xiaochen pursed his lips and said dismissively, "Hmph, this is just the company dangling a carrot to trick us into working ourselves to death. How much benefit can us bottom-level employees really get? The leaders are the ones who’ll get the lion’s share."
Hearing this, Xiaoliu became a little defensive and quickly retorted, "You can’t be so pessimistic. The fact that the company introduced this policy at all shows they want everyone to grow together. As long as we get results, there will be rewards."
He then clenched his fist and said resolutely, "I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I’ve decided to seize this opportunity and give it my all. Even if the result isn’t what I hope for, at least I will have tried. No regrets!"
Everyone went back and forth, arguing endlessly.
What the future of the virtual stock incentive would truly hold was something only time could tell. This was the real, unspoken thought in the hearts of many rank-and-file employees.
「Meanwhile.」
Inside one of the company’s temporary office buildings, a group of administrative staff were also in a heated discussion about the new virtual stock incentive plan.
As an employee of the finance department, Xiaowang excitedly polished his glasses and said to a few colleagues:
"This virtual stock incentive is a huge opportunity for us! It means our interests are more closely tied to the company’s. I’m going to be so much more motivated at work from now on."
Old Zhang, an accountant, took a bite of honey-glazed char siu before chiming in, "Yeah, I always used to feel like I was just working for the company. Now, I feel like I’m one of the owners, even if it is just virtual stock. Once this incentive is in place, I feel like I’ll have more drive. After all, the more value we create for the company, the more we benefit ourselves."
Wen Sisi, a purchaser from the logistics department, frowned with a hint of worry. "But how much of a real return can this virtual stock actually bring us? What if it just looks good on paper? You guys in finance should know more of the details, right?"
Sister Zhao, the cleaning lady, smiled and offered some reassurance:
"Since the company rolled out this policy, they must have thought it through carefully. General Manager Jiang isn’t the kind of person who’d disregard his employees’ well-being. Everyone, just relax!"
Xiaowang nodded in agreement. "That’s right. I see this as a sign of the company’s trust and encouragement. From now on, we have to be more dedicated, improve our efficiency, and help the company’s performance get better and better. That way, our virtual stock will become more and more valuable."
"If everyone works together like this, our company is bound to have a brighter future. Who knows, in a few years, we might all be driving luxury cars and living in huge mansions," Old Zhang joked.
Hearing that, Xiaowang laughed along. "Haha, then we’d better seize this opportunity and work hard to make that beautiful future a reality!"
The discussion among the administrative staff was relatively calm. Most of them were filled with anticipation for the virtual stock incentive plan and had confidence in the company’s future.