Now, China's authorities have issued a stern reminder to companies that such punishing work schedules are in fact, illegal. Laws limiting working hours have thus far proven ineffective, or at least circumventable. Several Chinese companies still operate through the 996 work mode, where it is expected from the employees, especially in the tech industry, to work from 9 am to 9 pm six days a week. How a Hindu holy book influenced Oppenheimer, Rhodes wildfires are 'like a biblical catastrophe', Russia pummels Odesa after killing grain deal. Yin Liqin/China News Service/Visual China Group via Getty Images, Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories, with equal vigor by activists and employees, other Chinese tech giants have been implicated, While CEOs like Jack Ma and Elon Musk praise grueling job schedules, employees around the world are demanding shorter workweeks. I can't remember when I last saw daylight. China's 996 work culture under microscope again after - Fortune She died six hours later in the hospital, according to the South China Morning Post. We find the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & educational videos you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions. [42] Bai Ya, the CEO of Youzan, replied, "it would be a good thing to look back at a few years later". Bilibili confirmed the employee's death in a statement late Tuesday and said they had apologised to his family while terming the incident a wake-up call. Offers may be subject to change without notice. A number of other Chinese tech giants have been implicated in encouraging "996.". Claims that overwork killed China tech worker reignites '996' debate However, as a result of the backlash over Zhang's death, the Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau said it would send an investigative team to Pinduoduo to examine the company's work practices, the Post reported. On Sunday, Pinduoduo apologized for the post, and blamed a contractor named Li who was working for the company. Last Updated:February 23, 2022 20:07:52 IST, Chinas 996 work culture has claimed another techie's life: All you need to know about it. [12][13][14], The culture of overtime work has a long history in Chinese IT companies,[15] where the focus is typically on speed and cost reduction. Employees have grumbled about their brutal schedules over the years, and some have even tried to fight back. Employee health is an issue that cant be ignored.. Employers Are Terrified", "Burned out by COVID, Chinese professionals take up nomadic life: 'I wasted so much time', "China steps in to regulate brutal '996' work culture", "Inside the high-pressure world of China's start-up workers", "The psychology behind 'revenge bedtime procrastination', "Asian wellness in decline: a cost of rising prosperity", "Understanding the Working Time of Developers in IT Companies in China and the United States", "Leak from 58.com: Chinese tech companies' overtime culture", "Office workers in China organise a rare online labour movement", "Why some tech workers are turning down jobs at TikTok", "TikTok Owner ByteDance Mandates Shorter Working Hours", "Death of 28-year-old ByteDance employee fuels ongoing controversy on overwork in Chinese tech companies", "China's JD.com boss criticizes 'slackers' as company makes cuts", "Death of 22-year-old Pinduoduo employee renews controversy over China's 996 overwork culture, sparking an investigation", "Death of Chinese tech worker fuels anger over brutal hours", "2 employee deaths and a viral video renew debate of China's '996' overwork culture", "New employee death at Chinese tech giant Pinduoduo prompts calls for boycott", "", "China's tech workers protest brutal work culture with communist jingles", "Follow China's "996" work hours and you'll end up in an ICU, says Chinese developer", "GitHub Protest Over Chinese Tech Companies' "996" Culture Goes Viral", "Chinese developers use GitHub to protest long work hours", "Chinese browsers block protest against China's 996 overtime work culture", "Microsoft workers pressure company to stand by embattled Chinese GitHub repo", "Microsoft employees add support to Chinese tech workers protesting 'grueling' overtime culture", "Microsoft workers join China's debate over grueling workweek", "A group of Microsoft and GitHub employees have come out in support of Chinese tech workers protesting the infamous '996' work hours", "Microsoft Employees Support Chinese Developers Fighting for Fair Labor Practices", "A Post About China's "996" Workweek Went Viral On GitHub. China has ruled that the '996 work culture' in the country, a practice where people work from 9am to 9pm six days a week, is illegal. "The government cannot sit still and let this blow up. Though the countrys rate of violent crime is low enough to be the envy of most of the world, its suicide rate isnt, and it says even more that the Japanese language has a word that refers specifically to death by overwork. We thank you! [17] Some media outlets criticized this schedule. In a joint statement published last Thursday, China's top court and labour ministry detailed 10 court decisions related to labour disputes, many involving workers being forced to work overtime. "Our bodies have been in overloaded conditions for an extended period of time.". The intense work culture has met with online and offline criticism. The person's unnamed employer was forced to pay the worker's family 400,000 yuan (about $61,700), according to a paper published by the Chinese state ministries on Thursday. