Shenzhen and other places work from home, 70% of cross-border companies pay salaries normally

How is the working experience of cross-border people from home? Employees sitting at their workstations believe that working from home is equivalent to paid vacation, but those who are working from home say that working from home is more tiring. How is the salary paid during the working from home period? How is the work efficiency? Do you need to reply to messages within a certain time? Ennet has listened to a series of feedback from dozens of operators.

In addition to people being forced to stay at home, cross-border companies are also facing delivery issues. With the escalation of epidemic prevention and control in Shenzhen, Dongguan and other places, logistics have been blocked, and the supply chain has also been affected. Factories are short of raw materials, have stopped working, and are unable to ship goods, increasing the risk of sellers running out of stock.

In order to reduce the adverse impact of the epidemic on sellers, cross-border e-commerce platforms such as eBay and Shopee quickly released relevant protection policies to help sellers smoothly through the difficult period.

Home office mode is launched, 70% of home-based cross-border companies pay salaries normally

This week, Shenzhen, Qingdao and other places have successively required or advocated enterprises to work from home, and many cross-border e-commerce companies have lit up new working models. Is working from home more enjoyable than working normally? Many cross-border people shook their heads and said: No, working from home is more tiring.

The payment of wages during the work-from-home period has attracted much attention. According to the Shenzhen Health Commission, if the community is closed due to the epidemic and employees are unable to go to work normally, the employer can arrange for the workers to provide normal labor through telephone, Internet, etc., and pay wages according to normal labor; if the employer arranges the workers to use paid annual leave, employer-established welfare leave and other types of leave, wages will be paid according to relevant holiday regulations.

According to a survey by Ennet, in Shenzhen, 70% of cross-border e-commerce companies pay wages normally, but nearly 30% of companies only pay half salary or pay according to the minimum wage standard.

(Survey on salary payment of cross-border companies during the stay-at-home period)

One operator said that the company only paid 50% of the salary, which suppressed the enthusiasm of employees. Coincidentally, another operator said that the company implemented a minimum base salary of 2,360 yuan for auxiliary positions and intern operation assistants, and the actual base salary for operations was half a day. "With the high cost of living in Shenzhen, it is unimaginable to lose a job. For Shenzhen workers, work is above all else. Our company, which is so big and has such a profitable project, has to tighten its belt to make ends meet, which also indirectly reflects that Amazon is having a hard time this year." She said.

When working from home, 94% of cross-border people will wear pajamas as work clothes, and only about 6% will dress neatly to create a working atmosphere. In response to this, some companies have formulated a "home office work plan" and require employees to change out of pajamas and dress neatly, remind themselves to focus on work, and send selfies to the group every day.

Companies are worried about lower work efficiency when working from home, and this problem does exist. About 30% of employees are less efficient than when they are in the office, about 50% of employees are close to being efficient when they are in the office, and 20% of employees are more inspired when working from home and are more efficient than when they are in the office.

"(At home) in addition to the work itself, you also have to cook at home, go out for nucleic acid testing, etc. In this working mode, if you want to be efficient and produce results, you must list the goals/things you plan to complete that day before starting work in the morning, roughly distribute the time, and then execute them. Otherwise, it is easy to be distracted by other information, resulting in nothing being accomplished throughout the day." A cross-border person summed up.

In order to improve work efficiency, about 60% of companies have set requirements for work response time, 20% of companies require messages to be replied within 5 minutes, and another 17% of companies require employees to reply to messages within 10 minutes or half an hour.

One company said that in order to maintain the timeliness of online team communication, DingTalk messages must be replied to within 5 minutes during working hours . The requirement to reply to messages as soon as possible during working hours is reasonable, but some employees expressed dissatisfaction: "The company requires taking photos and clocking in at home. If there is no reply within 30 minutes, wages will be deducted as absenteeism."

In addition, to improve work efficiency, 70% of companies hold video conferences every day, and 30% of companies require daily reports. One company proposed to spend 10 minutes every morning holding a video conference to get everyone into work mode; at 6 pm, a work summary (daily report) is conducted, and a 10-minute video conference is used to review the day's work content.

During the stay-at-home period, in addition to ensuring work progress, most companies have reassured their employees to isolate themselves, take personal protection measures, and pay attention to safety. The special nature of e-commerce work has also minimized the impact of staying at home. An industry insider said: "Amazon is much better than other industries. As long as there are goods to sell in overseas warehouses, there is still income."

One of the biggest concerns for cross-border sellers working from home is the inability to ship goods normally. This week, many Shenzhen freight forwarders suspended receiving goods, and some cross-border sellers are facing a shortage of goods.

