At a time when the hustle and grind culture widely prevails which often leads to dissatisfaction and burn out for many people at work, a company in China has now announced leaves for their employees on days when they are feeling unhappy. The new policy was announced by China’s retail tycoon for his employees and it aims to create a better work-life balance, as per a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Yu Donglai, Founder and Chairman- Pang Dong Lai, recently shared that his employees who are feeling overwhelmed or too unhappy can now request 10 days of leave. These “unhappy leaves” are apart from the annual 20 to 40 days leaves and the weekend offs that the employees already get.
“Everyone has times when they’re not happy, so if you’re not happy, do not come to work…This leave cannot be denied by management. Denial is a violation,” business tycoon Yu Donglai said, as per reports. Commenting on the need for such a move, Donglai further 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.”
It is noted that in a 2021 survey about workplace anxiety in China, over 65 per cent of employees in the country had reported of either being tired or unhappy at work.
This move by Donglai in his company has been a hit among not just Chinese nationals on their social media like Weibo, but also among people in other countries. Many have hailed Donglai’s progressive approach to having a better work-life balance, especially in a time when stress and mental health issues are important topics that are being spoken about.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time when Donglai has taken a step for creating better work places and work-life balance. “Making staff work overtime is unethical and an expropriation of other people’s opportunities for growth,” he said, condemning long working hours.
In India, it is noted that Infosys Founder Narayana Murthy‘s 70-hours work week remark had created quite a controversy back in 2023. While some industry experts supported his ideology, many others had opposed it calling it regressive in the digital age.
Yu Donglai, Founder and Chairman- Pang Dong Lai, recently shared that his employees who are feeling overwhelmed or too unhappy can now request 10 days of leave. These “unhappy leaves” are apart from the annual 20 to 40 days leaves and the weekend offs that the employees already get.
“Everyone has times when they’re not happy, so if you’re not happy, do not come to work…This leave cannot be denied by management. Denial is a violation,” business tycoon Yu Donglai said, as per reports. Commenting on the need for such a move, Donglai further 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.”
It is noted that in a 2021 survey about workplace anxiety in China, over 65 per cent of employees in the country had reported of either being tired or unhappy at work.
This move by Donglai in his company has been a hit among not just Chinese nationals on their social media like Weibo, but also among people in other countries. Many have hailed Donglai’s progressive approach to having a better work-life balance, especially in a time when stress and mental health issues are important topics that are being spoken about.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time when Donglai has taken a step for creating better work places and work-life balance. “Making staff work overtime is unethical and an expropriation of other people’s opportunities for growth,” he said, condemning long working hours.
In India, it is noted that Infosys Founder Narayana Murthy‘s 70-hours work week remark had created quite a controversy back in 2023. While some industry experts supported his ideology, many others had opposed it calling it regressive in the digital age.
Robin Sharma reacts to Narayana Murthy’s 70-hours-a-week remark
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