Chinese workers freed from Big Brother style monitoring after public stink
- Company bows to pressure one day after its policy of using smart bracelets to keep track of idle workers is revealed
- Cleaners will no longer be sent alerts if they don’t move enough on the job
A company in eastern China which used smart bracelets to monitor its sanitation workers while they were on the job has dumped the policy after a public outcry.
Nanjing West River Environmental Services in Jiangsu province started requiring some of its workers to wear the smart bracelets in March.
The devices sent out alerts saying “please continue working, add oil!” if there was no movement from the wearer for more than 20 minutes.
The phrase “add oil” is a popular Chinese expression with multiple meanings including “keep going”, “work harder” and even “good luck”. It was added to the Oxford English dictionary last year.
After initially defending the smart bracelet programme as a way to reduce management costs, the company’s vice-president Zhang Dongzhong told Beijing Youth Daily the function was removed on April 4, a day after the policy was made public.
“This [programme] has greatly improved the efficiency of the city’s sanitation,” Zhang said.