JD.com, Bilibili trigger outcry after dismissals rebranded as ‘graduations’ amid wave of job cuts
- While it is common for large firms to describe lay-offs as business ‘optimisation’, the term ‘graduation’ in pink slips handed out by JD.com and Bilibili has stirred anger
- The controversy has erupted at a time when job security in the workplace is in doubt due to widespread job cuts or headcount freezes in China’s tech industry
“Sorry, you are terminated” has been replaced by “congratulations, you graduated” in dismissal notices issued by some Chinese technology companies, sparking controversy amid ongoing job cuts in the sector.
While it is common practice among large companies to describe lay-offs as business “optimisation”, the use of the term “graduation” in pink slips handed out by e-commerce giant JD.com and video website Bilibili has stirred anger after some fired employees published their dismissal notices on social media.
The controversy has erupted at a time when job security in the workplace is in doubt due to widespread job cuts or headcount freezes in China’s tech industry, although few Chinese tech firms refer to large scale job cuts as lay-offs because that often invites the intervention of labour authorities and is seen as a sign of market weakness.
A termination letter sent to dismissed JD.com employees offered “congratulations on your successful graduation” from the company, and provided details on how to handle social security issues, employment records and other personnel matters. Bilibili’s dismissal letter was titled “graduation day”, and provided instructions on similar human resources issues.
The authenticity of the letters was confirmed by current and former employees of the companies, but they said the phrases were default content that applied to everyone who left, including those who resigned voluntarily.
Referring to work colleagues as “school mates” is part of the culture at many Chinese tech firms, including TikTok owner ByteDance, to reflect a flatter organisation with fewer levels of middle management between staff and senior executives.
JD.com and Bilibili did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lay-offs at JD.com were mainly at its group-buying business Jingxi, which competed with budget e-commerce site Pinduoduo in lower-tier cities. Jingxi is expected to let go of 10 to 15 per cent of its employees, equal to about 400 to 600 people, according to local media 36Kr.
