Controversy of Chinese company checking employee’s battery capacity during working hours

Check the battery capacity so that employees do not work exclusively during working hours. Photo: Getty Images

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), a company in Wuhan (Hubei province, China) has asked employees to report the battery capacity of their phones before leaving. In a post on the social network Weibo, company employees have to send messages with pictures of the battery capacity, along with data showing the battery consumption of specific applications, to the company’s chat group.

The regulation has been met with resistance from employees, some of whom have even told management that it infringes on personal rights.

After being questioned by employees, the company said that work efficiency is declining and such checks are “just to ensure the work is completed efficiently and to improve teamwork”. In addition, the management wants to prevent the use of phones to play video games, watch videos or chat privately during working hours.

An unidentified lawyer in Guangzhou said that while the returned images did not reveal the employee’s activities, it was not clear whether the information was covered by privacy laws. “At this point, we can’t assess whether that would be a violation of individual privacy,” the attorney said.

Meanwhile, a hotline providing legal advice services owned by the state said: “Employers have the right to monitor workers with different approaches during work. In this case, it makes sense for the employer to ask the employee to send a screenshot of the remaining battery on the phone. If it happens after hours, it’s a violation of the employee’s privacy.”

Lawyer Yang Wenzhan from Beijing Zhongdun Law Office explained: “If the company has informed workers about this regulation and received consent, then it is legal. However, these regulations are written in English. Does the company make sure employees understand the content?

In contrast to the lawyers, netizens vehemently criticized the company’s policies. “From now on, each employee will buy two phones,” wrote one Weibo user. This is not the first time Chinese employers have caused controversy when introducing regulations on employee supervision.

Last year, Hebo Technology, a technology startup based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, tracked employee activity through seat cushions. They use smart cushions so the HR department can check which employees leave their desks frequently.

In 2019, e-commerce giant JD.com asked employees to provide relationships, such as information about family, friends and even classmates.

At the time, Qiang Meng, Vice President of Beijing Academy of Technology for Civil Law, said it was “excessive collection of employees’ personal information and may have violated personal privacy.” “.