BEIJING: A recent video showing employees lying flat on the office floor to welcome a company boss has gone viral on mainland social media, highlighting the toxic workplace rituals prevalent in some companies in mainland China.

The clip, shared by a netizen, features about 20 employees at an education institution in the southern city of Guangzhou, lying face down along a corridor and chanting slogans to welcome their boss during an inspection.

The employees were seen looking up and shouting enthusiastically: “Qiming branch welcomes Boss Huang! Qiming branch, whether in life or death, we will not fail our work mission.”

On Dec 2, Liu, the company’s legal representative, denied the incident, asserting that Huang had never participated in such a welcoming ceremony.

“This video has caused lasting negative effects on the company. The content may have been edited or fabricated,” he stated.

Liu further explained that the founding team of the institution ceased operations at the end of 2020, and he is now preparing to dissolve the company.

As of this writing, the local government is investigating both the company’s policies and the authenticity of the video.

The incident quickly gained attention on Weibo, amassing 8 million views.

One online observer commented: “Such company policies trample on the dignity of employees.”

Another user noted: “The incident is still under investigation, so we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. However, it does highlight some toxic workplace cultures, such as kneeling to welcome leaders or being coerced into drinking with them.”

Reports of bizarre company regulations have surfaced across China.

In October last year, an anonymous employee in Guangzhou revealed a “keep fit policy” on social media, claiming her company required employees to walk 180,000 steps per month, imposing a small fine of less than one yuan for each step missed.

She stated that she could only manage about 2,500 steps a day, taking the subway directly to and from work, resulting in over 100 yuan (US$14) deducted from her salary that month.

To avoid additional fines, she had to take longer routes home, significantly inconveniencing her daily life.

In April 2021, the mainland digital news portal The Paper reported that a property management company in Henan province enforced strict weight and body shape controls for its employees.

The company mandated that staff maintain a weight within 10 per cent of a so-called “standard weight,” calculated by subtracting 105 from their height, without any scientific basis.

A male employee, Wang, shared that he needed to lose 25kg to meet the company’s standard.

“Because of my weight, my salary is deducted by 500 yuan (US$70) each month. Over two years, I have lost more than 10,000 yuan,” he revealed.

Moreover, in July 2020, seven employees at a financial company in Chengdu, southwest China, were punished for poor performance by being forced to consume two bags of “death chilli sticks,” an extremely spicy gluten snack.

Two women were hospitalised after eating, suffering from stomach pain and fainting.

In China, imposing rules on employees’ personal lives constitutes a violation of labour rights.

Under Chinese law, if a company enacts unreasonable rituals or regulations that infringe on personal rights, it may face warnings from authorities and be required to compensate employees for financial losses. - South China Morning Post