“UNHAPPY LEAVE” FOR WORK-LIFE BALANCE

A company in China has recently introduced 10 days of “unhappy leave” for its employees to promote work-life balance. Staff can take “unhappy days” when they want, in addition to normal sick and holiday leave entitlements.

“I want every staff member to have freedom. Everyone has times when they’re not happy, so if you’re not happy, do not come to work,” said Yu Donglai, the founder of Pang Dong Lai, a regional Chinese supermarket chain.

As well as weekends off and 30 to 40 days of annual leave, employees are also entitled to a further 5 days off during the Lunar New Year.⁠

Yu said: ‘We do not want to be big. We want our employees to have a healthy and relaxed life, so that the company will too. Freedom and love are very important.”

More than 65% of employees feel tired and unhappy at work, according to a 2021 survey on workplace anxiety in China. Low wages, complex interpersonal relationships and overtime culture are reportedly the main sources of negative emotions in the workplace there, according to South China Morning Post.