Chapter 1570 Visiting Orchidia Germany (Part II)
Chapter 1570 Visiting Orchidia Germany (Part II)
Iris Long continued to chat with everyone, mostly about their work in the company. Although this was the first time the staff met her, it felt like she had been working alongside them all this time. She had no trouble at all in understanding technical terms. There were times when her comprehension was even better than theirs, benefitting them instead.
It was clear that she was kept updated about the progress of the company despite her not being actually present in person in Germany. She lived in another country and still had an excellent grasp of the company's entire situation.
Everyone's eyes couldn't help but land on their founder and chairwoman, Iris Long. They had heard that she was a celebrity back in China and married to a billionaire so their expectations of her were quite low. A few even admitted being somewhat disdainful of her identity as a billionaire's wife, thinking of her as just a figurehead in the business.
Seeing her in person today, however, dashed all of their preconceived notions about her, most of which were negative.
The majority of the staff came from all over Europe and hadn't been familiar with this new company, Orchidia. However, they still tried their luck and applied for the job postings because of the tempting above-average salary and excellent benefits.
Those who received job offers after the rigorous interview sessions decided to move directly to Germany after confirming that the company was legitimate. They figured that if it was a scam, the company wouldn't spend so much time, effort, and money to relocate them and even make their stay in Germany comfortable.
Included in their job benefits was an option for them to move their families after a three-month probation period. This alone was enough to completely entice them to accept the job offer without any reservations.
Once hired, they were immediately put to work preparing for the company's grand launch. The company placed great importance on the launch because they wouldn't only serve German customers but customers across Europe as well.
The scale was akin to a large multinational company, exciting the newly hired employees, most of whom were new graduates. Of course, there were a few who were poached from other companies, but it seemed that Orchidia focused on hiring newbies instead of experienced corporate workers.
Once they started working in the company, they finally understood why.
Orchidia prioritized innovation and forward thinking rather than traditional corporate values.
New ideas were encouraged.
Credit stealing was discouraged.
The rewards for contribution were excellent. On the other hand, the punishments were grave.
Since the new company was still new, everyone was having a blast following the company policies. Everything was exciting. It was like the perfect company of their dreams especially for the new graduates fresh out of university. As a result, they quickly built loyalty and pride in the company despite it not actually launching yet.
Meeting their chairwoman today also gave them much more reassurance that the company would succeed.
It wasn't just her beauty, wealth, multilingual skills, or surprising grasp of company matters that impressed them. It was also her undeniable aura as a leader.
She was feminine all throughout and yet still exuded an intimidating aura. Not intimidating in a scary way. More like intimidating in an impressive way.
Iris continued to chat with the Orchidia employees, focusing on having in-depth conversations with executive-level staff. She wanted to gauge their personalities by engaging them in discussions.
It was a trick that Grandpa Lu had taught her long ago and something that she frequently employed when determining if a candidate was the right fit for a job position in her businesses. So far, she was satisfied with Alona Bauer's hiring decisions.
She glanced at Chen Fei who was also focused on listening to the other employees. Iris knew that for Chen Fei, this was an invaluable learning experience to improve her leadership skills.
As for Dom, he stayed right beside Iris as a loyal and reliable assistant. He had a tablet that he used to take notes.
"This is my assistant and right-hand man, Dominic Chua," Iris would always introduce him when talking with another person.
Those astute enough immediately understood that this was her signal to them that they should treat Dom like they would treat her, especially whenever he had to execute an order of hers.
Iris glanced at her wristwatch and signalled Alona Bauer to call for everyone's attention. Then Alona handed the "stage" to Iris.
"Not all of us are Germans but since we are here in Germany, we must follow the local customs and prioritize punctuality and valuing time," Iris said, smiling, but her tone was firm. "On behalf of Orchidia headquarters COO Chen Fei, my assistant Dominic Chua, and of course, myself, thank you very much for welcoming us here today. As promised, we won't take too much of your time. I must say that I am pleased with what I've observed today.
