The employers had lost. Yes, China's 9-9-6 work culture does make Silicon Valley look sleepy. [24] Another study likened 996 culture to "modern slavery", formed through the combination of "unrestricted global capitalism and a Confucian culture of hierarchy and obedience". The latest victim of this regime is a 22-year-old woman surnamed Zhang, who worked at the Xinjiang branch of Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo. Chinese state ministries are claiming that a media worker died as a result of the 996 culture. Earlier this year, two employees at e-commerce platform Pinduoduo died weeks apart - a young worker collapsed on the way home after working long hours, while another died by suicide. The document, which was published by the Supreme People's Court and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, defined what constitutes overtime and provided examples of when employers failed to follow the rules. [71], Several Chinese media outlets criticized the 996 working system. The trick is to take a break as soon as you see a bright light and hear dead relatives beckon.. On Monday, social media platform Weibo was buzzed with the hashtag "Bilibili worker on Monday when a workplace blogger reported the mans death, citing anonymous colleagues claiming that he was forced to work overtime, reported AFP. The suicide rates are officially 'low' but regular suicide and death reports of workers from China are. The document is part of a wider effort by the state to develop clearer guidelines on overtime and clamp down on firms that don't pay workers what they are legally entitled to. [16] Companies employ a range of measures, such as reimbursing taxi fares for employees who remain working at the office late into the night, to encourage overtime work. Are you sure you want to Log out from Business Standard, This is a subscriber only feature Subscribe Now to get daily updates on WhatsApp, First Published: Aug 27 2021 | 2:22 PM IST, Key stories on business-standard.com are available only to BS Premium subscribers. The cases covered various scenarios across a wide range of sectors, from tech to the media and construction. Marlon Mai, a Shanghai-based managing director at the recruitment consultancy Morgan McKinley, told Bloomberg: "Chinese internet companies should think beyond reaching unicorn status and IPOs and a steady, healthy corporate culture is a must for long-term growth. 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 produced a document highlighting the dangers of some companies' "996" work culture. Now, China's authorities have issued a stern reminder to companies that such punishing work schedules are in fact, illegal. A lot of people have left.. By clicking Sign Up, you also agree to marketing emails from both Insider and Morning Brew; and you accept Insiders. To read the full story, subscribe to BS Premium now, at just Rs 249/ month. Her death is widely believed to have been caused by overwork, and the woman's family has reportedly declined the offer of a post-mortem examination. But public anger means authorities can no longer turn a blind eye, experts told the BBC. All rights reserved. February 10, 2022 21:01:29 IST. If Congress doesn't pass a bill funding the government before the end of September, key agencies will shut down. ByteDance later issued a statement that was shared in an internal letter with its staff in China, according to which the employee felt dizzy after an hour of exercise at the company gym, before he was taken to the hospital. Stay up to date with what you want to know. In a similar incident, a 43-year-old delivery driver collapsed on the job and died while delivering food for Eleme. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. It derives its name from its requirement that employees work from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, 6 days per week; i.e. The employers had lost. Certain pundits never stop insisting that the future is Chinese; if theyre right, all this ought to give pause to the workers of the world, Eastern and Western alike. The regimen has been praised by top Chinese executives including Alibaba founder Jack Ma and JD.com founder Richard Liu Qiangdon, but has been slammed with equal vigor by activists and employees. China's Supreme People's Court has ruled that it's illegal for companies to subject employees to the practice known as "996," or working 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week. Its called karshi, says Dilberts pointy-haired boss. Pinduoduo sank 6.1% in New York Monday. "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. The employee, who was born in 1998 and joined Pinduoduo in July 2019, could not be resuscitated and died after nearly six hours of first aid, according to a statement. Now Microsoft Employees Want To Protect It From Censorship", "Jack Ma endorses China's controversial 12 hours a day, 6 days a week work culture", "Jack Ma defends the 'blessing' of a 12-hour working day", "Alibaba's Jack Ma Again Endorses China's '996' Overtime Culture as Testament to Professional Passion", "Alibaba's Jack Ma calls the '996' China's 72-hour workweek a 'huge blessing', "Working 9 to 9: Chinese tech workers push back against long hours", "The Richest Man in China Is Wrong. [17], Long time working system brings various diseases and mental disorders to Chinese workers. Prevalent in Chinese tech companies, it has been blamed for stress, illness, and death among employees. But will China's clearest warning yet pave the way for real change for some of its overworked citizens? Meanwhile, big companies are just getting richer. A minister reported a robbery. [34], In early January 2021, the e-commerce platform Pinduoduo was accused of forcing its employees to do extremely intensive overtimes, which supposedly led to the karoshi death of a 22-year-old worker. as well as other partner offers and accept our. On social media, general reactions to last week's state notice were cautious, with many wondering if it would truly improve their working lives. Some people registered a website domain named "996.ICU" to complain about the "work a 996 [schedule], sick in the ICU" life. It is estimated that more than three-quarters of urban workers in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou suffer from work-related fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, sleep[18] or eating disorders, occupational stress, and work-family imbalance. . 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. 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. 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. "Whether it's the knowledge workers in internet businesses or the blue-collar workers at delivery platforms - both employ millions of workers, and many are most likely working 996 hours," Dr Song Zhaoli, of the National University of Singapore, said. The same day, a Weibo user claiming to be the man's sister wrote a long post thanking the blogger and alleging that Bilibili tried to suppress news of his death internally. Toshi Reagon's new musical retelling explores the web of past, present and future. 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. The company responded that the 996 system would be an encouraged, not compulsory, practice. [+] AFP via Getty Images China is clamping down on its "excessive work culture that. Ma, who came from nothing and became China's richest man, said in April 2019 it was a "huge blessing" to work overtime and 72-hour weeks as a young employee. Hello, I'm . 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. Sign up for notifications from Insider! How is this fair?" However, the company defended itself saying that the 25-year-old, whose name is yet to be revealed, had been working from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm for the past week, with no overtime. Dutch programmer Guido van Rossum remarked that the 996 work schedule is "inhumane". Overworking to death. Anonymous activists launched a project hosted on GitHub called 996.ICU, meaning "Work by '996,' sick in ICU." "We spend most of our weekends in the office," a employee of Tencent wrote to a senior executive at the company, according to The Wall Street Journal. 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. Workers have also been calling for change. Here's what Beijing residents have to say about it.