A Chinese company has come under fire after it was revealed that staff members were photographed while using the toilet as part of a controversial disciplinary measure.
The incident, which took place at Lixun Diansheng in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, has sparked outrage and raised legal concerns over privacy violations.
Based on South China Morning Post, reports of the company printing and posting images of employees using the restroom on the walls of the facility surfaced on January 20.
The measure was allegedly taken to punish employees who spent excessive time in the toilet, either smoking or playing mobile games.
According to the company, certain employees remained inside the restroom for extended periods and refused to respond when someone knocked.
In response, a staff member climbed a ladder and used their phone to capture images of the individuals. The company then made the images public to serve as a warning against such behaviour. It also announced a smoking ban in the restroom.
However, the company later removed the images after a few hours, stating that “they do not look good.”
The practice reportedly began months ago but only recently gained widespread attention online.
Legal experts have strongly criticised the company’s actions.
Zhu Xue, a lawyer at Celue Law Firm, told Chinese media outlet Jimu News that the move violated employees’ privacy rights.
“The companies should not record and manage its employees’ laziness but not illegal behaviour with illegitimate methods,” Zhu stated.
The backlash extended to social media, where users condemned the company’s disregard for legal and ethical boundaries.
“The first thing that the company thought of was that the photos did not look good rather than that they were illegal, evidence that the company lacked proper legal education,” one user commented.
Another questioned, “Are they employees or slaves?”
This is not the first time Chinese companies have faced criticism for intrusive employee monitoring.
In 2021, major electrical appliance retailer GOME came under scrutiny after revealing it monitored employees’ internet usage, punishing 11 workers for playing games, listening to music, and chatting online while connected to company WiFi.
Legal experts noted that such surveillance could constitute a violation of personal data privacy laws.
Similarly, in 2022, Shenzhen-based Sangfor Technologies faced public outrage after promoting a system that could detect employees’ intent to resign.
The company’s website claimed its technology could track how often an employee visited job-seeking websites or sent out resumes.
Following the backlash, Sangfor Technologies removed the promotional content.
Privacy advocates warn that companies must balance workplace discipline with respect for employee rights. Judge Li Huizhuo from Beijing Daxing Court previously stated that monitoring employees’ personal data is only permissible in rare cases and must be conducted with explicit consent.