China at odds over demands for long work hours

CHINESE e-commerce tycoon Jack Ma has long been an example of how the power of big dreams, strong leadership and sheer elbow grease can create fortunes in China’s go-go economy.

Yet recent remarks by the head of Chinese online business giant Alibaba that young people should be prepared to work 12-hour days, six days a week have prompted a public debate over work-life balance in the country.

Mr Ma is one of China’s richest men and his comments brought condemnation and support as China’s more mature economy enters a period of slower growth — and young people look to escape the drudgery their parents often had to endure. Even the People’s Daily, the ruling Communist Party’s mouthpiece, issued an editorial last week, saying mandatory overtime reflects managerial arrogance and was also “impractical and unfair” to workers. Online complaints included blaming long work hours for a lower birthrate.

“Companies’ anxiety is understandable, but the way to alleviate anxiety is not making employees work overtime as much as possible,” the People’s Daily said.

The debate has exposed contradictions in modern Chinese society, where the Communist Party was officially founded on improving conditions for workers and peasants but also calls for sacrifices to build a powerful, prosperous nation.

Mr Ma, 54 and with a fortune estimated about $40 billion, has responded to the criticism by saying work should be a joy and also include time for study, reflection and self-improvement.

“Real ‘996’ is not simply working overtime,” he posted on his Weibo microblog last week, referring to the concept of working from 9am-9pm, six days out of the week. “It’s not tedious physical work and not related to exploitation.”

Attitudes toward lengthy work hours were changing as Chinese incomes rose and employees had more options for entertainment and relaxation, said Han Jun of Beijing’s School of Labour and Human Resources at Renmin University.

“Employees want to enjoy their leisure time more and are less willing to work long hours,” Professor Han said. As Chinese industry developed, companies needed more than hard work and firms that pressured employees to work too many hours might be hurting themselves, he said.

“The need for skills and creativity is getting higher,” he said. “Asking employees to work too long will cause work quality and employee efficiency to decline.”