Company in China allegedly forces staff to swallow fire as team-building activity
An employee of a company in Dalian, China recently took to social media claiming that she and her fellow employees were forced to swallow fire during a team-building activity.
Video courtesy of China Observer on YouTube. For illustration purposes only.
Xiaoxiang Morning News contacted the employee, who goes by the name Rongrong and has been working for less than a year at the company.
According to her, the company, which provides online education, organised a two-day team-building training in early December joined by 60 people. The company reportedly hired another company that specialises in team-building events.
Image courtesy of China Observer on YouTube. For illustration purposes only.
However, she did not disclose the name of the company, fearing retaliation.
She was also unable to take any pictures of the incident as her cell phone had been taken away at the time.
Employee initially did not want to participate
On the first day, the employees were divided into six groups to get to know each other and perform, Rongrong told the Chinese news outlet.
However, the next morning, they were asked to light cotton swabs and put them in their mouth, essentially making them swallow fire.
Video courtesy of China Observer on YouTube. For illustration purposes only.
Rongrong shared that most employees completed the fire-eating activity as required, but a few did not.
She said that she did not want to participate, but claimed that the company forced everyone to do so.
“If it’s not so difficult to find a job, I would have resigned at once,” Rongrong expressed.
Practice potentially illegal under Chinese law
According to the report, fire-swallowing has become part of some training companies’ team-building events.
They believe that this helps employees overcome psychological fears, increase self-confidence, and face harsh challenges.
Rongrong’s viral post encouraged other netizens to post videos of their fire-swallowing team-building events, CTWANT reported.
Image courtesy of NetEase. For illustration purposes only.
However, a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report said that under Chinese law, companies can face warnings and be ordered to pay damages for forcing practices that violate their employees’ rights.
A lawyer named Chen Pingfan also urged employees to take legal action against these workplace practices and expose their companies to the media.
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Featured image adapted from China Observer on YouTube. For illustration purposes only.
