Hong Kong/ Beijing:
Some major Chinese companies such as home equipment manufacturer media have new badges of honor this year: restriction in compulsory clock time and hour meetings for employees.
The media staff had once tobbled till late evening, but now they are left till 6:20 pm that the company’s page is left to the social media app, even shows a picture of people listening to a band with a caption that reads: “What do you do after work?
In China, it is counted as radical corporate messaging, the practice of working for “996” from “996” or the practice of working from 9 am to 9 pm a week – “huge blessings” by Jack Ma, the famous Alibaba co -founder Jack Ma and an integral limb of its technical field for the last 15 years.
Other companies have also made changes, even if it is not enough as dramatic. In Fellow Equipment Maker Higher, employees have celebrated five-day work week on social media. Workers at the world’s largest drone manufacturer, DJI have posted about their happiness on a new policy, which announces offices, they should be vacated by 9 pm
A DJI activist said, “There is no more concern about remembering the final metro, when I reach home, I do not worry much about awakening the wife,” a DJI activist said he often worked at midnight.
Higher and DJI did not respond to the remarks requests.
In another sign of how Zegtist for China Inc. is gradually changing, a Beijing Law firm was fined in March, as it was not taking corrective measures after illegally extending the work of employees – a rare allegation of punishment by the authorities made extensive praise on social media.
But will these newborn corporate efforts turn into the winds of change, yet it is yet to be seen.
Analysts say that the compulsory clock-band feels that instead of social pressure within China, the labor laws of the European Union have been motivated. And while “996” was considered illegal by China’s apex court in 2021, many people still work for a long time in technology and finance. In recent years, even the emergence of a new word “007” has been seen, which mentions either to be at work or calling every day throughout the day.
Significantly, however, the Chinese government is calling companies to follow the country’s 44 -hour weekly work limit.
To promote unveiled consumer expenses in March, the action plan of a state council said that the comfort and leave rights of the workers should be guaranteed and the payment holiday should be encouraged. The state media has also run articles to create those points.
It fits with Chinese policy makers’ desire to look at the world’s second largest economy, which is more operated by consumption and has a low dependence on exports – a goal that has only taken over urgency with applying additional heavy American tariffs under President Donald Trump.
Shujin Chen, an economist of China of Jefferies, says that when the government is buzzing about promoting change, it will not be easy how the country’s economic growth and lack of jobs have fed financial insecurity.
“They want people to relax more, have more holidays and consume more,” he said. “If you do not have enough income, and if you rarely keep your job, it is very difficult for people to do so.”
A long week
According to the International Labor Organization, China’s long average task is the week – 46.1 hours in 2024. It compars 38.6 hours in South Korea, 38 hours in the United States and 36.6 hours in Japan.
Chinese government data is more than 49.1 hours in January, above 46.2 in April 2022, the oldest date for which data is publicly available. Rapid growth can be explained by increasing job insecurity, increasing people’s will to do more overtime.
Before this year, some, although rare, were pushbacks against excessive work hours within China.
Tech Workers launched online protests against “996” in 2019 and 2021. And last year, a PR executive in the search engine veteran Badu was designed to apologize after demanding the employees, who place their phones in 24 hours a day and be ready to respond to always.
Two employees said that one tech beam, social media and gaming firm Tensent also cut back on overtime in at least some units, which means that many workers are no longer behind, two employees said. Tencent did not respond to the remarks request.
Beijing-based independent industry analyst Liu Jingliang said that some companies stems from adopting new rules of European Union during this year’s compulsory clock. Rules ban the sale of products made with forced labor, a definition that incorporates excessive overtime.
“These large companies are afraid to lose foreign orders due to violations,” Liu said, “Given the manufacturers of goods feeling pressure from this law, China’s internet and software firms are less likely to affect.”
Midea formalized its new rules, banning the “protesting overtime” in January and the employee response “has definitely been very positive,” Jhao Lei, the company’s home air conditioning division vice -president Jhao Lei said in a statement.
“We want to focus on creating innovation and creating value within eight hours of working day, rather than this,” he said.
However, not all employees are completely confident.
“I am not sure the changes are durable,” an employee said, who refused to be recognized for fear of the results.
The employee said that he was usually on 24 -hour call and was pulled into meetings on the first holiday.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is published by a syndicated feed.)