Lifestyle
China's work culture is in a state of flux
By Wen Qing  ·  2022-06-13  ·   Source: NO.24 JUNE 16, 2022
Tesla electric vehicles are loaded for transport at Nan'gang Port in Shanghai on May 11. This is the first batch of electric vehicles shipped from Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory after production resumed on April 19 following the city's recovery from recent outbreaks of the COVID-19 Omicron variant (XINHUA)
A woman walks past a billboard advertisement for Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok and ByteDance's most well-known product, during the Eighth International E-Business Expo China, which opened in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on October 17, 2021 (VCG)

'Some hate humanity, but I love humanity so much," Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and prospective Twitter buyer, tweeted on June 5. However, in their responses, his Twitter followers appeared to care less about his feelings toward humanity and more about his treatment of his employees. For example, one of his follower's comments, "What if humanity wants to unionize or work from home?" got nearly 9,000 likes.

The comments were sparked by a leaked e-mail regarding the possibility of Tesla employees working from home, in which Musk told staff that anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla. When asked for his comments on the leaked e-mail, Musk's response was that employees should return to the office or "pretend to work somewhere else." While taking a shot at American workers, Musk praised Chinese employees for their hard work and diligence during the Shanghai lockdown in recent months.

Working at the office or working from home, which one is more productive and preferred? Musk's comments have triggered thoughts on the question.

Where to work?

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, working remotely has become the new normal for many companies as a way to reduce virus transmission, and many people seemed to become gradually used to this model. Musk's leaked e-mail appeared directed at Tesla's white-collar workers in all countries. Therefore, it's no surprise that his stance was met with widespread criticism and discontent.

"In Germany, an employer cannot dictate the rules just as he likes," said Birgit Dietze, a regional executive with IG Metall, in a statement. IG Metall is Germany's largest trade union which represents autoworkers in the country, where Tesla launched its first European manufacturing plant in March. "A worker can rely on the strength and power of their union if they do not want to accept the demands of the company," she added.

According to Scott Galloway, a professor of marketing at New York University, Musk's requirement is "a cultural societal statement attempt to reduce his severance payment," as he has reportedly decided to lay off 10 percent of Tesla's staff and freeze hiring worldwide due to the pessimistic outlook on the U.S. economy.

But on the specific issue of working at home or at the office, the debate has never stopped. Theoretically speaking, working remotely will save time and money on commuting and be good for work-life balance. But reality is far less rosy than imagination.

For Hou Ya'nan, a 32-year old advertising agency employee living in Beijing, working at home is exhausting and unproductive. "Normally I feel a sense of tension at the office, which prompts me to focus on my work and get it done efficiently. Moreover, face-to-face communication with colleagues allows urgent problems to be discussed and fixed quickly. But at home, I was easily distracted by my child or household chores, and sometimes had to wait a long time for my coworker's response as they might be distracted by other things, too," Hou explained to Beijing Review. Due to recent outbreaks of the Omicron variant in Beijing, she has been working from home more than a month at the time of writing and hopes to return to the office as soon as possible.

Many people appear to share Hou's feelings. On Zhihu, a Chinese version of Quora, the question "Why working from home makes people more exhausted than working at the office" has been viewed over 950,000 times.

Nie Jing is an intellectual property professional in Beijing who has worked from home for nearly two months. She says she missed working at the office, but now she prefers to work from home. "I will continue to work from home if it's allowed and if my salary doesn't get slashed," she told Beijing Review.

According to a 2020 survey by Gallup, an American analytics and advisory company, employee performance and engagement climbs when employees spend some time working remotely and some time working at a location with their coworkers. Weekly face time with coworkers and managers seems to affect engagement: Optimal engagement occurs when employees spend 60 percent to 80 percent of their time working off-site—or three to four days in a five-day workweek.

Hybrid work models, which have been adopted by technology giants like Apple and Twitter, might be a future trend. But at the end of the day, what kind of workplace model companies adopt will probably be a contest between business leaders and employees.

Chinese enterprise culture

During an interview with the Financial Times in May, Musk said "in America, people are trying to avoid going to work at all." While blasting the poor work ethic of Americans, this billionaire praised their Chinese counterparts who stayed at the factory "burning the 3 a.m. oil" during the lockdown in Shanghai. Despite reports of 10-percent layoffs worldwide, Tesla China is still actively engaged in large-scale recruitment.

Tesla's Shanghai plant was reported to have adopted the "closed-loop" system at the end of April, which means workers live inside the factory and work 12-hour shifts, six days in a row, on par with the "996" culture—a nickname given to the extreme work culture of some Chinese technology giants, many of whose employees work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week.

This work model was praised not only by Musk, but also by Chinese billionaires such as Alibaba's Jack Ma, who called the 996 mode a "huge blessing" as it is "key" to achieving success in China's tech industry.

However, more and more Chinese young people are saying no to the 996 work culture, and tang ping, or "lying flat" has become a buzzword among them. Rather than toiling in the 996 system, some young people claim that they will "lie down," lowering their desire for consumption and shying away from fierce career competition.

Hou lived the 996 lifestyle for three years at the beginning of her career and concluded the 996 culture was unacceptable for her, even if it did earn her a good salary. "Working 996 feels like selling yourself to the company. People have no time with family, no time for hobbies, and even have to sacrifice their health and normal life. It's totally unacceptable for me," she said.

Dong Mingzhu, Chairperson of major Chinese appliance manufacturer Gree and a deputy to the National People's Congress, suggested that more attention should go to issues around overwork in China and public litigation of the 996 culture.

Amid a tide of criticism, Chinese tech giants have adopted new policies against overwork. Tech giant ByteDance abolished the "small and big week" policy from August 1, 2021, which had mandated a six-day work week every other week. In November of 2021, ByteDance asked employees to start following a "1075" schedule, which means working from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., five days per week.

"It's a dilemma. Eliminating 996 is a move to protect labor rights, but it will unavoidably affect productivity. If this is the case, how are we supposed to attract foreign investment like that from Tesla to create more jobs in China?" Hou said. 

Printed edition title: Harder or Smarter?

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

Comments to wenqing@cicgamericas.com

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