'If you're not happy, don't come to work', says China boss
China's retail tycoon Yu Donglai understands that there are days when his workers are simply not in top spirits and they should not have to work on those days.
"Everyone has times when they’re not happy, so if you’re not happy, do not come to work,” South China Morning Post reported him as saying at China Supermarket Week in end-March.
Mr Yu, who is the founder and chairman of Henan province's retail chain Pang Dong Lai, announced that his employees would be eligible for 10 days of additional leave days they could consume at their own discretion.
“This leave cannot be denied by management. Denial is a violation,” said Mr Yu.
“I want every staff member to have freedom. We want our employees to have a healthy and relaxed life, so that the company will, too."
I survey in 2021 found that more than 65 per cent of employees in China felt tired and unhappy at work.
Mr Yu, in condemning the culture of Chinese bosses advocating for long working hours last year, said: “Making staff work overtime is unethical and an expropriation of other people’s opportunities for growth."
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