Overtime 160 hours a month? ...As soon as we follow the example of the company, we're bombarded with criticism
Aug 21, 2025
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One employee was found to have worked nearly 160 hours of overtime a month.
According to Hong Kong media South China Morning Post, a sports equipment sales company in Shanghai, China, compiled its employees' July overtime performance and recently disclosed the top 15 people, expressing gratitude, saying, `Exemplary employees who have shown voluntary dedication and responsible attitude.'
According to the released data, the first-ranked employee worked a total of 159.96 hours of overtime during the month, and the average time to leave work was 11:12 p.m. The 15th-ranked employee also recorded 68.41 hours of overtime, and the average time to get off work was 7:56 p.m.
The company has about 100 employees, most of whom have been born since 1990. Official recruitment information states that working hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The company also encouraged "Let's emulate their love and commitment to their jobs."
"Operation teams often work overtime voluntarily because they have more workload than other departments," an official said. "If you work overtime under the company's instructions, you will be paid, but there will be no allowance for voluntary work."
When the news broke, online criticism poured in.
Netizens criticized "How did you work so long in a day and survive","It's not voluntary overtime, it's just a choice for survival","Voluntaryness is meaningless in the reality that if you refuse to work overtime, an alternative manpower comes in immediately".
According to Chinese labor law, overtime per day generally cannot exceed 1 hour, and even in special cases, it should not exceed a maximum of 3 hours per day and 36 hours per month cumulatively. An expert pointed out that "the company's case appears to have significantly exceeded its legal standards."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
