The Chinese government is trying to improve working conditions for employees, especially in technology companies, by cracking down on the 996 work system. But some employees in China have welcomed this policy coldly.
The 996 work system requires employees to work from 9 am to 9 pm for 6 days. This work system is supported by several technology leaders such as Alibaba founder Jack Ma and JD.com boss Richard Liu.
Employees of technology companies in China rely on this work system in order to get paid overtime, especially on weekends and holidays because the amount can be 2-3 times the salary. Therefore, they are not happy to see the Chinese government and companies reduce overtime hours.
Like some employees of TikTok's parent, ByteDance, who said they were surprised to see their salaries in August fall 17%. ByteDance itself recently removed the policy of working six days every second week.
"My workload has not changed. But unfortunately the salary has become lower," said a manager at ByteDance who asked not to be named, as quoted by Reuters on Sunday (5/9/2021).
ByteDance declined to comment on the news of the pay cut, which had gone viral on Chinese social media. Another source from the company said ByteDance employees still get paid overtime when working on weekends if they have to meet deadlines.
One of the most talked about topics on social media Weibo is whether the company will raise employee salaries because it has cut their overtime pay. This topic has been viewed more than 120 million times.
"After receiving my salary this month, I wanted to know - are there any other companies still implementing 996 in Shanghai?" asked a ByteDance employee on Weibo.
Employees of Chinese technology companies began to oppose the 996 work system about two years ago. The move was welcomed by the government, and last month a Chinese court called the 996 work system illegal.
Tech companies in China are starting to change their policies. Like competitor platforms TikTok, Kuaishou, and food delivery company Meituan, which cut mandatory overtime hours every weekend.
The Chinese government also requires companies to provide more rest time, especially for drivers in the food delivery sector who are often forced to deliver food on tight deadlines without thinking about their safety.
Meituan has implemented a new rest system for its drivers. The city of Xiamen in southern China also requires companies to give delivery drivers a 20-minute break every four hours. But this policy was even protested by Chinese netizens.
"Wouldn't this limit their income?" asked a Chinese netizen on Weibo, referring to the income drivers get from each order.
"This will only cause more trouble, won't they drive faster to deliver the order?" another netizen said.
