Profile | Meet Yu Donglai ‘silliest boss’ in China who puts staff happiness ahead of making money
- Supermarket chain boss is making waves by introducing ‘unhappy leave’, puts staff happiness at top of list of priorities
The boss of a supermarket chain in China has been dubbed the country’s “silliest boss” for putting staff happiness at the top of his list of priorities.
In March, Yu Donglai, the president of the Pang Dong Lai chain, announced that his company was going to offer its 7,000 employees 10-days of so-called unhappy leave, and let them freely decide when they want to rest.
“I want every staff member to have freedom. Everyone has times when they are not happy, so if you are not happy, do not come to work,” Yu said.
The special leave was given in addition to 30 days annual leave and five-day Spring Festival break, which is rare for a Chinese company.
Yu said he wanted his company to have a “European-like working environment”.
His move to cherish employees, give them high salaries and set up bonus schemes to comfort them if they are treated unfairly by customers has landed him the nickname “China’s silliest boss”.