A Chinese advertising agency is facing backlash after former employees accused the company of relocating its office from downtown Xi’an to a remote mountain area in an attempt to force workers to resign without severance pay.
The advertising firm allegedly notified staff that the office would be moving to a new location deep in the Qinling Mountains. Employees claim the move required them to commute two hours each way with extremely limited public transportation options.
Harsh Working Conditions
According to former staff, the new office site was not only difficult to access but also lacked basic amenities. “My colleagues without vehicles had to rely on a bus that ran every three hours and then walk another three kilometers through mountainous paths to reach the office,” said one former employee surnamed Chang.
Female employees had to travel to the nearest village just to use a public toilet. The area was also considered unsafe, with stray dogs roaming around, making the commute home in the dark hazardous.
Despite repeated complaints lodged by staff, the company allegedly refused to address any of the issues or provide transportation support.
Mass Resignations
Unable to cope with the new working conditions, 14 of the company’s 20 employees, including Chang, handed in their resignations. However, just four days after the mass resignations, the stunned ex-staff discovered the company had moved its office back to downtown Xi’an and was actively hiring new employees.
Accusations of Unethical Practices
Former staff now accuse the company of deliberately relocating to the remote mountains as a scheme to force employees to quit without receiving compensation. Under Chinese labor law, forced resignation due to unreasonable changes in working conditions would require the employer to pay severance.
The company firmly denies these claims. A spokesperson said the mountain move was temporary, “The Central Business District rent was high, and the new office was being renovated. We were operating a homestay, so we temporarily moved there for a week.”
Threats of Legal Action
The company says it is considering suing former employees for defamation and ruining its reputation. However, former staff point out they were initially told the rural location would be the firm’s headquarters for over a year, not a temporary week-long move.
On social media, the vast majority of commenters sided with the employees, slamming the company for alleged manipulative and unethical practices. Some noted that arbitrarily changing the specified workplace without employee agreement constitutes breach of contract under Chinese labor law.
Ongoing Controversy
The alleged forced resignation scheme has sparked intense online backlash for the advertising agency. Many see the reported tactics as a new extreme in employer exploitation of staff.
The controversy highlights the sometimes precarious nature of employee relations and protections in China’s rapidly evolving workplace culture. As the incident continues to fuel outrage on social media, the advertising firm faces mounting pressure to address the serious allegations from its former workforce.
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