this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2025
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Global News

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China tries to call time on its ‘996’ culture of long hours (www.reuters.com)
submitted 2 weeks ago by Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org to c/globalnews@lemmy.zip
9 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/41500314

  • Despite being against the law, working 72-hour weeks still common
  • Aggressive performance targets, low wages, and desire for job security key factors
  • Recent drive to tackle '996' partly due to EU Forced Labour Regulation, which includes excessive overtime
  • Intense price wars in key industries also seen as factors

[...]

Many Chinese employees are expected to work a 72-hour week under the country’s gruelling “996” culture: 9am to 9pm, six days a week. The work style has been endorsed by some of China’s most successful entrepreneurs, including Alibaba’s founder, Jack Ma. But some critics have described it as labour exploitation, even modern slavery.

For the past few years, the Chinese government has attempted to stamp out “996”, including by outlawing it in 2021. That year, tech giants including TikTok parent company ByteDance and Tencent also tried to halt “996” after a 22-year-old woman at e-commerce firm Pingduoduo reportedly collapsed to her death on her way home from work past midnight.

But intense overtime has remained a common practice in China.

[...]

top 9 comments
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[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 22 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Meanwhile in the west, tech bosses are talking up 996 as an ideal to aspire to.

[–] BrikoX@lemmy.zip 13 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It's mostly US thing, not the whole west.

[–] FurryMemesAccount@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)
[–] Rothe@piefed.social 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Except for the "in the west" thing. This is a strictly Silicon Valley phenomenon, with the techbro oligarchs cashing in on the Trump presidency.

[–] FurryMemesAccount@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 2 weeks ago

I've seen it other places too, and in the valley before trump... Don't know how the prevalence evolved, though.

[–] Valon_Blue@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Oh wow. This is just batshit. No way in hell will I ever work for a company doing that. My mental health isn't great on 40 hours a week. I'd rather shoot myself.

[–] FurryMemesAccount@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Holy shit, you need to get mental healthcare, hun

[–] Valon_Blue@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

Oh I am, no worries on that front. I just have a very spicy brain and know that a 996 schedule would push me to my breaking point.

[–] Curious_Canid@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago

The only way to become a billionaire is to viciously exploit the work of other people. It may happen directly or it may be a few intermediate steps away in the supply chain, but it has to happen. The problem is that wannabe billionaires don't always have the resources to build a large enough workforce to generate the necessary exploitation. 996 solves the problem by raising the level of exploitation to achieve similar results with fewer people.

Meanwhile, a large-scale study in Europe, involving more than 70 companies, found that switching to a 32-hour work week improved their overall performance. Most of the companies in the study retained the new schedule after the study concluded.