{"id":8750,"date":"2021-10-22T08:00:31","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T08:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=8750"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:49:21","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T09:49:21","slug":"what-does-the-recent-ban-on-996-mean-for-chinas-future-work-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/what-does-the-recent-ban-on-996-mean-for-chinas-future-work-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"What does China’s ban on the ‘996’ work culture mean for companies?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The term \u2018996\u2019 describes the notoriously gruelling work schedule in which many young workers in some of China\u2019s biggest companies work 9am to 9pm, six days a week.\u00a0 <\/span>It has even been embraced by CEOs such as Jack Ma (founder of Alibaba) who said, \u201cworking 996 is a huge bliss.\u201d But can it really continue given China’s commitment to common prosperity and higher birth rates? Writes Juliette Pitt<\/span><\/h2>\n

Even though companies do not officially enforce a 996 schedule, many employees are required to work longer hours and are not always compensated. Under official Chinese law, employees can work a maximum 44-hour workweek and any work beyond that requires extra pay for overtime. But this has not been well enforced.<\/span><\/p>\n

Employees are often encouraged or required to put in unpaid hours to show their commitment to their jobs and loyalty to the company. In turn, the companies further entice employees to work this schedule by offering facilities such as nap rooms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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While young people could simply switch jobs, the job market is tough. Together with the impact of Covid-19, companies have had to lay off employees and freeze new hires, leaving the remaining workers to shoulder a larger share of the workload. Moreover, many employees are attracted to these brutal job conditions due to higher salaries and increased economic opportunities. As Guilherme Campos, International Business Advisory Manager at Dezan Shira & Associates<\/a>, comments, \u201cAs long as Chinese society and culture puts some emphasis on material goals that are incompatible with normal middle-class salaries and as long as the cost of living continues to rise, people will always force themselves to go the extra mile and overwork.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, the public anger shown by some netizens over the impact of these harsh schedules has increased. Earlier this year two employees at the e-commerce platform Pinduoduo<\/a> died from mental and physical exhaustion and since then, along with similar cases, the government authorities have taken a firm stand.<\/span><\/p>\n