Many freight forwarders have suspended shipping and collection, and sellers are worried about running out of stock

The epidemic in Shenzhen has affected cross-border sellers, and their biggest worry is that they cannot ship out the goods. One seller said frankly that they have begun to face the crisis of out-of-stock , and another seller said helplessly: " There is still a batch of goods stuck in Shenzhen and has not been shipped out. " The inability to ship the package is undoubtedly a double blow to sellers who are on the verge of out-of-stock.

A colleague in the industry said that there were too many samples and large quantities of goods to be shipped in the past two days, but unfortunately they could not be shipped this week. Another industry insider said that the boss is working from home, and the warehouse's receiving and shipping are also under control. The impact of the epidemic on our company has begun.

In order to resolve the crisis, some companies made efforts as soon as they learned that they could not ship the goods. A colleague said that the warehouse was notified in the evening that they could not go to work that day, so they moved the goods to the dormitory area and packed them overnight .

An insider described the situation at the time: "People in Shenzhen sent goods out of the city overnight. They spent the whole night looking for 7-8 meter trucks, freight forwarders, logistics companies, couriers, and renting and borrowing vehicles. Some drivers were unwilling to leave Shenzhen, and some were willing to charge two to three thousand yuan for a trip. Shenzhen was closed, and goods were in a hurry to leave the city . "

After Shenzhen implemented the new epidemic prevention policy, many goods were blocked. It is understood that several freight forwarding companies have suspended their delivery and collection services recently, and these companies have collectively issued statements to inform sellers of the news.

A freight forwarding company issued a notice stating that due to the epidemic lockdown in Shenzhen, our Shenzhen warehouse will suspend receiving goods from March 14, and office staff will work from home and maintain online services. The specific resumption time will be notified separately. Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Yiwu are receiving and transporting goods as usual. Since the cargo transportation in Shenzhen is relatively tight in Guangzhou, you can book the warehouse in advance if you have goods.

Another freight forwarding company issued a notice stating that in response to epidemic prevention requirements, people are working from home, and the Shenzhen warehouse has suspended receiving goods, while the Guangzhou warehouse is accepting goods as usual, as the warehouse is large enough. There is also a freight forwarding company that issued a similar notice: Shenzhen warehouse Bantian and Fuyong are currently suspending receiving goods, and goods can be sent to the Guangzhou warehouse.

According to the notice issued by the freight forwarding company, many companies can currently ship normally outside Shenzhen. According to the situation of each company, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Shanghai and other places can receive the goods . Shenzhen sellers can consult the freight forwarding company for details.

During the epidemic, freight forwarding companies have also shown a certain degree of responsibility and worked hard to assist sellers in sending goods quickly. In recent days, the relevant messages sent by freight forwarding have become more "warm". Last Sunday, a freight forwarder posted on WeChat Moments: Racing against time, the operation team and the operations team worked overtime overnight to load the containers in order to send the goods out as soon as possible. Yantian Port is currently operating normally and can be transshipped. We are always paying attention to the latest developments. Come on Shenzhen, come on cross-border people .

In the following period, a freight forwarder posted on WeChat Moments saying that there is true love in the world, and our Guangzhou warehouse can provide temporary storage for our Shenzhen colleagues, regardless of wind or rain.

Assisting sellers to ship out the goods as soon as possible has become the main theme of freight forwarding companies. I give a thumbs up to these warm-hearted freight forwarders!

However, some sellers said that receiving goods from other places is a temporary warehouse, and there will be a certain risk of losing goods . It is certainly difficult to not be able to ship the goods, but please consider the risks. Some sellers have also found problems with shipping goods from other places. They said that although temporary warehouses other than Shenzhen can receive goods , the shipping date will also be delayed . Several products are about to be out of stock , and they hope that the delay will not be too long .

According to relevant shipping data, there were about 72 ships backlogged near Qingdao Port on Monday , almost double the number at the end of February. The backlog of ships at Shanghai, Ningbo and Zhoushan Ports is also increasing, with about 262 ships currently, higher than 243 a week ago. Looking at the situation of ships at other ports, coupled with the impact of the epidemic, it is very likely that sellers will delay shipments in the future.

Salmon Aidan Lee, head of the relevant department at energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie, said that as the backlog of ships increases, the increase in delays may further push up freight rates.

Delays and price increases seem to have become a vicious cycle that has been surrounding cross-border sellers for the past two years. With the impact of the sudden outbreak in Shenzhen and Shanghai, Maersk, ONE, and CMA CGM have successively issued business adjustment notices and payment guidelines.