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), a 25-year-old content moderator for short-video streaming site Bilibili died of brain haemorrhage after working throughout a week-long public holiday. The Vice report above covers the "996" system, which stands for working from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m, six days a week. [7], The Labour Law of the People's Republic of China states:[improper synthesis? Chinese authorities began a probe into working conditions at Pinduoduo Inc. following the death of an employee in her early 20s that renewed criticism of the long hours commonly practiced at Chinas tech companies. Chinese state ministries are claiming that a media worker died as a result of the 996 culture. Beijing in November unveiled regulations designed to root out monopolistic practices in the internet industry, sparking a sell-off in the previously high-flying tech sector. We accept PayPal, Venmo (@openculture), Patreon and Crypto! Some are so disillusioned that the "tang ping" movement - literally meaning to "lie flat" - has gained traction in recent months, referring to the idea that people should not overwork and instead be content with more attainable achievements. February 10, 2022 21:01:29 IST. Article 44The employer shall pay labourers more wage remunerations than those for normal work according to the following standards in any one of the following cases: (1) Wage payments to labourers no less than 150 percent of their wages if the labourers are asked to work longer hours; Chinese tech workers have long protested the rise of the trend, but authorities have taken few steps to counter it. a spate of high-profile deaths linked to overwork in 2020. "This is of big concern for the government because it needs these workers to keep the economy going," Dr Chan said. Shares of the firm, which spans a $205 billion e-commerce empire and is aggressively seeking to further bolster growth by expanding into the red-hot sector of online groceries, ended the year up nearly 370%. 2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. [44], At least 40 companies, including Huawei and Alibaba Group, have implemented the 996 schedule or an even more intensive alternative. Japans population is already shrinking. Earlier this week, the sudden death of a young employee at a Chinese short-video streaming company has reignited the debate about Chinas gruelling 996 work culture in the tech industry. The post was deleted shortly after, but not before it had spread on social media. China spells out how excessive '996' work culture is illegal Zahng was six months into a job at Pinduoduo, and has been hailed as the latest victim of what is knownas the "996" work culture plaguing China's tech industry. A Chinese state report says a media worker collapsed in a company break room and later died from heart complications. They want domestic peace," Dr Chan said. In May, China's once-a-decade census revealed its slowest population growth in decades. [45][46], On 26 March 2019, the 996.ICU repository and website were created. The hashtag "Bilibili worker suddenly died after working overtime during Lunar New Year" went viral on the Twitter-like Weibo platform on Monday when a workplace blogger reported the man's death, citing anonymous colleagues claiming that he was forced to work overtime. Chinese internet companies should think beyond reaching unicorn status and IPOs and a steady, healthy corporate culture is a must for long-term growth, said Marlon Mai, Shanghai-based managing director with recruitment consultancy Morgan McKinley. Dont work hard regardless of the cost. 72 hours per week. 12-Hour Days, Six Days a Week - The New York Times But that ranking, of course, doesnt mean that every Japanese person sees old age. The Supreme Peoples Court and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security published a lengthy essay Friday about labor violations and unreasonable overtime, labeled 996 because of the common practice of working 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. A lot of people have left.. China's 996 working hour system Photo credit: Getty. It also prompted posts by people who said they worked for the company claiming they had worked 12-hour overnight shifts across last weeks lunar new year holiday. Based in Seoul,Colin Marshallwrites and broadcasts on cities, language, and culture. Pinduoduo reports second employee death - Tech in Asia It spoke to a generation of urban workers disenchanted by the notorious "996" work culture, where staff are expected to work from 9:00am to 9:00pm, six days a week. After initially claiming that the post was fake, Pinduoduo laterapologizedand said a contractor had uploaded it without authorization, adding that the company strongly opposed the views expressed. 