ByteDance and Meituan agree to give staff a day off on Lunar New Year’s Eve after public backlash over official holidays
- Beijing-based ByteDance, which owns TikTok, was among the first Chinese technology firms to respond to public demand for a day off
- Move may also soften the image of Chinese Big Tech firms, which have been trying to shrug off negative portrayals of a 996 work culture
Chinese Big Tech firms, including ByteDance and Meituan, will give employees a day off on Lunar New Year’s Eve in 2024 in a fresh sign that the industry is moving to address its reputation for punishing work schedules.
China’s official public holidays for 2024 do not include Lunar New Year’s Eve – traditionally the most important day for Chinese families to get together over the period – and this sparked anger among many Chinese netizens.
Beijing-based ByteDance, which owns TikTok, was among the first Chinese technology firms to respond to public demand by agreeing to give staff a day off on Lunar New Year’s Eve, which falls on February 9 in 2024, according to local media reports citing employees who said an internal announcement was made on October 30. One employee also confirmed the arrangement to the Post on Monday.
ByteDance did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, online food delivery and services giant Meituan will also give employees paid leave on February 9, according to a report by the Paper, which is backed by state-run Shanghai United Media Group. Meituan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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The move may go some way to assuage the concerns of many white collar workers, who complained online that they may not be able to return home in time for the holiday after last month’s decision by the State Council to exclude Lunar New Year’s Eve as an official holiday during the 2024 Spring Festival schedule.
It may also soften the image of Chinese Big Tech firms, which have been trying to shrug off negative portrayals of a 996 work culture, which means working from 9am to 9pm, six days a week.
The long work hours at China’s internet firms have been cited by some Chinese media as a sign of rampant capitalism, and used to shore up support for Beijing’s efforts to “curb the irrational expansion of capital” and rein back the tech sector in recent years.
ByteDance and Meituan’s group buying unit once operated a “big-small week”, whereby employees were required to work six days a week, every other week. This was cancelled in 2021 at the height of the country’s regulatory crackdown.
China’s once high-flying tech sector was hit hard by the crackdown, as well as the country’s uneven economic recovery from three years of tough Covid lockdowns. Many companies have streamlined their operations, resulting in lay-offs and restructuring in recent quarters.
However, the sector has shown signs of recovery in recent months amid renewed support from Beijing for an industry crucial to future digital economic growth in the country.