According to the Shipping Network, Maersk's warehouse in Shenzhen was closed from March 14 to March 20. Warehouses in Shanghai and Qingdao are operating normally. However, if the driver comes from a medium- or high-risk area, the driver is required to show a health code when entering the port, as well as a negative nucleic acid test report within 48 hours.

HKDC (Hong Kong Distribution Center) is also currently in operation. According to vaccination requirements, drivers and assistants need to complete vaccination before coming to Hong Kong.

As for Maersk Air Freight, due to the suspension of freight services between Hong Kong and the Mainland, barge services have become another option for transporting goods. The cargo can only be booked after it is delivered to the Hong Kong Airport warehouse. Therefore, the delivery time of air freight services is longer than usual. The air freight warehousing and pickup services in Shenzhen have been suspended until further notice.

It is understood that the Shenzhen Government Port Office has also issued a notice to suspend the centralized cross-border freight connection operations at the Liantang Port, informing merchants that the centralized cross-border freight connection business at the Liantang Port will be suspended from March 15, and the specific resumption time will be notified separately.

Under the epidemic, cross-border sellers' freight problems need to be solved urgently, making the already tense shipping situation even more fragile, and domestic sellers' shipments have become a problem. With the outbreak of the epidemic in Shenzhen, Qingdao, Dongguan and other places, some factories have been unable to ship, and supply chain contradictions have gradually emerged.

Factories shut down, Shenzhen outbreak affects global supply chain

One seller said that the factory told him that they could not ship at all . Another cross-border industry insider wondered: " The epidemic has closed roads everywhere. Is the economy not running? Is business not going to continue? Are all factories closed for the holiday? "

Many cross-border sellers rely on factories for supply. The current epidemic situation and the shutdown of factories in Shenzhen will inevitably affect the sellers' supply chain. Some sellers outside Shenzhen will also be affected if their supply chain is in Shenzhen.

Previously, the Shenzhen Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters decided that in order to effectively control the risk of the spread of the epidemic, from March 14 to 20, Shenzhen's non-urban security-oriented enterprises would stop operating or work from home; except for transportation to ensure the operation of the city and the transportation of materials to Hong Kong, all public buses and subways in the city would be suspended. All communities, urban villages, and industrial parks in the city will be closed.

The shutdown of factories in Shenzhen means that the supply of goods has been cut off. A seller said that although he was not blocked, his supplier was in Shenzhen, and the supply was already tight and now the epidemic has hit . He was told by the supplier that the chips and motherboards are all supplied by Shenzhen, and there is no stock. If there is stock, it will be given to you two days ago.

Other sellers were also told by suppliers that there would be no goods this week, and the goods would only be available if Shenzhen could resume normal operations in seven days . The previous goods were not enough to fulfill the previous orders.

Factories cannot ship goods normally, and the supply of goods for cross-border sellers has become a problem. An industry insider has a good attitude. He said that Shenzhen has stopped production and can basically take a break. Most of the suppliers are in Shenzhen, and most of the customers are in Shanghai. Now both ends are lost. Fortunately, there is no need to worry about the epidemic. Safety is a blessing.

In addition to the epidemic, factory personnel also became a problem. Previously, an insider said that Shenzhen had an epidemic after the Chinese New Year. In order to ensure their own safety, many mainland workers were unwilling to enter Shenzhen factories. In the middle of the first month of the lunar calendar, some factory workers did not return to work on time, resulting in the factory being unable to deliver goods normally. Cross-border sellers had no goods, which in turn affected the prices of cross-border sea and air delivery. When factories resumed work in March, they encountered the epidemic and stopped work again.

The outbreak in Shenzhen may affect the global supply chain, and foreign media have reported the news one after another. FORTUNE reported that China's technology center Shenzhen has blocked 17.5 million residents and closed Apple factories, posing a risk of chaos to the global supply chain. Apple supplier Foxconn shut down operations at its two largest manufacturing bases in Shenzhen on Monday.

Foxconn told Fortune that it has adjusted its production lines and utilized its diversified manufacturing base in China to minimize the potential impact of the Shenzhen lockdown.

The week-long lockdown in Shenzhen , which has some of the world’s largest ports and is a major hub for U.S.-China trade, could also wreak havoc on international supply lines for other tech giants .

Sellers are having difficulty shipping and replenishing goods, and cross-border e-commerce platforms have noticed this and responded quickly.

