"The structure changes every day, especially among mid-level managers—there have already been several waves of turnover." One month after Haier Smart Home announced the creation of three core platforms—the Large Appliances Platform, the Overseas Branding Platform, and the China Region Platform—social media has been flooded with reports of layoffs, forced standby, and intensifying overtime. The BUG column reached out to several Haier headquarters employees and current staff at the Three-Winged Bird (Sanyiniao) business unit, all of whom confirmed the situation.

"The feeling is that layoffs are happening gradually. Meanwhile, performance pressure is mounting, and we're constantly working overtime to meet targets." Notably, the BUG column observed that Haier's Sanyiniao app has been removed from app stores, with the developer citing a halt in maintenance. On the consumer front, Haier Smart Home's products and after-sales service have long drawn criticism. On Heimao Complaint, there are nearly 70,000 complaints against Haier, mostly concerning product quality issues, delayed after-sales response, and failure to install within agreed timeframes. The BUG column contacted Haier headquarters regarding layoffs and future organizational adjustments but received no response as of press time.

Where things stand

In September 2020, to capitalize on the smart appliance trend, Haier Smart Home established Sanyiniao, a unit focused on providing whole-home smart scene solutions. It covers balconies, kitchens, bathrooms, whole-home air and water systems, and audio-visual scenarios, integrating clothing, food, housing, and entertainment for customized services. But the reality has fallen short of the ambition. Years on, consumer awareness of the Sanyiniao brand remains weak. On one hand, its external narrative emphasizes "selling scenarios, not appliances," yet most ordinary consumers still view it as a premium appliance store for Haier and Casarte, leaving the brand positioning unclear. This has led Sanyiniao to function more as a Haier distribution channel than an independent brand in actual operations. On the other hand, while Sanyiniao focuses on smart home builds, it lacks the traffic advantages of consumer electronics ecosystems like Mijia. With no external traffic entry point, it relies solely on Haier's own appliance channels to convert users. As the overall market growth slows, the room for trial and error in its business scenarios shrinks rapidly.

Currently, the Sanyiniao app has been delisted from some app stores, with a note stating "developer has stopped maintenance; download channel closed." Compared with the Haier Smart Home app, Sanyiniao's performance has been dismal. However, the "Sanyiniao Workbench" app, a merchant-facing tool last updated in February, remains available on various mobile platforms. This situation is affecting employees on the ground. "Performance pressure has been mounting recently," said Zhang Pin (pseudonym), a marketing staffer at Sanyiniao. She described the compensation structure as an annual package split into monthly, quarterly, and year-end bonuses, with clear rules for two job categories: R&D and planning backend roles receive full monthly salaries with performance only affecting quarterly and year-end bonuses, while marketing roles have all compensation tied to sales targets, leading to greater income volatility. Another employee echoed this sentiment: "Haier's 'Rendanheyi' model, in our view, is just a convenient way to dock our pay."

The restructuring announced early last month is likely to impact Sanyiniao's trajectory. Previously, Sanyiniao operated as a relatively independent business unit with its own channel development, store operations, and cross-category coordination teams. Post-restructuring, the unit faces potential ripple effects, with first-line feedback pointing to personnel movement and role contraction. Zhang Pin, however, felt little change within her team: "It's probably mostly mid-level management being adjusted. But turnover among mid-level managers has always been high—if core performance is poor, they're out." When asked whether the reform might create better internal mobility opportunities for Sanyiniao staff, Zhang Pin was blunt: unlikely. She cited the earlier large-scale HVAC integration, during which internal transfer channels were temporarily closed, leaving employees without internal placement options and triggering a wave of voluntary departures. The current integration follows a similar pattern—no "living water" opportunities have been announced, and the detailed HR rules for the Large Appliances Platform are not yet fully public, meaning channel and store-related positions cannot all be absorbed through internal transfers.

Layoffs hinge on financial reports

"Whether there are layoffs depends on the financial report," Zhang Pin, who has worked at Sanyiniao for years, summarized. In her observation, whenever earnings figures disappoint and the stock price declines, a round of layoffs follows—affecting both mid-level managers and frontline staff. Her assessment aligns with the earnings calendar. As the domestic appliance industry enters an era of stock competition and overall growth peaks, Haier Smart Home has frequently faced performance pressure. In its Q1 2026 financial report, the company posted revenue of 73.7 billion yuan, down 6.86% year-on-year, and net profit of 4.652 billion yuan, down 15.22%, with a net margin of only 6.31%. The company attributed the dual decline to "extreme winter weather in the North American market, where industry sales fell about 10%, compounded by a significant year-on-year increase in tariff costs that dragged down North American performance."

In the secondary market, Haier Smart Home's stock has fallen nearly 20% since the start of the year, bringing its total market capitalization to 191.742 billion yuan—roughly half of its peak of 320 billion yuan. Beyond the reasons cited in the report, intensifying competitive pressure is an inescapable challenge. Whether through institutional reform or product innovation, Haier Smart Home's ambitions are evident. Its multi-brand strategy—spanning Haier, Casarte, Leader, GE Appliances, Fisher & Paykel, AQUA, and Candy—covers consumer segments from premium to mass market. However, while this ensures a complete product line, it also creates issues of fragmented R&D resources and duplicated investment. In emerging areas such as home robots, in-car living, and connectivity with smart devices, Haier Smart Home still has much ground to cover. For instance, in the home robotics field it has long sought to enter, companies like Ecovacs have years of market presence in robot vacuums, while robotics firms such as Unitree and UBTech are also eager to compete. As for building an open ecosystem, compared with smartphone makers, Haier Smart Home needs to step up its efforts to attract third-party device integration.

"The employee departures and business unit adjustments over the past few months are likely all directly tied to the Q1 earnings," Zhang Pin revealed. Another Haier employee posted on social media seeking help, saying they had been forcibly placed on standby with income at par with local subsistence allowances. "There are two options: either negotiate compensation with management and leave, or find another position internally," the employee wrote, adding, "but there are no openings internally right now." When asked why, they said they weren't given a reason—just a sudden notice from their manager that "your position no longer exists." This, they noted, is a common occurrence at the company. Haier Smart Home did not respond to inquiries about layoffs and restructuring as of press time.

Consumer complaints and after-sales gaps

Beyond performance pressure and layoff turmoil, Haier Smart Home faces significant consumer-side controversies. A search for "Haier" on Heimao Complaint yields nearly 70,000 complaints, mostly regarding product quality issues, delayed after-sales response, and failure to install within agreed timeframes. One consumer complained about the difficulty of resolving after-sales issues and poor customer service attitude. "I booked air conditioner installation through official customer service, but no technician contacted me after three days," another consumer vented on social media. Even the premium Casarte brand has not been spared. In May 2026, the Honghuagang District Market Supervision Administration in Zunyi disclosed a case where a consumer's newly purchased Casarte refrigerator had a persistent odor. While the store and the Guizhou regional manager acknowledged the quality issue, the brand merchant refused a replacement. After mediation, the merchant issued a full refund of 8,999 yuan.

Objectively, the effectiveness of Haier Smart Home's restructuring last month remains to be seen over time. But such large-scale organizational changes inevitably bring growing pains, and the internal contraction employees are experiencing is one of them. At the same time, Haier Smart Home should place greater emphasis on consumer experience. Improving product satisfaction and overall service quality should be a key focus of its adjustments.