Zhang Nianci criticized Zhongtian’s dismissal of Zhou Yuqin for being too harsh: employees have worked hard for many years but did not have a chance to say goodbye properly.

[Reporter Qiu Yiqin/Taipei Report] The sudden dismissal of anchor Zhou Yuqin from Zhongtian was shocking. Senior media person and writer Zhang Nianci said bluntly when talking about the matter that the most uncomfortable thing is not necessarily losing his job, but that an employee has invested in the company for many years and in the end did not even have a chance to say goodbye. Zhang Nianci wrote in an article today (11th) that there was only one working day between the time Zhou Yuqin returned to work in Taiwan and received the dismissal notice. "Severance can be a management decision, but it should not be implemented into a near-surprise clearance."

It was only one day between Zhou Yuqin (pictured) returning to work in Taiwan and receiving the dismissal notice. Zhang Nianci lamented that Zhongtian's handling of the situation was too rough. (Combined photo, taken from Facebook)

Zhang Nianci published an article titled "Overnight: Zhou Yuqin was laid off by Zhongtian without warning." She pointed out that 56-year-old Zhou Yuqin had just returned to Taiwan from a visit to Chongqing the day before, and received the dismissal notice the next day. Not only was the person involved unprepared, but even her colleagues were caught off guard. Some colleagues held her in tears, some stood up for her, and some even silently helped organize the personal belongings accumulated over the years.

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Zhang Nianci believes that even if the company pays advance wages and severance pay in accordance with the law, it does not mean that such a handling method respects employees enough. "The law stipulates minimum standards, but human relationships determine the last memory left by a company to its employees." She said frankly that she has been a media director for many years and understands the necessity of downsizing when a company faces operating pressure. However, the supervisor can actually communicate in advance, explain the reasons, arrange handovers, and even leave some time for employees to sort out their emotions and say goodbye to colleagues.

Zhang Nianci bluntly said that the most chilling thing is not necessarily losing a job, but that a person has worked hard in the company for many years, but in the end there is no time to say goodbye properly. "At least it will not make a person feel like he is being treated as an item that suddenly needs to be cleared when he leaves." Therefore, he believes that how to send off employees who have worked hard together often reveals the pattern of a company better than the dismissal itself.

Zhou Yuqin has more than 30 years of experience in the news circle. She joined Zhongtian News Service for 16 years since 2010. Even after Zhongtian News Station withdrew from cable TV channel 52 at the end of 2020, she continued to stay on the front line to accompany the program's transformation to online live broadcast. Now that the severance incident has been exposed, Zhang Nianci laments that companies may have operational considerations, but for employees who have worked hard for many years, a decent farewell may be more important than any severance procedure.