The Chinese court said the termination was legal and justified. (Unsplash/Representative pic)
A man in China was fired for spending up to six hours a day in the restroom while at work. The employee, identified only by his surname Wang, approached the courts for unfair termination of his job citing medical reasons, however, even the Chinese courts ruled in favour of the employers.
According to South China Morning Post, Mr Wang joined the company in April 2006, and in December 2014, he underwent treatment for an "anal problem," which led to his frequent bathroom visits. Even though his treatment was successful, Mr Wang insisted that he continued to experience persistent pain which meant he was forced to spend between three and six hours a day in the restroom since July 2015.
As per the company records reported by the outlet, from September 7 to 17 in 2015, Mr Wang made two or three trips to the restroom during each work shift, totalling 22 visits in that period. Each visit reportedly lasted between 47 minutes and a whopping 3 hours.
On September 23 of that year, the company then terminated Mr Wang's contract citing provisions in the employee handbook regarding tardiness, early departures and unauthorised absence from work.
Also Read | 20-Year-Old Developer From Indore Asmi Jain Wins Apple Swift Student Challenge
Mr Wang then filed for arbitration, requesting the continuation of the non-fixed-term labour contract and reinstatement. However, he lost his bid as the courts ruled that his prolonged daily stays in the toilet were beyond reasonable physiological needs. The judges even added that the termination was legal and justified.
Meanwhile, Mr Wang's termination has created a lot of buzz on Chinese social media, with most siding with the employers. "Spending four hours out of an eight-hour working day in the lavatory? What employer could accept that?" wrote one user. "Being sick deserves sympathy, but one should not use it as an excuse. If such employees were to win, restrooms would be overwhelmed," said another. "It's like being paid to use the loo," jokingly added third.