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A program by JD.com, China's largest online direct sales firm, will offer more jobs to disabled people at its customer service center in Suqian, Jiangsu province, as the company expands nationally.
The Beijing-based e-commerce giant launched Sunshine Angels in October 2013 and has so far taken on 50 disabled people at the site.
The initiative recently won JD a best public welfare award from the Commission of Customer Contact Center Standards.
The job responsibilities and conditions of its "angels" are no difference from others at the service center, said Huang Jinhong, its vice-president of e-commerce who launched the program.
They reply to customer inquires regarding the entire online purchasing procedure via telephone or the Internet, and they enjoy the same salary package and have the same opportunities to be promoted.
The company has built disabled-friendly office space and bathrooms for the workers, and arranged special shuttle buses to make sure they do not feel uncomfortable at work, she said, adding it is a traditional Chinese virtue to help those less fortunate.
"It would make an enduring impact on society if more disabled people could have their own careers and develop themselves professionally," Huang said.
Many of those taken on had been long-time unemployed, or had limited education.
Huang said some companies in China do have concerns about hiring disabled people, despite offering financial aid to organizations who might help them.
But she said Sunshine Angels has proven that the disabled can be as valuable as any other employees - in fact, they often work even harder because they cherish the opportunity of having a job.
Li Jian, one of JD's "angels", said when he first joined he had found customer service so challenging that he had considered quitting.
"There was so much to learn and even the basic use of a computer was difficult for me," he said.
"But our head of department encouraged me to learn and gave me the confidence to make my own living independently.
"I was so touched and tried my best to learn," he said, "and kept reminding myself, 'no pain, no gain'."
Huang said the company plans to recruit more disabled people at the center.
"Most of the recruitment has been in Suqian or neighboring cities in Jiangsu, but we would like to make more such appointments across the country," she said.
mengjing@chinadaily.com.cn
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Huang Jinhong, vicepresident of JD's ecommerce, receives the best public welfare award from the Commission of Customer Contact Center Standards last week in Beijing. Provided To China Daily |
(China Daily 07/23/2015 page18)
