Mr. Zeng, an electrical engineer, was hired by Chinese telecom giant huawei as a product manager in Shenzhen in 2012, after working for several other technology companies in the city of Guangdong, known as “China’s Silicon Valley.
The new job soon took over his personal life – he had no time for family, leisure or even sleep.
He says he lost interest in everything but work.
Mr. Zeng’s situation is not uncommon. The “996” work culture is prevalent in Shenzhen. Shenzhen is the center of technology and innovation in China, and is just across the river from Hong Kong.
“There’s no entertainment in life, it’s basically all work, and you’re in a very blind state,” Mr. Zeng said in an interview with ABC.
“Often overtime meetings are until 11 [p.m.].”
However, Shenzhen became the first city in China to require paid leave for workers in “special industries” on Jan. 1, under rules approved in October, so that those with “huge mental and physical workloads can avoid overworking.
Normally in China, employees who have worked for the same company for up to 10 years are entitled to five days of annual leave, but they also have 11 days of paid public holidays.
Under the new regulations, workers in industries that are not designated as such will be eligible for additional annual leave if they regularly work longer hours or are occasionally required to work overtime.
The regulation was drafted the same month that Communist Party President Xi Jinping called for another miracle in Shenzhen in a speech marking the 40th anniversary of the city’s special economic zone, which was a small fishing village 40 years ago before the city became China’s first special economic zone.
The topic has sparked a heated debate on social media, with many employees of China’s top tech companies expressing differing views on the new rule and how it will affect employees’ long and stressful working hours.
“Work 996, get sick ICU”
Jack Ma, co-founder of Alibaba Group, has said that working 12 hours a day for the company is a “blessing.” (Reuters: Valery Sharifulin/TASS)
The “996” work culture was originally proposed in 2019 mainly by a group of Chinese programmers who often worked 72-hour weeks in overtime at a technology center in Shenzhen.
The term “996” quickly went viral after receiving support from bosses at tech giants, including Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma, which sparked widespread debate about the impact of this work culture on employees’ health and personal lives.
“Work 996, get sick in ICU” is an Internet buzzword.
Zeng Meng said every Huawei employee was asked to sign a “struggler agreement” saying they “voluntarily accept overtime, do not want overtime pay and give up paid annual leave”.
The “struggler agreement” was seen by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and was widely reported in Chinese media.
“It’s become a glossy synonym for endless oppression and exploitation,” he said.
“You get that herd mentality because everyone signs it.”
“You can’t do your job at Huawei if you don’t sign.”
Mr. Zeng now lives in his hometown of Chongqing, awaiting the outcome of his lawsuit against Huawei. (Supplied)
As more companies in Shenzhen follow Huawei’s agreement, Mr. Zeng says it has brought benefits to the company at the expense of employees’ personal lives.
“If colleagues talk to each other, they generally feel that they are much grumpier,” Mr. Zeng said.
“Because it’s very urgent, you have people around you who keep coming to rush you, and you have to rush others.”
Jimmy Jin, a former employee at a Shenzhen tech company, told ABC that many people don’t want to challenge the system because they believe they will get better opportunities in return for their efforts.
“Work seeps into every aspect of your life,” said Jin, who is in her 20s.
“Life gets very boring, it’s just work, and then you go home at night and all you can do is work.”
“I even went to see a psychiatrist for a while and took medication just to regulate emotional problems.”
Why the new policy may not change the overtime culture
Experts say the 996 work culture violates China’s Labor Law in several ways, including extended working hours. (Reuters: Bobby Yip)
Aiden Chau, a researcher at the Hong Kong-based China Labour Bulletin, a publication that follows labor trends in China, told ABC that Shenzhen has been a testing ground for capitalist ideas in China, but it’s too early to say whether the new policy will solve the problem of overwork.
Mr. Chau said the new rules do not specify what these “special industries” are, so it may not apply to everyone in the city.
“At this point, it’s hard to say whether the 996 work culture is relevant to this draft.”
“[The regulation has]…a lot of wiggle room.”
Mr. Zhou said the 996 work culture violates China’s Labor Law in several ways, including extended working hours, overtime pay and fines for violating the rules.
But because of the economic benefits the system generates, Beijing has chosen to turn a blind eye to it, he said.
