Sick Chinese worker requesting time off criticised for being weak, needing psychiatric help
Even though she had a fever and needed time off, she chose to stay and work, but still faced criticism, punitive measures
A human resources supervisor in southeastern China triggered widespread public outrage and initiated a government investigation after verbally insulting an employee who requested sick leave for a fever, labelling her “too weak” and suggesting she seek psychiatric help.
The controversy gained public attention on June 5, when a female employee – whose identity remains undisclosed – shared on social media that she had been verbally abused by her employer after asking for sick leave due to a fever.
The company, Vision Entertainment, founded in 2018 and based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, operates as a multichannel network service provider in the live-streaming e-commerce industry.
According to her post, she developed a fever of 37.9 degrees Celsius and asked her human resources supervisor, surnamed Huang, for just one hour of sick leave.
Instead of receiving understanding or support, she reported being subjected to nearly two hours of verbal abuse.