Podcast: Story in the Story (7/9/2019 Tue.)
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From the People's Daily app.

And this is Story in the Story. 

More and more young Chinese are taking to what's being called a "naked resignation," where they quit their jobs without any backup plan or without knowing where their next paycheck is coming from. 

A recent survey showed that more than 70 percent of respondents had either gone through with naked resignation, or were considering it. 

It all points to a dramatic social change in China: from the "job-is-everything" approach to pursuing one's personal interests or a childhood dream. 

This used to be seen as a casual and slapdash attitude and was hardly imaginable a decade ago. What's behind the generational shift in values? 

Today's Story in the Story looks at what is driving the way younger Chinese to have a different outlook by wanting rewarding life experiences that give them pleasure, freedom, and peace of mind.

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(Photo: Screenshot of CGTN)

Xu Chuan is working around the clock to ensure his new coffee shop is everything he wanted it to be. His coffee, quite unique and based on years of study and global experiences, incorporates all kinds of tastes and flavors, including mint and a host of different fruits. 

However, getting to this point took a significant leap of faith, after he became disillusioned with his job as a product manager for an online education company. 

"I decided to quit my job, not only because I felt I was not interested in it but also because of the limited potential of the industry. And six months later, I decided to start my own business. My goal is to make it a popular beverage among young people in China," said Xu. 

And he's not alone. 

Uki Jin, 25, is another example. She resigned from an advertising agency a month ago, but unlike Xu, who had a clear vision of his future, Uki is less certain about hers. For now, she's exploring her favorite pastimes and hobbies, such as diving and surfing. She is happy to put her career on hold while she is still young, free and undaunted by the prospect of being unemployed. 

"I'm not anxious about that at all. I felt so tired about the endless 9-to-5 grind. Work is not everything, so I decided to take a rest and enjoy my life for now," said Uki. 

"Economic growth and asset accumulation in society are the reasons. People have more freedom to pursue their happiness now without worrying about basic living needs. On top of that, job opportunities are diversifying more and more and you don't have to stay in the office to make a living," said Yin Zheng, a blogger on career development. 

He said young people nowadays aren't burdened with the same financial or emotional constraints as their parents. He praised their carefree attitude to life, but expressed his opposition to irrational and impulsive decisions to quit their jobs.

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(Photo: IC)

For China's younger generations, a secure job and a stable career are important, but maybe not as much as for their parents. 

So, how do businesses deal with this different attitude of employees? 

Creating a relaxed and harmonious office environment and building a diversified and inclusive corporate culture have become two main methods for enterprises to attract employees born after 1995 and increase the stability of working teams, a report said. 

Compared to other measures, such as providing staff with a systematic learning and training platform and building a fair career development channel, which previous generations usually focused on, 72 percent and 62 percent of the respondents to a survey said these two factors work more effectively to attract young employees, according to a report released by Chinese online recruitment services provider Zhaopin.com and Harvard Business Review in April. 

"Employer brand has become one key element when the younger generation chooses who to work for. It also makes enterprises pay more attention to team leaders with an easygoing and empathetic character and good communication skills," said Sun Qun, executive vice-president of Zhaopin.com. 

More than 35,000 employees, 60 percent younger than 30, in nearly 2,500 enterprises based in more than 10 cities on the Chinese mainland took the survey. 

Yang Weiguo, dean of the School of Labor and Human Resources at Renmin University of China, said the relationship between employers and younger employees has changed from worker-employee to partners. 

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Brian Lowe, Lance Crayon and Chelle Wenqian Zeng. Music by: bensound.com. Text from CGTN and China Daily.)