A restaurant owner in China has given two of her top-performing employees a rather unexpected reward in the form of brand-new BMWs. Ma Yanli, who runs a beef hotpot chain in Henan province, reportedly decided to buy the cars after seeing employees commute to work on electric scooters in cold and difficult weather.
Henan TV reported that Ma had paid for the vehicles in full around two weeks before handing them over. Li Jie, who had worked at the restaurant for eight years, usually travelled to work on an electric scooter. One morning, Ma noticed that Li’s face was red from the cold, while her ears had turned purple and her hands were stiff from the wind. Why can’t she? Ma was quoted as saying by SCMP. Instead, they discovered that they were there to collect their new cars. Li was given a white BMW, which was registered in her name on the same day. She did not have to contribute any money or sign an agreement in return for the car. “I am so thrilled! Another employee, Liu Yingying, received a grey BMW. For Ma, the expensive gifts were not only about rewarding individual performance. “I have achieved success in my career. But my company’s prosperity is attributed to the collective efforts of all my employees. Here’s what we know ) Ma has also given employees daily essentials and cash bonuses during traditional Chinese festivals. Her gesture comes amid a broader culture of generous workplace rewards in parts of China. SCMP cited the example of Henan businessman Cui Peijun, who has become known for giving substantial bonuses and other financial benefits to his employees.
The cars were handed over to the employees on September 24, according to the South China Morning Post . Ma took some of her workers to a BMW dealership on September 24, reportedly telling them they were going for a meeting. Each BMW cost around 300,000 yuan, or approximately ₹ 43 lakh, according to SCMP .
Ma, whose beef hotpot chain is headquartered in Jiaozuo, said the idea came to her after watching one of her employees arrive at work following a cold morning commute. The sight made Ma compare Li’s commute with her own. (Also Read: Uber CEO says he expects employees to respond to emails on weekends: ‘Don’t come here if you want to coast’ ) “I said to myself: I can sit in my car and enjoy warmth and convenience during transportation. She said she had been thinking about gifting cars to employees since last winter. I dared not think about this before,” Li said. “On the way to the BMW showroom, Boss Ma just told me she would gift me a big toy. “My boss told me you work hard and your performance is excellent. You deserve this car,” Liu said. She said her company’s success was the result of the collective efforts of its employees. So I must let my workers also benefit from the success of my company,” she said. (Also Read: Why is there no Nobel Prize for mathematics?