“The minimum working hours under the 996 work system is 72 hours [per week]. The standard working time in China is 40 hours [per week],” he said.
“So it’s basically the equivalent of skilled workers in China working an extra six months a year for their bosses who practice the 996 work system.”
“996” culture poses a systemic problem
Some people work “996” because they think they have to if they want to stay in the company, Mr. Zeng said. (Supplied)
Mr. Tseng also does not believe that the problem of overwork can be solved.
He explained his reasoning from his own personal experience, including how media scrutiny in China has helped cover up problems at companies like Huawei.
More than three years ago, Zeng Meng was fired by Huawei before his contract ended and he became ineligible to become a regular employee.
“My case is not an isolated one, and I know some colleagues who were thrown out of Huawei this way,” he said.
His overtime, annual leave and year-end bonus were not included in the severance he received, so he decided to sue Huawei.
Court documents seen by ABC show that the court ruled that Huawei must pay Zeng Meng 15,000 yuan (about A$3,000) in partial overtime pay. Huawei appealed the ruling, but was unsuccessful.
Eighteen months later, Zeng said he was surrounded by three Chinese police officers from Shenzhen while on vacation in Thailand, where he was having dinner with his father.
He was wanted for allegedly violating trade secrets, then he was extradited to China and arrested for 90 days, and he was unable to get a lawyer.
Zeng Meng said he refused to give in to police pressure, and his charges changed from violating trade secrets to fraud before he was released on bail in March 2019.
He tried to seek the help of Chinese media to tell his story, but he was repeatedly told it was impossible to publish “negative reports” about Huawei.
Mr. Zeng now lives in his hometown of Chongqing, awaiting the outcome of his lawsuit against Huawei.
He says many people in Shenzhen believe the “996” culture has become a systemic problem that violates employees’ rights, but “soaring housing prices” and “peer pressure” in the city leave them no choice.
“It’s ironic to say that Huawei had people asking the company to enforce 996,” he said.
“It would be a blessing if we could go home at 9 p.m., but we rarely make it home.”
ABC has reached out to Huawei and the Shenzhen government for comment. Mr. Zeng, an electrical engineer, was hired by Chinese telecom giant Huawei in 2012 as a product manager in Shenzhen after working for several other technology companies in the city, which is located in Guangdong province and is known as “China’s Silicon Valley.
The new job soon took over his personal life – he had no time for family, leisure or even sleep.
He says he lost interest in everything but work.
Mr. Zeng’s situation is not uncommon. The “996” work culture is prevalent in Shenzhen. Shenzhen is the center of technology and innovation in China, and is just across the river from Hong Kong.
“There’s no entertainment in life, it’s basically all work, and you’re in a very blind state,” Mr. Zeng said in an interview with ABC.
“Often overtime meetings are until 11 [p.m.].”
However, Shenzhen became the first city in China to require paid leave for workers in “special industries” on Jan. 1, under rules approved in October, so that those with “huge mental and physical workloads can avoid overworking.
Normally in China, employees who have worked for the same company for up to 10 years are entitled to five days of annual leave, but they also have 11 days of paid public holidays.
Under the new regulations, workers in industries that are not designated as such will be eligible for additional annual leave if they regularly work longer hours or are occasionally required to work overtime.
The regulation was drafted the same month that Communist Party President Xi Jinping called for another miracle in Shenzhen in a speech marking the 40th anniversary of the city’s special economic zone, which was a small fishing village 40 years ago before the city became China’s first special economic zone.
The topic has sparked a heated debate on social media, with many employees of China’s top tech companies expressing differing views on the new rule and how it will affect employees’ long and stressful working hours.
“Work 996, get sick ICU”
Jack Ma, co-founder of Alibaba Group, has said that working 12 hours a day for the company is a “blessing.” (Reuters: Valery Sharifulin/TASS)
The “996” work culture was originally proposed in 2019 mainly by a group of Chinese programmers who often worked 72-hour weeks in overtime at a technology center in Shenzhen.
The term “996” quickly went viral after receiving support from bosses at tech giants, including Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma, which sparked widespread debate about the impact of this work culture on employees’ health and personal lives.
“Work 996, get sick in ICU” is an Internet buzzword.
