A company in China has introduced an innovative new policy to ensure employees achieve a better work-life balance – but should businesses in the UK adopt it?
Yu Donglai, founder and chairman of retail chain Pang Dong Lai, has introduced an “unhappiness leave” that allows employees to request an additional ten days off if they are suffering from mental health problems.
The new policy is part of a broader effort to prioritize employee well-being and comes with other benefits such as a seven-hour workday and 30 to 40 days of annual vacation.
In the UK, the Labour Party announced this week that it was considering a “right to disconnect” scheme that could help employees draw a line between their work and home lives.
As outlined in the party’s campaign promise, workers who are constantly contacted by their bosses outside of working hours could be entitled to compensation.
A company in China has introduced an innovative new policy to ensure employees achieve a better work-life balance – but should businesses in the UK adopt it?
The government is seeking to push through a code of practice that would set out normal working hours and clarify when an employee can expect to be contacted by their employer.
The policy, believed to be spearheaded by Deputy First Minister Angela Raynor, includes the right for workers to refuse to do additional work at weekends or carry out work-related tasks while on annual leave.
Aggressive bosses who repeatedly breach the agreement could be taken to an employment tribunal and forced to pay thousands of pounds in compensation.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in China, helping employees achieve a good work-life balance is currently up to employers, but the idea of “unhappy leave” could become fashionable.
According The South China Morning PostThe company behind it, Pang Dong Lai, currently employs 7,000 workers, and every one of them will benefit from Yu’s newly introduced “unhappiness leave.”
The policy ensures that staff can request an additional 10 days of leave to freely determine their own rest time and have sufficient relaxation outside of work.
In addition to weekends off and 30 to 40 days of annual leave, employees are also entitled to five additional days off during the Lunar New Year.
Yu said: ‘We don’t want to be big. We want our employees to have a healthy and relaxed life, so that the company can have one too. Freedom and love are very important.
Yu Donglai (pictured), founder and chairman of retail chain Pang Dong Lai, has set up an “unhappiness leave” scheme, which allows employees to apply for an additional 10 days of leave.
In addition to weekends off and 30 to 40 days of annual leave, Yu employees are also entitled to five additional days off during the Lunar New Year.
“I want every staff member to have freedom. Everyone has moments when they’re not happy, so if you’re not happy, don’t come to work.”
He added: “Management cannot deny this license. Denial constitutes a violation.”
The idea has since gained support on social media in mainland China, with people taking to the platform Weibo to praise the company.
One person wrote: ‘He is such a good boss and this corporate culture should be promoted nationwide.’
Finding a work-life balance has increasingly become a topic of discussion as reports indicate that work-related stress remains a major problem in the UK.
The Labour government is seeking to introduce the “right to disconnect” in a plan believed to be spearheaded by Deputy First Minister Angela Raynor (pictured)
According Champion of healthThe most common cause of stress in the UK is work-related, with 79 per cent of Britons saying they experience it frequently.
As of 2022, 13.7 million working days will be lost each year in the UK due to work-related stress, anxiety and depression, costing £28.3bn annually.
As the UK government considers the Labour Party’s proposal for a “right to disconnect”, the question arises: should the concept of “unhappy leave” also be explored?
A London-based influencer recently revealed her top three tips for surviving a traditional nine-to-five job in the corporate world.
Ells, known as @ellsatthedisco on TikTok, has had his video viewed by nearly 13,000 people in a week.
The influencer explained that her number one suggestion is to remove work-related apps from your personal phone, including Teams, Slack, and email.
