A Chinese man dismissed for taking a one-hour nap at work has won a lawsuit against his former employer, securing a compensation of 350,000 yuan (approximately ₹41.6 lakh).
Here’s What Happened
Identified only by his surname, Mr Zhang, the employee, had served for more than 20 years as a department manager of a chemical company in Jiangsu Province. His dismissal several months ago resulted after he fell asleep while sitting at his desk, and he was caught on CCTV cameras after working late at night.
However, according to reports, his prolonged working hours had made him spend till midnight completing an assignment for which he took a sleep. The company’s human resources department flagged the incident as a breach of its strict no-tolerance discipline policy, citing his nap as negligence.
Mr Zhang, who signed an open-ended employment contract with the company in 2004, received formal notice of termination after the company consulted with the labour union. The termination notice claimed his behaviour violated workplace regulations and had severed all labour relations.
Mr Zhang Sued the Company
Believing the dismissal to be unjust, Mr Zhang sued the company. In court, Judge Ju Qi of Taixing People’s Court mentioned that while companies can terminate employees for violating certain policies, such acts must also satisfy certain conditions, such as significant damage to the organisation.
The court ruled that Mr Zhang’s first-time offense caused no serious damage to the company and the dismissal was excessive. It also looked at his two decades of service, during which he received successive promotions and salary increments.
In its judgment, the court ordered the company to pay Mr Zhang 350,000 yuan as compensation.
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