A retail magnate in China has introduced “unhappy leaves” to help his employees have a better work-life balance. During China Supermarket Week 2024 in late March, Yu Donglai, the founder and chairman of Pang Dong Lai, a retail chain in central China’s Henan province, announced that employees can request 10 days of extra leave at their discretion.
The event is a six-day gathering to promote the development of the country’s supermarket sector. “I want every employee to have freedom. Everyone has times when they are unhappy, so if you are unhappy, you don’t come to work,” Yu said.
Yu wants employees to be able to choose their rest times and to be able to get enough relaxation outside of work. “This leave cannot be denied by management. Refusal is a violation,” he added.
The “unhappy leave” idea has gained a lot of support on social media in the mainland. “Such a good boss and this corporate culture should be promoted nationwide,” one person wrote on Weibo. “I want to transfer to Pang Dong Lai. I feel I would find happiness and respect there,” said another.
According to a 2021 survey on workplace anxiety in China, more than 65 per cent of workers feel tired and unhappy at work. Low wages, complex interpersonal relationships and overtime culture are reportedly the main causes of negative emotions in the mainland’s workplace. In March 2023, Yu gave a speech condemning the culture of Chinese bosses who advocate long working hours.
Yu further suggested that forcing employees to work overtime is unethical and expropriation of others’ growth opportunities. Yu’s employment policy requires employees to work only seven hours a day, have weekends off, and are entitled to 30 to 40 days of annual leave and five days off during the Lunar New Year.
Pang Dong Lai’s philosophy is “freedom and love”. Looking to the future of his company, Yu said, “We don’t want to be big. We want our employees to live healthy and relaxed lives so that the company can do so too.”
The average monthly salary of the company’s employees is 7,000 yuan (Rs 80,878). In comparison, the average salary of retail employees in China was 3,566 yuan (Rs 41,087) in 2019, according to Chinese retail news service linkshop.com. This year, Pang Dong Lai also introduced a certification system for each profession.
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