Should staff get ‘sad go away’?

A company in China has introduced a groundbreaking new policy to ensure employees achieve a better work-life balance – but should it be adopted by businesses in the UK?

Yu Donglai, founder and chairman of retail chain Pang Dong Lai, has established ‘unhappy leave’, which enables employees to apply for an additional ten days off if they’re hit by mental health problems.

The new policy is part of a broader effort to prioritise employee well-being, and comes alongside other benefits such as a seven-hour workday and 30 to 40 days of annual leave.

In the UK, Labour this week announced that it was considering a ‘right to switch off’ plan that could help employees draw a line between their work and home life.

As outlined in the party’s campaign pledge, workers who are relentlessly contacted by their bosses outside of work hours could be entitled to compensation. 

A company in China has introduced a groundbreaking new policy to ensure employees achieve a better work-life balance – but should it be adopted by businesses in the UK?

The government is looking to push out a code of practice which sets out normal working hours and clarifies when an employee can expect to be contacted by their employer. 

The policy, believed to be spearheaded by deputy PM Angela Raynor, includes the right for workers to refuse taking on extra work on weekends or to carry out work-related tasks while on annual leave.

Pushy bosses who repeatedly breach the agreement could be taken to an employment tribunal and forced to pay thousands of pounds in compensation.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in China, helping employees achieve a good work-life balance is currently down to employers, but the idea of ‘unhappy leave’ could catch on.

According to South China Morning Post, the company behind it, Pang Dong Lai, currently employs 7,000 workers, and each of them will benefit from Yu’s newly introduced “unhappy leave.”

The policy ensures staff can apply for an additional 10 days of leave to freely determine their own rest time and have sufficient relaxation outside of work. 

As well as weekends off and 30 to 40 days of annual leave, employees are also entitled to a further five days off during the Lunar New Year.⁠ 

Yu said: ‘We do not want to be big. We want our employees to have a healthy and relaxed life, so that the company will too. Freedom and love are very important.

Yu Donglai (pictured), founder and chairman of retail chain Pang Dong Lai, has established “unhappy leave,” which enables employees to apply for an additional 10 days of leave

As well as weekends off and 30 to 40 days of annual leave, Yu’s employees are also entitled to a further five days off during the Lunar New Year

‘I want every staff member to have freedom. Everyone has times when they’re not happy, so if you’re not happy, do not come to work.’

He added: ‘This leave cannot be denied by management. Denial is a violation.’

The idea has since garnered support on mainland China social media, with people taking to platform Weibo to praise the company.

One person wrote: ‘Such a good boss and this company culture should be promoted nationwide.’

The push for a work-life balance has steadily become a talking point as reports indicate that work-related stress remains a significant issue in the UK. 

The Labour government is looking to introduce the ‘right to switch off’ in a plan believed to be spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Raynor (pictured)

According to Champion Health, the most common cause of stress in the UK is work-related – with 79 per cent of Brits reporting that they frequently experience it.

As of 2022, 13.7 million working days are lost each year in the UK because of work-related stress, anxiety and depression, costing £28.3 billion yearly.

As the UK government considers Labour Party’s ‘right to switch off’ proposal, the question arises: should the concept of “unhappy leave” be explored as well? 

A London influencer recently revealed her top three tips for surviving a traditional ‘nine to five’ job in the corporate world.

The video by Ells, who goes by @ellsatthedisco on TikTok, has been seen by almost 13,000 people in a week.

The influencer explained that her number one suggestion is to delete work related apps from your personal phone, including teams, slack and emails.