To encourage her child to quit her 15 hours per day job, a mother in China recently offered her daughter 10,000 yuan (S$1,900).
In a viral Weibo video, the daughter, who reportedly goes by Zou, revealed her mother’s heartfelt plea for her to prioritise her health over working such long hours.
The original Weibo post appears to have been taken down.
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), Zou shared that her mother had recently paid her a visit in Chongqing, where she was currently living.
It was during this visit that she confided in her mother about her struggles.
Every day without fail, Zou would endure shifts from 8am to 11pm. She also did not enjoy any holidays.
However, she did not toil that many hours on her own accord.
In fact, Zou had been considering quitting her job for a long time, but hasn’t done so as her company still owed her a 10,000 yuan salary.
Upon learning of Zou’s predicament, her mother sought to alleviate her concern by transferring her the exact amount of 10,000 yuan the following morning.
Particularly, her mother emphasised that Zou’s health takes utmost precedence, and urged Zou to resign at the soonest.
Zou’s mother also shared how both she and her husband felt that Zou should take the time to wind down.
They also did not impose any pressure on their daughter, and believe that she could search for other jobs in future.
Thereafter, her mother reassured Zou that she did “not need to worry about this as long as [she was] alive”.
Zou is but one of many individuals grappling with the overworking culture in China.
China is especially known for its 996 working culture, where employees work six days per week, and for 12 hours from 9am to 9pm.
Source: Bloomberg
In response to the overworking phenomenon, authorities in China intervened in 2021, warning companies that these 12-hour shifts are illegal.
The country’s labour laws state that a standard work day is eight hours long.
Notably, authorities called attention to the rights that workers held, such as “corresponding compensation and rest times or holidays”.
Moreover, the tang ping or lying flat movement has gained traction in recent years, which sees more young individuals in China opting out of the hustle culture.
Instead, they prefer to lead a more restful life.
Source: BBC News
Despite these shifts however, it seems that overworking still lingers in the Chinese society.
Many individuals have been said to still tolerate long work hours and a toxic work culture to earn more money.
This, in turn, alleviates the financial pressure in other aspects of their lives such as education, housing, and marriage.
Also read: Thai Man Dies At Office Desk Allegedly From Overwork, Family May Get Compensation
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Featured image adapted from Freepik for illustration purposes only.
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