Unhappy Leave: The founder of a Chinese retail company has introduced “unhappy leave” days for employees to improve work-life balance. The founder and chairman, Pang Dong Lai, announced that employees can take 10 days of extra leave if they are not feeling happy.
The idea is that everyone has times when they are unhappy, so if you are not happy, you should not come to work. Employees are free to decide when to take these rest days, and management cannot deny them. Denying the leave would be a violation of the policy.
According to the company’s employment policy, employees only need to work seven hours a day and have weekends off. They are also entitled to 30 to 40 days of annual leave and five days off during the Lunar New Year. The founder stated, “We don’t want to be a big company. We want our employees to have a healthy and relaxed life, so the company will benefit from it too.”
The founder values freedom and love. In the past, the company introduced a job-level certification system. Regarding this system, Yu Donglai said, “Even a janitor can earn up to 500,000 yuan (US$70,000) a year if their professional skills reach a certain level.”
People on Chinese social media have praised the changes introduced by the company. One user on Weibo said, “This boss is great, and this company culture should be promoted across the country.”
Another person commented, “I want to work at Pang Dong Lai. I feel like I would be happier and more respected there.”
A 2021 survey on workplace anxiety in China found that more than 65% of employees feel tired and unhappy at work. Previously, Yu Donglai spoke out against the culture of Chinese bosses who push for long working hours. He said, “Making employees work overtime is wrong and takes away other people’s opportunities to grow.”
