Huawei has taken a step to lose trust
In 2018, a Huawei employee Li Hongyuan reached a compensation agreement with the company’s human resources department for resignation. The compensation is transferred to the employee from the private account of the secretary of the human resources department. The employee was subsequently charged with extortion by the secretary. In the end, the employee was detained criminally and transferred to procuratorate awaiting prosecution. In the end, the procuratorate decided not to prosecute him on the grounds of insufficient evidence. At the same time, he also received state compensation. So far, it shows that this matter has become a “judicial fact.”
However, after the incident, Huawei’s public relations department did not respond. When the matter was discussed intensively on social media, people were still expecting Huawei’s response. Regrettably, the belated response from Huawei directly turned this incident from a social crisis into a social media disaster. They arrogantly stated that everyone is equal before the law and that the employee can choose to use the law to defend his rights. The voice conveyed behind this is defined by the majority of netizens as “you can sue me if you are dissatisfied.”
Such an indifferent response aroused great condemnation from the media and netizens, online commentators called the statement “arrogant” and “cold-blooded.” “The elephant stepped on you, but you can step back on it,” one popular WeChat article said. “What a response of justice!”And Huawei’s good image in China also suffered a huge blow. At the same time, this response caused dissatisfaction among netizens and led many people to decide not to support Huawei’s products.
Because for most people, Huawei and the former employee are two subjects with a great disparity in power. In the face of strong companies, ordinary people are prone to unfair treatment, so they all have a strong sense of substitution for the weak. In their eyes, they support not only the former Huawei employees who have been wronged but also themselves who have been squeezed by their bosses.
“The reason the public cares so much about this case is not because they’re out to get Huawei, but because they are all scared of becoming the next Li Hongyuan,” wrote one Weibo user. The rapid spread of Huawei’s response is people’s anger and fear, and anger and fear are far more powerful than sympathy and compassion, so the damage to Huawei is more extensive and far-reaching.
Huawei could have avoided this public opinion disaster. They could disclose some communication information in detail when the people were paying attention to the incident, so as to dispel the doubts accumulated among the people. After a judicial verdict has been reached, in the face of another escalation of public opinion, as a responsible company, Huawei can express the company’s difficulties in a timely manner and communicate with the public through social media. These measures will make Huawei’s image less “arrogant” and will make it win the trust of the public.
It can show its attitude with a low profile, admit its mistakes, apologize to the public and former employees, and strive to reach an agreement with the employee. And if Huawei can get the understanding of its former employees, it will undoubtedly win the public’s understanding. The public likes humble businesses rather than arrogant ones. Unfortunately, the arrogant Huawei did not do this. Therefore, it has not been able to avoid the impact of the social media disaster on its brand image.
（Learn more about the discussion: How Huawei Lost the Heart of the Chinese Public）
