Chinese company allots time slots for employees for using toilet, faces backlash

The company came up with this policy on February 11, and asserted that this new rule would help in maintaining order, enhance efficiency, and correct workplace attitudes.

A new controversy all the way from China has made headlines wherein a company in southern China has told its employees that they can use the toilet only during specific time slots, South China Morning Post reported.

The company named Three Brothers Machine Manufacturing Company, said that this policy aligns with the ancient Chinese medicine text.

They came up with this policy on February 11, and asserted that this new rule would help in maintaining order, enhance efficiency, and correct workplace attitudes.

As per the new company policy, the employees can use the toilet before 8am, then again between 10:30am to 10:40am, followed by 12 noon and 1:30pm, 3:30pm to 3:40pm, and from 5:30pm to 6pm only.

However, if any employee wishes to use the toilet apart from the mentioned time period, they will be allowed to use it for only two minutes. Bans have been imposed on the use of toilets in the morning and afternoon, beyond certain times, and that would include the overtime shifts as well.

The publication quoting another Chinese media stated that the company said that the guidelines were made keeping the health of the employees in mind, and that the rules were made in reference to the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon, or Huang Di Nei Jing, an ancient Chinese medical text.

This particular text is recognised as the most significant and earliest written work in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which was compiled over 2,000 years ago, also known as the "origin of medicine" in China.

Now coming to employees with “special physical conditions” who need to access the toilets beyond the specified time periods, need to get HR department approvals. Moreover they would have to face deductions from their salary for the extra time spent in the bathrooms.

The employees would be under camera surveillance, and those who violate the new rule, would have to face a penalty of 100 yuan.

The rule was initially put to test until the end of February, and would be finally implemented March 1 onwards.

The publication further added that an employee, who did not wish his identity to be disclosed, confirmed the validity of the new policy.

A lawyer from Guangdong Yiyue Law Firm, Chen Shixing, said that the rule contravenes labour laws by jeopardising employees’ health, the publication further added.

The labour law states that changes related to salary of employees, working hours, holidays, rest periods or even safety protocols should be discussed with the employees, and they or their representatives must mutually agree to it.

The workers have the right to criticise, report any mandates that threaten their safety or well-being, the publication added quoting the lawyer.

The lawyer further added that workers have the right to criticise, report any mandates that threaten their safety or well-being.

The company has been facing tremendous backlash since the news broke out. Thus, on February 13, they decided to revoke the decision owing to the objections from its workers, the publication quoting a Chinese media said.