Outrage after China firm fires woman for refusing to buy breakfast for boss, results in reinstatement

A Chinese firm faced backlash after firing a woman for not buying breakfast for her boss, but quickly reinstated her. - Illustrative photos: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

BEIJING: A woman in Shanghai was briefly fired after she refused to purchase breakfast for her boss, igniting outrage across mainland social media.

In response to the public backlash, the company reinstated the employee and terminated her supervisor.

The woman, identified by her surname Lou, was a new hire at an educational institution and shared her experience on Xiaohongshu.

Lou recounted that her supervisor, a woman surnamed Liu, demanded that she bring her a “hot Americano and an egg” each morning. Additionally, Lou mentioned that her boss insisted on having a bottle of water readily available for her to drink.

When Lou addressed these unreasonable demands in a work chat group, she was reprimanded by a group administrator. Subsequently, she was fired by the human resources department and informed that she would not receive any compensation.

Lou sought reimbursement from Liu and expressed that the entire ordeal left her feeling “helpless and absurd”.

Once the incident garnered public attention, it drew widespread condemnation.

One commenter noted: “This boss treated her subordinate like a free assistant, which is unethical and constitutes bullying.”

Another remarked: “Lou displayed significant bravery by exposing her boss’s misconduct.”

On September 12, the company released a statement announcing that Lou’s supervisor had been fired for abusing her authority and coercing subordinates into assisting her with personal matters.

Meanwhile, Lou regained her position and resumed her regular duties, though it remained uncertain whether she would receive any compensation.

Wang, the head of HR for the company, told mainland media outlet Dafeng News that Lou’s termination was solely Liu’s decision and did not align with company policy.

However, the HR department initially took the action to fire Lou.

Lou’s experience has also heightened awareness of workplace bullying in China, with related discussions attracting over 2 million views on Weibo.

A 2020 survey conducted by Zhilian Zhaopin, a mainland recruiting company, revealed that 64 per cent of respondents in China had experienced workplace bullying. Common forms of bullying included being coerced into completing unreasonable tasks, enduring verbal abuse, and facing sexual harassment.

Over half of those who experienced bullying chose to resign, while 6 per cent turned to social media to bring the issue to light.

Chinese law does not clearly delineate workplace bullying, and penalties vary from case to case.

He Bo, a lawyer at Sichuan Hongqi Law Firm, explained to the Post: “For instance, forcing employees to work overtime violates labour laws, and sexual harassment can result in administrative or criminal liability for the offenders.”

“In combating workplace bullying, employees should gather evidence such as screenshots, audio recordings, and videos to protect themselves,” he advised.

He added that employees are not required to execute tasks unrelated to their job duties and have the right to refuse unreasonable work requests. Seeking legal counsel may be advisable if necessary. - South China Morning Post