Zeng Meng said every Huawei employee was asked to sign a “struggler agreement” saying they “voluntarily accept overtime, do not want overtime pay and give up paid annual leave”.
The “struggler agreement” was seen by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and was widely reported in Chinese media.
“It’s become a glossy synonym for endless oppression and exploitation,” he said.
“You get that herd mentality because everyone signs it.”
“You can’t do your job at Huawei if you don’t sign.”
Mr. Zeng now lives in his hometown of Chongqing, awaiting the outcome of his lawsuit against Huawei. (Supplied)
As more companies in Shenzhen follow Huawei’s agreement, Mr. Zeng says it has brought benefits to the company at the expense of employees’ personal lives.
“If colleagues talk to each other, they generally feel that they are much grumpier,” Mr. Zeng said.
“Because it’s very urgent, you have people around you who keep coming to rush you, and you have to rush others.”
Jimmy Jin, a former employee at a Shenzhen tech company, told ABC that many people don’t want to challenge the system because they believe they will get better opportunities in return for their efforts.
“Work seeps into every aspect of your life,” said Jin, who is in her 20s.
“Life gets very boring, it’s just work, and then you go home at night and all you can do is work.”
“I even went to see a psychiatrist for a while and took medication just to regulate emotional problems.”
Why the new policy may not change the overtime culture
Experts say the 996 work culture violates China’s Labor Law in several ways, including extended working hours. (Reuters: Bobby Yip)
Aiden Chau, a researcher at the Hong Kong-based China Labour Bulletin, a publication that follows labor trends in China, told ABC that Shenzhen has been a testing ground for capitalist ideas in China, but it’s too early to say whether the new policy will solve the problem of overwork.
Mr. Chau said the new rules do not specify what these “special industries” are, so it may not apply to everyone in the city.
“At this point, it’s hard to say whether the 996 work culture is relevant to this draft.”
“[The regulation has]…a lot of wiggle room.”
Mr. Zhou said the 996 work culture violates China’s Labor Law in several ways, including extended working hours, overtime pay and fines for violating the rules.
But because of the economic benefits the system generates, Beijing has chosen to turn a blind eye to it, he said.
“The minimum working hours under the 996 work system is 72 hours [per week]. The standard working time in China is 40 hours [per week],” he said.
“So it’s basically the equivalent of skilled workers in China working an extra six months a year for their bosses who practice the 996 work system.”
“996” culture poses a systemic problem
Some people work “996” because they think they have to if they want to stay in the company, Mr. Zeng said. (Supplied)
Mr. Tseng also does not believe that the problem of overwork can be solved.
He explained his reasoning from his own personal experience, including how media scrutiny in China has helped cover up problems at companies like Huawei.
More than three years ago, Zeng Meng was fired by Huawei before his contract ended and he became ineligible to become a regular employee.
“My case is not an isolated one, and I know some colleagues who were thrown out of Huawei this way,” he said.
His overtime, annual leave and year-end bonus were not included in the severance he received, so he decided to sue Huawei.
Court documents seen by ABC show that the court ruled that Huawei must pay Zeng Meng 15,000 yuan (about A$3,000) in partial overtime pay. Huawei appealed the ruling, but was unsuccessful.
Eighteen months later, Zeng said he was surrounded by three Chinese police officers from Shenzhen while on vacation in Thailand, where he was having dinner with his father.
He was wanted for allegedly violating trade secrets, then he was extradited to China and arrested for 90 days, and he was unable to get a lawyer.
Zeng Meng said he refused to give in to police pressure, and his charges changed from violating trade secrets to fraud before he was released on bail in March 2019.
He tried to seek the help of Chinese media to tell his story, but he was repeatedly told it was impossible to publish “negative reports” about Huawei.
Mr. Zeng now lives in his hometown of Chongqing, awaiting the outcome of his lawsuit against Huawei.
He says many people in Shenzhen believe the “996” culture has become a systemic problem that violates employees’ rights, but “soaring housing prices” and “peer pressure” in the city leave them no choice.
“It’s ironic to say that Huawei had people asking the company to enforce 996,” he said.
“It would be a blessing if we could go home at 9 p.m., but we rarely make it home.”
ABC has reached out to Huawei and the Shenzhen government for comment.
Recent Comments