3:31 This Article is for Subscribers Only Chinese authorities began a probe into working conditions at Pinduoduo Inc. following the death of an employee in her early 20s that renewed criticism of. Second, the company will pay more attention to the physical health of employees, it said, listing increased physical examinations and the establishment of an onsite mental and physical health clinic. Billionaire Jack Ma hasn't been seen in 2 months. In early 2019, Chinese tech workers protested the "996" workweek on the code-hosting site GitHub, where they outed companies, like Alibaba, that had cultures of excessive overtime. Confronting the Toxic 996 Work Culture - OHS Observer China needs them to remain competitive.". S&P Index data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. [59][60][61][62][63][64], Jack Ma stated that workers should consider 996 "a huge blessing" as there is no way to "achieve the success [one] want[s] without paying extra effort and time",[65][66][67][68][69][28][70] while Richard Liu, founder of JD.com, said that "Slackers are not my brothers! "The government cannot sit still and let this blow up. Let's take a look at the 996 work culture and what critics say: Once endorsed by tech billionaires like Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Richard Liu, 996 responds to working 12 hours per day, from 9 am to 9 pm, for six days a week: 72 hours per week. We never spam. Paramedics spent six hours trying to revive her, but it was in vain. [71], Several Chinese media outlets criticized the 996 working system. Overworking to death. [82] They argued, without such initiatives the dual circulation policy is doomed to fail. The sudden death of Chinese tech worker due to overwork has triggered a furore in the country, with many raising voices against the return of the toxic 996 culture. Experts say to prioritize these 4 habits, Gen Z is rejecting everything theyve been taught about tipping. Many young workers in some of China's biggest firms work brutal '996 hours' - 9am to 9pm, six days a week, Many delivery workers in China say they are underpaid and overworked, Some of China's youth want out of the rat race, 'China needs its workers to stay competitive', Jack Ma famously said it was a "blessing", Why China's youth are 'lying flat' on the job, Obamas' personal chef dies in paddleboard accident, LGBT Malaysians angry at 1975 'white saviour' act, 'Historic' - the World Cup's first out trans player, Bayer expects $2.8bn hit as weedkiller sales fall, Julian Sands' final cause of death is undetermined. Subscribe to Well Adjusted, our newsletter full of simple strategies to work smarter and live better, from the Fortune Well team. September 2, 2021 | 4 min read. Workers may now also feel more emboldened to take their bosses to court. In a similar incident, a 43-year-old delivery driver collapsed on the job and died while delivering food for Eleme. Inemuri, the Japanese Art of Taking Power Naps at Work, on the Subway, and Other Public Places, Why 1999 Was the Year of Dystopian Office Movies: What The Matrix, Fight Club, American Beauty, Office Space & Being John Malkovich Shared in Common, Tsundoku, the Japanese Word for the New Books That Pile Up on Our Shelves, Should Enter the English Language, The Employment: A Prize-Winning Animation About Why Were So Disenchanted with Work Today, What is the Secret to Living a Long, Happy & Creatively Fulfilling Life? China's 996 work culture is labour exploitation by another name Here's what happened to other Chinese businessmen who mysteriously disappeared after sparring with regulators. Some are so disillusioned that the "tang ping" movement - literally meaning to "lie flat" - has gained traction in recent months, referring to the idea that people should not overwork and instead be content with more attainable achievements. But what is death, as the Gita sees it?In an interview with Wired, Sanskrit scholar Stephen Thompson explains that, in the original, the word that Oppenheimer speaks as "death" refers to "literally the world-destroying time."This means that "irrespective of what Arjuna does" Arjuna being the aforementioned prince, the narrative's protagonist everything is in the hands of . In many of the country's biggest firms - particularly in the thriving tech sector - employees often work far longer hours and are not always compensated. 42: To 996, or Not to 996, That Is the Question", "China tech worker protest against long working hours goes viral", "China Tech Workers Protest Long Work Hours in Online Campaign", "China's Gen-Z Is Entering the Workforce. Firstpost - All Rights Reserved. "The death of this excellent worker is not only an enormous loss to the company, but has also served as a wake-up call to us," Bilibili said in a statement.