Chapter 329 Necessary Sacrifices


    "They can be excellent. The problem is they don''t have the desire to be excellent in their work. Many of


    them don''t set a high standard for themselves,"


    Jacob said. He already knew how this meeting would end. He wished he could just end it immediately.


    "I think this discussion is going nowhere. You already made your ns. There''s no need to further


    stretch this meeting," Jonathan added, as he leaned back on his chair and stared at Jacob.


    Jacob smiled in return, but did not reply. Jonathan was urate in his observation. He was right that


    the meeting was just Jacob''s cover-up.


    He had already decided what to do.


    "What''s your suggestion, Mr. Jacob?" asked an old director. There was reluctance in his voice, as well


    as confidence. His respect towards thepany''s young leader was evident.


    Jacob established a reputation in the past few years. People in thepany either respected him or


    were afraid of him.


    Directors would pay attention to his every move. Even a slight cough from him would elicit a reaction


    from the board members. And this meeting was turning out to be very serious.


    Everyone in the room knew the solution to thepany''s problem would not be simple.


    "We need to reduce the staff andy off some people," Jacob uttered in a low voice. Even Cindy was


    surprised when she heard him.


    The room burst into an uproar. Directors were talking all at once. Each one aired their opinion and


    disapproval. Massy-off was unheard of in the Shi Group. Nobody suspected it was the agenda for


    today''s meeting.


    The Shi Group was a huge and prolificpany. They didn''t think it is necessary to fire people when


    they could still pay them.


    "I''m afraid that''s not appropriate, Mr. Jacob."


    "It will be difficult for people to find jobs once they areid off."


    "Otherpanies that are rted to Shi Group will hear about this, and it will not be good on our


    image."


    "People have families to feed. Our own employees will hate us."


    They kept talking simultaneously.


    Jacob knocked on the table, like a judge who wanted order in his court. Everyone went silent.


    "I know this decision is very sudden. But it has to be done. Thepany is not a charitable


    organization. It doesn''t make sense to keep so many people. We cannot afford to keep unnecessary


    employees who are not doing their jobs."


    Jacob paused before he continued. His tone was firm.


    "Thepany willpensate those who have been loyal and have performed well for us. But we


    really need to let go those who have not contributed anything ever since they joined thepany. It


    was okay to keep them in the past, when thepany was still doing good. But what if they be a


    liability in the future?"


    Everyone was silent as Jacob nced at them.


    Suddenly, the directors started speaking again, all at once.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Mr. Jacob, some of them don''t have extensive skills. The position they have now is all they know.


    They''ll have trouble finding other jobs. Isn''t it cruel for us to let them go?" a director asked anxiously.


    "He''s right, Mr. Jacob, that would be very unkind. After all, part of thepany''s core principle is to put


    the people first," another director chimed in.


    "We all think this is a bad idea, Mr. Jacob. It will definitely affect thepany''s unity and stability.


    Besides, wouldn''t it be difficult to identify which individuals contributed a lot and which ones gave a


    poor performance?"


    Jacob raised his right hand, telling them to stop, and they did. Even if they were disappointed, they


    would still heed and listen to whatever Jacob said. By raising his hand, everyone knew Jacob was


    about to speak, and no one dared interrupt or talk over him.


    "I know it''s cruel, but you have to understand that apany''s development doesn''t rely solely on


    those people. Thispany needs new employees. We need a fresher perspective. We need to


    change from the inside. We need new people who could co-carry thepany, and not be a burden to


    us, unlike the people we are going to let go."


    Jacob expression was serious. He was making it clear to the directors what he wanted to do. But they


    still thought he was being unreasonable.


    They were frustrated and gritted their teeth. But they didn''t say a thing. Their anger was fueled with the


    reality that Jacob was deathly serious.


    They now knew that this meeting was just a facade. There was nothing to discuss. There was only an


    announcement.


    But nobody could say it out loud, or argue against it with Jacob. He did, after all, seemingly discuss the


    matter with them. But they failed to reach a diplomatic agreement.


    "It seems this matter is already settled then. Mr. Jacob already thought it through. He has made up his


    mind. There''s no point in arguing it further. Is there anything else in the agenda to discuss?"


    Jonathan said as he crossed his legs,ced his fingers, and leaned back on his chair. His posture was


    leisurely, almost bored.


    Jacob was speechless, and so were the other directors. They didn''t see thating from Jonathan.


    They expected him to be the most dissatisfied with Jacob''s decisions. They should be in a heated


    argument by now.


    "How are we going to proceed then? How do we tell them that they''re getting fired? It''s not very easy to


    deliver such painful news to our staff, right?" muttered one of the directors. This form of massivey-off


    was like forcibly removing members of the board.


    It may not be about them, but they were still going to be affected by it. After all, they had friends and


    family who worked for thepany, who were grateful that the directors gave them their jobs, and who


    would be devastated once they wereid off.


    The most frustrating part was they cannot do anything about it.


    Thus, the board members were extremely saddened by all these. It was like a heaviness enveloped the


    entire room.


    Jacob looked at them and said, "In addition, I would still be relying on each and everyone of you. Most


    people in thispany still don''t know the truth. I don''t want them thinking that I''m making life difficult


    for them because of personal grudges. I do hope that you could tell your staff that thepany is in


    trouble. That is why we are doing this difficult task."


    He looked at them and added, "But I can promise that if thepany stays afloat and performs well


    again, they are wee toe back and join us."


    The room was quiet. All eyes were on Jacob. It would be foolish to believe his words.


    But Jacob had to y the part. He was not stupid. He had to say something benevolent. But he really


    needed toy off people. They could not continue to pay unproductive staff members. He would not


    make a charity out hispany.


    The directors'' faces turned ghastly pale. Meanwhile, Jonathan sized him up, looked at him from head


    to toe.


    ''He really did it, '' he thought. ''Jacob really had the guts to offend everyone.


    He is also very calm. And it is difficult for me to read through him. Is this the reason why Jacob is better


    than me? That Jacob could make difficult decisions, but still stay calm and collected, especially on high


    pressure moments.''


    "What do you mean by that, Mr. Jacob? We are getting more confused," a director inquired.


    Jacob knew everyone''s dissatisfaction over him. But he steeled himself against them. He did not allow


    their dissatisfaction to affect him.


    "I think the person who was responsible for hiring the staff should be the one to tell them. You all know


    how they were epted. Try as best as you could to persuade them into resigning. I don''t think a direct


    laid-off order from thepany would be a good idea,"


    Jacob said, as he clenched his fist on the table. His words shocked everyone. They started another


    round of discussion. The room was in uproar.


    "How can you make us responsible for this, Mr. Jacob? You want us, the very directors who hired them,


    to be the ones who will fire them? You know how difficult it is for us. It would be better for you to kill us


    instead,"


    an older directorined with tears in his eyes. James looked at him but said nothing.


    ''What he said was true. But only the directors can be the one to perform this task.''


    It was a painful thing to do, like surgery, but it was also necessary. It was, after all, for the good of the


    company.