Tag: cultural issues

In Chapter 10, “Human Resources, Job Design, and Work Measurement,” we discuss quality of life and work force motivation. But many of our OM students are not cognizant of the cultural differences in workforces outside the U.S. So let’s examine workers in our biggest competitor, China.

To understand work culture in China, start with a number: 996. It’s shorthand for the grueling schedule that has become the norm at many Chinese firms: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. The term originated in the technology sector 5 years ago, writes The New York Times (Aug. 2, 2021), when the country’s nascent internet companies were racing to compete with Silicon Valley. At first, workers were willing to trade their free time for overtime pay and the promise of helping China match the West.

The first major pushback to 996 came in 2019, as China’s economic growth slowed and tech workers began questioning their work conditions. Online protests followed, but the movement faded under government censorship. This year, 996 shot back into the news after two workers died at Pinduoduo, an e-commerce giant. Officials promised to investigate working conditions, although it’s not clear what has come of that. Since then, some companies have taken steps to improve work-life balance. Kuaishou, a video app, just ended a policy requiring its staff to work on weekends twice a month. Tencent began encouraging workers to go home at 6 p.m. — though only on Wednesdays.

Many are willing to endure the working conditions because of the competitiveness of the job market. The number of college graduates in China rose by 73% in the past decade, a stunning achievement for a country that had fewer than 3.5 million university students in 1997. As a result, more people are competing for a limited pool of white-collar jobs.

But it’s also clear that many are sick of the rat race. Some Gen Zers have turned to reading Mao Zedong’s writings on communism to rage against capitalist exploitation. An online craze this year called on young people to “tangping,” or “lie flat” — essentially, to opt out. Still, some in China’s working class dismiss the complaints as elite griping; after all, tech workers are highly paid and educated.