In a recent workplace turmoil, Baidu's vice president Xuan Jing attracted widespread attention because of the way she handled employee problems. From May 7 to May 9, her career seemed to come to an end. The executive, who once intended to present the image of a strong woman in the workplace, did not expect to end up causing a massive public outcry because of his actions.
At an internal meeting, Ms. Xuan gave a "second approval" to an employee who had proposed to leave, a scene that happened to be recorded and quickly circulated online. From the first exposure of the video on May 7, on May 9, the discussion on the Internet has become more and more intense. Many netizens began to dig deep into her past behavior records and found that she seemed to have always been a little too bossy and self-centered.
At the height of the controversy, Baidu's top brass was also feeling the pressure. They need to decide whether to continue to support Ching Jing or let her go to preserve the company's image and internal harmony. Under the tremendous pressure of public opinion, the company decided to let Xuan Jing resign.
Xuan Jing's resignation can be said to be a decision made under the eyes of everyone. She wanted to create an image of a strong woman in the workplace through a tough management style, but she ignored the changes in workplace culture. The post-90s and post-00s generations have very different attitudes towards the workplace. They are no longer willing to endure any form of unfair treatment, let alone suffer oppression in silence.
Baidu's internal response was also extremely swift. As the incident unfolded, voices within the company began to question Xuanjing's leadership style. Some employees began speaking out anonymously, expressing their dissatisfaction with her management style and expectations of the workplace culture.
In dealing with the crisis, Baidu has also tried to calm public sentiment through various channels. They issued a statement emphasizing the company's commitment to respect and fairness to its employees and announced that it would review and improve the management's code of conduct.
Despite these efforts, Xuan Jing's image has been deeply imprinted. In the eyes of the public, she became a symbol of imperiousness and lack of empathy, a leader who was not fit for the times. This negative image not only affected her personal career, but also brought a lot of reputational damage to Baidu.
With Xuan Jing's departure, Baidu may temporarily calm the turmoil. But the profound lessons left by this incident will be something that all workplace leaders need to ponder. How to pursue efficiency and performance while taking into account the feelings and dignity of employees will be a question that every manager needs to answer.
This incident has also caused many companies to re-examine their personnel policies and corporate culture. In this era of rapid change, only those companies that can adapt to the values of the new generation of workplaces will be able to stay ahead of the competition in the future.