Fired for Napping at Work? Chinese Court Asks Company to Pay Man Rs 4 Crore Compensation!

The incident, which has sparked widespread discussion, highlights the balance between workplace discipline and employee rights.

A Chinese man, fired for taking a nap at his desk after working late, has won a massive compensation of 350,000 yuan (approximately Rs 4 crore) in a lawsuit against his former employer. The incident, which has sparked widespread discussion, highlights the balance between workplace discipline and employee rights.

The man, identified only as Zhang, had been a loyal employee of a chemical company in Taixing, Jiangsu province, for 20 years. According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Zhang’s dismissal followed an incident earlier this year where he was caught on surveillance cameras napping at his desk for about an hour. He had reportedly worked until midnight the previous day, leading to exhaustion.

Two weeks after the nap, the company’s Human Resources (HR) department acknowledged Zhang’s fatigue in an official report, which Zhang himself signed. Despite this, the company dismissed him, claiming his nap violated their strict “zero-tolerance policy” on workplace discipline.

The dismissal notice read: “Comrade Zhang, you joined the company in 2004 and signed an open-ended employment contract. However, your behaviour of sleeping on the job is a serious breach of the company’s zero-tolerance discipline policy. Consequently, with the union’s approval, the company has decided to terminate your employment, ending all labour relations between you and the company.”

Unwilling to accept what he considered unjust treatment, Zhang challenged the decision in court. The Taixing People’s Court sided with Zhang, ruling the dismissal as excessive and unreasonable. Judge Ju Qi, in her ruling, emphasized that while companies have the right to enforce rules, any termination must meet specific conditions, such as causing major losses to the employer.

The judge noted that Zhang’s nap was a first-time offence and did not result in significant harm to the company. She also highlighted Zhang’s impeccable 20-year record, which included multiple promotions and consistent performance.

“Sleeping on the job was not a repeated action, nor did it result in major losses for the company,” the judge stated. “Terminating a loyal employee with a spotless track record for such a minor infraction is unreasonable.”

The court ordered the company to compensate Zhang with 350,000 yuan for his unjust dismissal, a ruling that has sparked debate about workplace policies and employee rights.

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