"I hope that you continue to hold this kind of enthusiasm and motivation to work for Orchidia. This isn't just my company anymore. This is our company! As the founder, owner, and chairman, I promise to all of you that as long as you contribute to Orchidia's success, I will not shortchange you with generous rewards. Please join me in making Orchidia a success, not only here in Germany and Europe, but all around the globe as well!"
Everyone felt passion burn inside them while listening to her speech. They cheered, feeling like they shared the same goal—to make Orchidia a global success.
"We'll do our best, Chairwoman!"
"Orchidia is the best company ever!"
"Chairwoman Iris Long is the best!"
Iris smiled, pleased to see that her words had successfully motivated everyone. This was her goal in coming here today.
Checking on the company's progress in person was only secondary. She needed to make sure that the employees felt passionate enough about the company to encourage continuous innovation. This was crucial in allowing Orchidia to compete in a cutthroat corporate industry, especially in Germany where so many multinational companies had already long established themselves, their status remaining unshaken for decades, some even for centuries.
If Orchidia didn't take any bold risks right from the start, it would just fall behind even before it had a chance to establish a firm foundation.
Just being a member of Cross Academy's exclusive business network wasn't a guarantee of success. Orchidia, as a member, still needed to put in the work.
For an ambitious businesswoman like Iris, she would never depend on pure connections alone for the success of any of her businesses. If she were stupid enough to do so, then she didn't deserve to be a Cross Academy student and Lu Jianhong's disciple.
Back to the present, Alona Bauer walked with Iris, Dom, and Chen Fei out of Orchidia Germany.
"I still have a lot to learn from you, Xiulan," Alona said when they were out of earshot from the staff. "I don't think I could've motivated them as effectively as you did with just a few words. You're really something else. As expected of a Cross Academy student."
"I don't think being a Cross Academy student has to do with it," Iris said. "Anyone can motivate others. Maybe I just feel the most passionate about Orchidia than anybody else because it's my first business baby."
"It's my first business baby, too," Chen Fei chimed in. "I'm sure that Jinjing feels the same way."
"You're right." Iris didn't contradict her.
Dom didn't want to be left out. "Mine, too!"
"I'll need to work harder, then," Alona said. "My brother has stakes in the company. He already told me to do better than this. Even if not for you, I'll have to work harder or my brother will nag me to no end."
Everyone laughed.
"I gave myself a day off today to join you shopping and also to spend more time with my brother," Alona said.
Iris glanced at her wristwatch again. "Let's go back to the hotel, then. We'll pick up my mother-in-law and go shopping immediately."
"Will your husband come with us?" Chen Fei asked.
"No, he won't," Iris replied.
Chen Fei raised an eyebrow. Dom also had wide, disbelieving eyes. Alona had the most normal reaction.
Iris chuckled. "Liwei originally wanted to come with us but my mother-in-law banned him, saying that he should just stay at the hotel with the twins. Today is a girls' day. No boys are allowed."
Chen Fei: "Good!"
Dom tossed his non-existent long hair and fluttered his eyelashes. "Girls just wanna have fun."
Alona laughed. "It has been a long time since I had a fun day out with any friends. I'm looking forward to our shopping trip."
Chen Fei: "Me, too. I want to buy a lot of souvenirs."
Dom: "I'll take a lot of photos of us enjoying ourselves today and make Clover and Meimei jealous."
Alona: "How about Jinjing?"
Dom sighed. "Sis Jing doesn't really get jealous about things like this. She'll just tell us to have fun."
Chen Fei: "That's so damn true."
Iris: "I can't wait to buy a lot of souvenirs for all the kids."
Of course, when she said "kids", she meant all the children (her sons and their cousins) including the cats and dogs.
Everyone agreed with her. For some reason, shopping for the kids excited them more than buying things for themselves. The products in the kids section were just too adorable.
They all returned to the hotel to pick up Huang Yuyan.
Jin Liwei left the twins to the nannies while he walked his wife, his mother, and the others to the hotel driveway where a vehicle was already waiting.
He looked like a puppy being abandoned