If the Civil Service Commission (CSC) recently approved a 5-day Wellness Leave for government employees, allowing them paid time-off for their mental or physical health, a supermarket chain in China lets employees take up to 10 days off a year if they are simply not happy.
Located in the country’s Henan province, retail giant Pang Dong Lai took a rather bold step to implement a better work-life balance among its employees. Their founder and chairman, Yu Donglai, publicly announced that workers can avail of an “unhappy leave” – additional time-offs plus perks when they are “not at their mental or emotional best.”
The announcement came in line with China’s Supermarket Week, a six-day long conference aimed at promoting the country’s supermarket growth and development.
“If they are not happy, they needn’t come to work,” Donglai said, through the Economic Times, adding that employees “must determine their own ways of rest,” while the company should encourage unhappy leaves to boost employee morale and productivity.
Managers cannot deny these requests and doing so will be considered a violation.
Aside from the new policy, Pang Dong Lai also offers additional perks to its workforce, such as seven-hour shifts, up to 40 days annual leave, an additional five-day break for the Lunar New Year, and a certification program for entry-level employees to earn up to 500,000 yuan annually.
But while this may promote a healthier workplace and contrasts China’s “996” culture, a demanding schedule where employees work from 9am to 9pm, six days a week, Pang Dong Lai’s unhappy leave also raised some questions on how the company would handle if the majority of their workers decided to be “unhappy” at the same time.
