Retreat a treat for diligent couriers

Instead of going to a work station in downtown Shanghai to coordinate hundreds of online takeout orders during peak hours, Li Dequan went to the city's suburbs for a retreat for two days.

The 20-year-old front-line worker for Eleme, a major food delivery platform, was among 200 hardworking grassroots workers involved in the new business format who were invited to enjoy a recent retreat organized by the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions.

The couriers, from the takeout service platforms Eleme and Meituan as well as logistics company SF Express, were taken on different routes to enjoy suburban parks and engage in leisure activities. Some spent half a day experiencing go-kart racing.

"We're always going full speed ahead for clients," said 24-year-old Wang Liang, a courier with Eleme, who hails from Shaanxi province. "Having worked in Shanghai for three years, I didn't even have a chance to stop and enjoy some moments for myself."

"It was my first time to visit the suburban park in Jiading district and the gourmet street in the district's Nanxiang town. It was a precious opportunity for us to enjoy the landscape and snacks in a relaxed manner."

Li, from Yancheng, Jiangsu province, started working as a courier in Shanghai in March. He said he also enjoyed the two days and was grateful for the friendly intentions of the organizer.

"We were provided with diverse food and standard hotel accommodation," he said. "I believe the experience was intended to help us better integrate into the city."

All the retreat participants were recommended by their employers for their excellent performance at work. The federation said it has allocated more than 700,000 yuan ($108,000) this year to include at least 1,000 workers in the city's new business format in retreat activities.

Thanks to his diligence, which drives him to deliver food orders even after midnight, no matter the weather, Li was promoted to head of the work station in April.

"I work from 10 am till the end of the dinner rush hour every day," he said. "I need to coordinate the couriers and deal with complaints and sometimes negative feedback and traffic accidents."

Li said the company provides regular training sessions for those with promotion potential.

"I'm optimistic about my career development and opportunities in Shanghai," he said.

Lu Ming, a professor from Antai College of Economics and Management at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said that housekeeping workers, drivers for ride-hailing services, and couriers have been the big city jobs that have absorbed the most migrant workers in recent years.

"The development of the platform economy in the past few years has relied heavily on laborers," said Lu, who is also a veteran urbanization researcher. "Such consumer service sectors are hard to be replaced by machines and capital.

"In addition to offering attractive pay, the employers and the city as a whole are encouraged to help such workers access equal public services and social security."