Multiple platforms publish seller protection policies

Cross-border sellers in Shenzhen, Dongguan and other places have encountered difficulties in shipping, and may face negative reviews or performance issues. In response, platforms such as eBay, Shopee and Coupang have successively issued policies to reduce the adverse impact of the epidemic on sellers' operations.

eBay

On March 14, eBay learned that some sellers were unable to conduct normal business operations, including normal shipments, due to the epidemic, so it decided to implement policy protection for some transactions that had already occurred but could not be shipped normally due to logistics obstructions, insufficient inventory or limited manpower.

For transactions shipped from mainland China and Hong Kong and with payment time between March 1 (inclusive) and March 15 (inclusive) Beijing time (the "epidemic impact period"), if the seller submits an order cancellation application before 23:59:59 Beijing time on March 18 and the transaction cancellation reason is selected as out of stock, the platform will provide unified protection, and the out of stock (stockout) records generated by the relevant transactions and the medium and bad review records related to out of stock will be removed. This protection applies to seller ratings and various policy assessments on various eBay sites.

In addition, eBay also emphasized that sellers should carefully evaluate the store's current operating capacity, inventory, replenishment and logistics processing capabilities. If affected by the epidemic, sellers should cancel orders as soon as possible and take the approach of opening the store's vacation mode to avoid unnecessary subsequent operating risks and losses. For items that are still sold or shipped normally, sellers should try their best to ensure logistics timeliness, communicate with buyers in a timely manner and provide feedback on the latest progress of the goods' logistics, so that buyers can establish reasonable expectations for the delivery time.

Shopee

Shopee issued a notice that sellers in some areas may face delivery difficulties due to the epidemic, and issued the following policies:

1) For orders generated between February 28, 2022 and March 14, 2022, if the seller's orders during this period are affected by the epidemic and cannot be shipped on time, please promptly provide feedback through Shopee's online customer service or account manager. The logistics time exemption for orders that have been reported will be extended to March 24.

2) For orders placed between March 15 and March 20, 2022 in the affected areas (Guangdong Province, Shanghai, Shandong Province, Jilin Province, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province), the Shopee platform will automatically set the logistics time exemption to be extended to March 24. No active feedback from sellers is required.

3) There is no logistics time exemption extension for orders generated on or after March 21, 2022. If the seller is still unable to ship the goods by then, please set up pre-sales for the goods that cannot be shipped in advance or adjust the product inventory to 0.

It should be noted that if the seller’s order is not affected by the epidemic, but is still reported to Shopee’s online customer service or account manager, the platform will cancel the seller’s order’s qualification for logistics time exemption after verification, and will affect the seller’s subsequent application for logistics time exemption.

Coupang

Due to the severe epidemic prevention and control, Kupeng has received many inquiries from sellers, who are worried that they will not be able to conduct cross-border business normally due to the epidemic. In response, Kupeng has made relevant work adjustments and notified as follows:

In response to the requirements of the "Three Rounds of City-wide Nucleic Acid Testing" notice issued by the Shenzhen Municipal Government on the evening of the 13th, the Angli Shenzhen warehouse needs to suspend work and production from March 14 to 20, 2022 in accordance with the government's epidemic prevention requirements. Subsequent arrangements will be dynamically adjusted according to the epidemic prevention and control situation, and will be synchronized to sellers as soon as the notification is received.

During the shutdown period, all receiving and shipping will be suspended. For related orders, sellers are advised to cancel unshipped orders directly, and the platform will not count such orders as sellers' responsibility during this period; for orders that have been shipped, if the warehouse cannot receive the goods and the goods have not been put into the warehouse or transferred, sellers are advised to contact the express company to recover the goods to avoid losses; for orders that have been sent to the warehouse but have not been subsequently delivered internationally, the goods will continue to be shipped after the warehouse resumes work. During this period, the platform will arrange returns for orders canceled by customers.

CGF (Cool Global Logistics Service Plan) goods in stock will continue to be sold, and goods will continue to be shipped after the warehouse resumes work. The rocket delivery logo will no longer be displayed on the product page. CGF LITE (Cool Global Logistics Service Plan) products will also remove the rocket delivery logo and be changed to suspended sales to avoid orders and deliveries that cannot be received, causing losses to sellers. It is recommended that sellers do not modify and resume sales on their own before the warehouse resumes work.

During the epidemic, many cross-border platforms have issued policies to protect sellers and help sellers overcome the difficulties. Sellers at home are also requested to take good protection and wait for the epidemic to dissipate so that everyone can work together to increase orders.

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