Chinese appliance maker Haier’s overseas expansion has been well documented, but what is it like for its local employees in—for example, the European market—to be working for a Chinese company?

Thomas Gendron has been working for Haier France for five years. He said, for him, working at a Chinese company in Europe has been stressful, to say the least.

Haier is a top-ranking home appliance maker in China, but it is still trying to gain a solid foothold in the European market. Competing with world-renowned competitors like Siemens and Philips has not proved easy. Such pressure for performance has trickled down to the company’s French employees. Gendron says the Chinese managers like to intervene with strategic decisions and that's a headache for the French team.

Localization is a strategy for Haier in the international market. More than 90 percent of the employees in the company’s French branch are local hires. The company’s deputy director for its French operation says it is important to make the team better understand Haier’s corporate culture.

Jiang decided to invite some French employees to Haier headquarters in Qingdao, China, to build that bond. Gendron said that what he saw during his trip blew him away.

Haier’s research shows that 35 percent of French citizens know about their brand. Gendron said the Chinese brand has already come a long way in Europe.