China creates comfortable spaces in Beijing for app workers

In the scorching summer heat, groups of office workers are seen rushing through the streets of Beijing, even more hurried than usual. It is too hot to be outside.

During the sweltering heat of the day, most people prefer to stay in the air-conditioned offices. If they need anything, from food and drinks to office supplies or whatever they need at the moment, a few taps on their phone screen are all it takes, thanks to China’s booming delivery business.

However, delivery drivers for these items must work outdoors, rain or shine, in the sweltering heat of summer or the bitter cold of winter.

Recently, smart rest stations have emerged, providing shelter for outdoor workers such as delivery drivers, construction workers and street sweepers, protecting them from extreme weather conditions and fatigue.

“Our peak time is usually between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., because that’s when most people order lunch or afternoon tea. But it’s also the hottest time of the day,” a delivery driver surnamed Wang told Beijing Review. “So cooling off for an hour from 4 to 5 p.m. at a smart rest station has become part of my routine. Without the station, I would be exhausted this summer.”

Wang’s favorite resting spot is inside a branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, one of the country’s “Big Four” state-owned banks, in Beijing’s Xicheng district.

In addition to air conditioning, the station also offers Wi-Fi, cell phone chargers, bottled drinks, snacks, towels, basic medicines, umbrellas, and ample space to rest. Most of these products and services are available for free or at extremely low prices, as long as the user is legally registered as an outdoor worker.

“Some larger stations even have microwaves, refrigerators, printers and audiobooks,” Wang said. Most of his coworkers can now reach a nearby station within a 15-minute electric scooter ride, something Wang believes goes a long way toward preventing heatstroke, dehydration and general exhaustion.

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The rest stops were set up by local branches of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), the country’s top trade union body.

Last July, the ACFTU launched the “Double 15 Project”, aiming to create 150,000 rest stations across the country by the end of 2023. The project aimed to ensure that outdoor workers could reach one of these stations within a 15-minute walk in major cities and urban centers across the country.

Most stations were established in collaboration with widely distributed public institutions such as banks, post offices, community centers, libraries, and internet service providers. Many suburban areas have also chosen to build independent stations.

According to an ACFTU report released at the end of 2023, China has already built 184,200 stations, serving 147 million workers and receiving an average of 3.27 million outdoor workers daily.

In addition to basic services, some stations have now expanded their offerings by teaming up with local communities to organize activities such as distributing free meals to outdoor workers, cultural performances and free lectures. These initiatives further support workers and enrich their cultural lives.

To make life more convenient for outdoor workers who work long hours, the trade union in southern China’s Guangdong province even offered to help them apply for public services at stations.

Workers can deposit their application documents in an electronic locker inside the station and then select the type of service they need. This can include everything from property or vehicle registration to social security updates; volunteers oversee the procedures. Upon completion, applicants receive a mobile notification and can retrieve their documents.

“Most outdoor workers need to work during government departments’ business hours,” a Guangdong union official told news portal Worker.cn. “This way, workers don’t have to sacrifice their valuable working hours to deal with lengthy application procedures.”

High technology management

With the rapid spread of permanent rest stations and plans to build even more, more and more ACFTU local branches are applying cutting-edge technology to reduce human resource costs while ensuring service quality.

“In Beijing alone, there are more than 1,200 rest stations that provide 24/7 service to outdoor workers,” Zhang Liang, vice chairman of the Beijing Federation of Trade Unions, said at a press conference on July 26. He added that artificial intelligence (AI) is widely used to manage the stations and their services.

AI enables the station to operate without human staff throughout the day. The technology is employed in a variety of ways, including access control, monitoring, and remote sensing. Outdoor workers can enter the station by scanning a QR code via Weixin (a ubiquitous super app in China). The system then automatically opens the door and turns on the lights, while providing voice instructions for the requested services. Facial and voice recognition technologies are used to make payments and unlock lockers, and AI-powered devices deliver products and answer workers’ questions.

Additionally, AI allows remote management of the station, sending updates and alerts in specific situations, as well as signaling the need for cleaning the station.

In addition to reducing costs and improving service quality, the application of AI has extended the operating hours of many rest stops from eight to 10 hours a day to 24/7. As a result, many provinces are stepping up efforts to make more of these stops “smarter.”

“Sometimes we have to work night shifts; knowing that there is a smart station nearby gives us peace of mind,” Wang said. “It’s like having a second mobile home in this metropolis. Whenever I arrive at a station in the pitch black of night, it lights up to welcome me.”