Entering ChinaRecently, a number of large domestic manufacturers such as DJI and Midea have begun to “oppose overtime”, which has caused continuous heated discussions. On March 12, Lenovo Group also issued an article “The night here is quiet”, saying that “Dachang anti-involution culture looks at Lenovo Group”.
Lenovo Group said that against 996, most people can get off work on time, which is nothing new in Lenovo, and it is also the consensus of Lenovo people.
Lenovo Group also said that “no clock-in, flexible office, will not formalize the request for what time to get off work.” But this does not mean that we are encouraged to ‘lie flat’, because we have always believed that real competitiveness comes from scientific and technological innovation, rather than meaningless internal friction. ”
As early as 2019, Lenovo Group issued an article on Labor Day saying that “Lenovo does not have 996”.
Lenovo Group is a global technology company founded in China with operations in 180 markets.
On February 20, Lenovo Group announced its results for the third quarter of the 2024/25 fiscal year ended December 31, 2024: revenue of 135.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20%, and the three main businesses all achieved double-digit growth. Profit growth broadened, with net profit under Hong Kong Financial Reporting Standards increasing by 106% year-on-year to RMB4.98 billion. The diversified growth engine continued to accelerate, with the non-PC business accounting for more than 46% of the Group’s total revenue.
DJI and Midea have been exposed to “forced off-duty”
On March 9, a new regulation of DJI, a leading drone company, rushed to the top of the hot search, causing widespread attention from netizens.
Some netizens broke the news on social media that DJI adjusted its attendance system and required employees to go to work at 9 o’clock early. In this regard, DJI once responded to the rumor that “mandatory 9 o’clock clock” is rumor, and what DJI really began to implement is “mandatory 9 o’clock clock”.
According to reports, Cai Min, an employee of the technical department of DJI’s Shenzhen headquarters, told reporters that on February 27, the supervisor proposed at the department group meeting that for the sake of everyone’s health, excessive overtime is not advocated, and there are no tasks that must be completed, so go home early and “must get off work at 9 o’clock.”
It is reported that DJI has long implemented a flexible work system from 9 to 10 o’clock. If you start work from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and leave work at 9 p.m., minus a 1.5-hour lunch break and 1 hour of dinner, DJI employees work about 8 to 9.5 hours a day.
On the second day of DJI’s “forced off-duty” sparked heated discussions, Midea also appeared on the hot search because of the topic of “forcing employees to get off work”.
It is reported that “Midea Group has begun to advocate that the leaders of various departments strictly control overtime since this week, stipulating that no one is allowed to work overtime in the company at 18:20, and at the same time, it is also forbidden for employees to return to their workstations after meals to continue working overtime.” So far, as soon as it is time to get off work, HR has begun to urge everyone to hurry up and get off work. ”
In the comment area below the hot search topic, @美的集团’s official Weibo account also responded, saying that “the editor laughed and didn’t say anything, just blindly brushing the hot search”.
Screenshot of the WeChat public account of “Midea Group”. Source: Nanfang Daily
The reporter then learned from the Midea Group that the relevant person replied that the news would be confirmed internally, and replied that as early as the beginning of this year, the Midea Group clarified the “six prohibitions” on the requirements of simplifying the way of working, including “strictly prohibiting meetings during off-duty hours and formalistic overtime”.
In addition, in mid-February this year, Haier issued a notice on the full implementation of the two-day holiday system, all departments (including R&D, marketing, etc.) implement two days off, Saturdays are not allowed to come to the company, and the canteen does not provide meals, and if overtime is required under special circumstances, it must be approved one week in advance, and overtime on weekdays shall not exceed 3 hours/day.
The overtime culture is starting to ebb
Workers work hard and work overtime for a long time. Behind the huge change from “996” to “no overtime” in many well-known enterprises is the superposition of multiple social factors.At this year’s National People’s Congress and the National People’s Congress, some representatives kindly reminded young people to go to bed before 11 o’clock at night, and netizens left messages in the comment area: “I get off work late and have no personal time, so I can only get it by staying up late.” “Long-term high-intensity overtime has exhausted people’s energy and stamina, and many people have become increasingly demanding work-life balance.At the national level, in December 2024, the Central Economic Work Conference proposed to comprehensively rectify “involutional” competition and standardize the behavior of local governments and enterprises. Entering 2025, the National Development and Reform Commission, the State Administration for Market Regulation and other departments have also expressed their stance on “involution” competition on many occasions. In this year’s government work report, an important governance signal issued for “involution” competition is to change from the previous “prevention” to “comprehensive rectification”, with a clearer attitude, more in-depth intensity, and more comprehensive means.Du Wei, a national outstanding lawyer for safeguarding the rights and interests of employees and director of Sichuan Weixu Public Interest Legal Service Center, believes that the focus of people’s dislike and worry is that behind the strong implementation of “no overtime”, is it really optimized management, or simply passing on the cost to employees? In order to dispel people’s doubts and truly say no to ineffective involution in the workplace, enterprises should achieve “real off-duty” by reasonably approving workload and optimizing management efficiency.Du Wei believes that the ultimate goal of labor protection should be to establish a benign ecology of “efficient enterprise management and dignified labor of employees”, rather than swinging between “mandatory overtime” and “forced off-duty”. If this is used to promote the rationalization of working hours and the transparency of wages, it can become a concrete embodiment of the protection of labor rights and interests.
Source: Jiupai News Comprehensive “Lenovo Group” WeChat public account, China Business News, Southern Metropolis Daily, Jinguan News, etc
