Fireside Wednesday:
Episode 10 – What is Work?
第十集 – 返工是甚麼？
第十集 – 返工是甚麼？
June 3 (Wednesday)
English Synopsis
COVID-19 has set a new reality of Work: the WFH arrangement. What is the best mode of working to raise efficiency while keeping up the motivation of staff and teamwork? Start-up entrepreneurs Ray of 9Gag and Keith of Innopage have chosen different modes to benefit their businesses and staff. What are the implications for the future definition of Work?
Co-Founder and CEO of 9Gag Ray Chan believes that as a technology company they must innovate. “Change is to cope with the changes of the life stage of staff. We must believe that staff go to work not because they are afraid of the boss, but because they love their jobs.” He is thankful for the trust among colleagues, which has facilitated the company’s change into fully remote-work mode. “Everyone has his or her own working style, so the fixed nine to five mode may not work the best. If we need to meet and discuss, we can simply arrange a meeting online. I respect the personal time of colleagues. With remote work arrangements, they can save perhaps two hours of travelling time daily that means 40 hours a month, which they will treasure no matter how they choose to use this extra time.”
9Gag was known for its party setting in its office, but Ray thinks that not all staff find such set-up benefits them. So why not allow colleagues make better use of their time? “Would you like to access the many game facilities or have two extra hours to use daily? We consider their needs with the trends. The most important thing is to avoid single point of failure, be it the traffic conditions or social issues that will possibly stop the company’s operations.”
However, Co-founder and CEO of Innopage Keith Li has chosen to expand the physical size of the office and use one third of the area to set up a party room with gaming facilities for a relaxing atmosphere in the office. He hopes his staff will be happy to go to work every morning and build on their teamwork. “The business of app design requires the brainstorming of new ideas together. I always emphasise that, ‘you must come to and leave work punctually’. If you get off work late, you won’t be able to connect with your friends or have time for meetups and dinner gatherings, which will limit your personal growth,” Keith said.
Ray believes that mutual trust between boss and staff is essential. “We cannot differentiate colleagues’ thoughts according to their generation. Clear communication is most important. If staff agree with the direction of the company, they will naturally be more dedicated to their work. We are teammates. If we always stress the hierarchy, it is not healthy.”
Keith agreed that there is different norms in different generations. He tells his staff if there is new way to do something that is better than the way it used to be done, they can always propose a change and the company would choose the method that best suits the time.
足本重溫 Video Link :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNrgyiosfmc
- Yina Chan 陳伊娜 (BBA(Acc&Fin) 2015; LLM(IT&IPL) student)
Associate Director, Saltagen Ventures
Yina manages investment projects and partnership development at Saltagen Ventures. She works closely with founders to support their global expansion in Asia and North America. Building from her experience working with local corporates and overseas startups, she builds bridges that help startups’ overseas expansion and advises them on how to overcome language and cultural barriers.
Guests:
- Keith Li 李勁華 (MSc(ECom&IComp) 2003)
CEO & Co-founder of Innopage
Keith is the co-founder and CEO of Innopage Limited, which specializes in mobile apps development and UX Design. Founded in 2010, Innopage has received numerous local and international awards for its innovative products under Keith’s leadership. Keith is also a part-time lecturer and instructor for local universities, a contributor of various printed and online media, and currently also serves as vice-chairman of Hong Kong Wireless Technology Association.
- Ray Chan 陳展程 (LLB 2006)
CEO & Co-founder of 9GAG
Ray Chan is the CEO and co-founder of 9GAG, the global multi-platform entertainment company for viral content. Founded in 2008, 9GAG’s mission is to make the world happier. 9GAG has a global audience of 150 million, including 50 million followers on Instagram, 40 million followers on Facebook, and 15 million followers on Twitter.
Fireside Wednesday 星期三開爐 new online series for the HKU Family – alumni, students, staff and friends – for partnership, passion and paths. The 10 episodes cover tourism, retail, culture, social, freelancing (slash), marketing, banking, technology… Resources and support available to students and fresh graduates at HKU iDendron. Share and stay tuned!
Revisit –
Episode 9: Does Banking business need you?
第九集 – 銀行業需要你？
[ 劉伯偉 • 葉鳳琪 • Connie Chan • Natalie Cho ]
Episode 8: Sea-change: Advertising/ Public Relations
第八集 – 廣告公關急轉彎
[ 謝浩麟 • 盧勁業 • 鍾偉耀 ]
Episode 7: Idea to Impact
第七集 – 意念變新 Teams
[ 鄧日朗 • Kyle Leung • Harris Cheng • Jasmine Poon ]
Episode 6: A Brand New Me
第六集 – 無限變身
[ 麥嘉緯 • Emi Wong • 易宇航 • Husnain ]
Episode 5: Art & Innovation
第五集 – 色空變焦
[ 蘇敬恆 • 鄭振揚 • 方圓明 • Stephanie Ho ]
Episode 4: Sports & Innovation
第四集 – 運動急變速
[ 譚志源 • 方力申 • 江嘉惠 • 楊文蔚 ]
Episode 3: COVID Cadenza
[ Prof Daniel Chua • Cy Leo • Serrini • Daniel Lei ]
Episode 2: Retail – Partners & Opportunities
第二集 – Shopping 變陣
[ 羅永聰 • 陳子堅 • Terence Hon ]
Episode 1: Culture, Tourism & Innovation
第一集 – 旅遊變法
[ 陳志雲 • 陳智遠 • Rubio Chan • Jamie Cheung • Gurpreet Singh ]