scott32 Posted January 10, 2003 Report Share Posted January 10, 2003 I have a question, has any of you experienced the same thing I have.My financee, has gotten her visa a few weeks ago and she is planning her trip here, even though she is planning on flying here on Feb. 6th, she still has not put in her notice or told anyone at her place of employment, that she is moving to USA.Is this a common thing, as I would be putting my notice in the day I got the visa, s othat I would be able to plan things and get things going. But she seems to want to wait till the last min, which I don't understand that, as why wait. Wouldn't it be easier to give a longer notice. Specially if you are in a technical job, where they will need time to find / hire / train a replacement.Maybe it's a USA thing, but I would always give a much notice as I can, my last job, I gave a 6 week notice, as I wanted to stay until I got this one thing done, and I wanted to give them enough time to replace me and such, maybe it's just me. But with the Holiday comming up, which is a week long, there is not much time left for her to give them a notice long enough to be any good.Let me know your thoughts on it.If you like e-mail me at: scott@skc-pollock.comscott Link to comment
owenkrout Posted January 10, 2003 Report Share Posted January 10, 2003 Here it is possible for an employer to actual stop them from leaving. The danwei (work unit) can refuse a person a passport and theoretically at least, they could get one revoked. Also, this is China, not the US. If a boss has enough guanxi and they commonly do or they wouldn't be in that position, they can even have her physically detained from leaving. It has happened to foreign teachers, although it is much rarer for foreigners. The Chinese system is changing, but some employers still treat their help more like slaves. Technically, people still have to have permission to change jobs or where they are living. That one is commonly ignored, especially by the younger people, but the power is still there and is sometimes used. Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and others like those occassionally have round ups of the ma fang (undocumented workers) and deport them back to their home towns. Of course in this day and age they usually just go right back, undocumented again. My wife is still trying to get her 600RMB a month 30 year retirement pay because her former boss has decided that since she married a "rich" American, she doesn't deserve it as much as he does. Especially if your fiancee is working in one of the government jobs or state run industry jobs, she may very well have good reason to fear letting them know she is leaving. Link to comment
Mick Posted January 10, 2003 Report Share Posted January 10, 2003 Owen is right on the money on this one! I have known cases over here where employees were denied the right to leave a work unit without official permission. It really does depend on the individual situation and the individuals involved. Keep in mind that China is gradually becoming a nation of laws but this is a gradual, uneven process. The government, to their credit, is making great efforts to make this transition a smooth one. Yet it is a herculean task considering the power of tradition (they have been doing things another way for a long time), and the power of "relationships". If a boss has enough relational power, he or she can do pretty much whatever they want. This is not a criticism, just a fact of the way things are. My advice, the less said the better. Link to comment
tparrent Posted January 10, 2003 Report Share Posted January 10, 2003 There may be one other issue as well. Many Chinese firms give out bonuses at Chinese New Year. Perhaps she does not want to jeapordize that even if it is not much. Link to comment
Eric&Yuhui Posted January 10, 2003 Report Share Posted January 10, 2003 snip...I'm sorry. I'm worn out.. I just overreact... Just trade your hapiness being with her sooner to a Chinese new Year possible bonus. I would spend any dime I own to be with her right now... Link to comment
tparrent Posted January 10, 2003 Report Share Posted January 10, 2003 You and I agree on this but then neither one of us is a Chinese woman and they sometimes think differently. Or so I've heard Link to comment
tonado Posted January 10, 2003 Report Share Posted January 10, 2003 Yes, Chinese women do things differently. My fiancee's sister always closes the bathroom door even thought there is no one inside. It is really confusing for guests and they wait and wait for someone to come out. Also, they are sensitive to sunlight because in China, there is not much sunlight because of smog. Link to comment
Guest dan-ting Posted January 10, 2003 Report Share Posted January 10, 2003 My fiancee told me today that she wants to wait until Feb. 28th, maybe. She wants her bonus (will about cover the airfare) and give notice but has said she will not tell them she is coming to USA. Just that she found another job, or wants better pay or some other excuse. She does want to give them enough notice to replace her. And I'm not happy about it either, but...I understand. I'll go along with her decision. Link to comment
KandY Posted January 10, 2003 Report Share Posted January 10, 2003 My fiance Yan will be here on the 15th (jan). When she left her company, she gave a formal resignation and a 30 day notice. She told me that a 30 day notice was standard for "white-collar" jobs in China. Link to comment
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