China retail tycoon introduced “unhappy leave” days for employees in order to ensure a better work-life balance. Founder and chairman of Pang Dong Lai- Yu Donglai- announced that employees can request for 10 days of additional leave because “everyone has times when they’re not happy, so if you’re not happy, do not come to work.” Through the change, the founder said that employees will be free to determine their rest time and “this leave cannot be denied by management. Denial is a violation.”,
As per the company’s employment policy employees will have to work only seven hours a day, have weekends off and are entitled to 30 to 40 days annual leave as well as five days off during Lunar New Year. He said, “We do not want to be big. We want our employees to have a healthy and relaxed life, so that the company will too.”
Freedom and love are very important, he said. Earlier the company also introduced a job-level certification system announcing which Yu Donglai said, “Even a janitor can earn up to 500,000 yuan (US$70,000) annually as long as their professional capabilities reach a certain level.”
Users on Chinese social media were supportive of the changes that the company has introduced as one person said on Weibo, “Such a good boss and this company culture should be promoted nationwide.”
Another said, “I want to switch to Pang Dong Lai. I feel like I would gain happiness and respect there.”
More than 65 per cent of employees feel tired and unhappy at work, according to a 2021 survey on workplace anxiety in China.
Earlier, Yu Donglai had also condemned the culture of Chinese bosses advocating for long working hours, saying, “Making staff work overtime is unethical and an expropriation of other people’s opportunities for growth.”
