Disturbing '996' work culture that was made illegal after leading to employee deaths

Some countries are notorious for placing an emphasis on the value of hard work, with it becoming ingrained in many cultures over the last few centuries.

But some have criticized this mindset for leading to a poor work-life balance.

And so much so, a working practice in China was once so arduous that it led to deaths and was made illegal.

Workers in China have been speaking out about the onerous amount of hours they've been working. (Getty Stock Image)

Up until 2021, it was legal for employers in China to require workers to do 12 hours shifts for six days a week.

The Supreme People's Court ruled that this was illegal after many worker deaths had been linked to the practice.

The case highlighted in the court's decision revolved around a man called Zhang, NPR reports.

He worked for a courier company in the summer of 2020, working from 9am to 9pm six days a week - this working pattern became notorious under the '996' label.

Under Chinese law at the time, workers could only do 36 hours of overtime a month.

But because Zhang refused to do anymore than that, he was fired.

Although his employer claimed he breached his probation requirements, an arbitration panel disagreed.

The 996 work culture is now illegal in China. (Getty Stock Image)

They ordered the company to pay him a month's salary of 8,000 yuan ($1,237). This decision was upheld by the high court in 2021.

The 996 schedule has been the subject of increasing criticism and protest in recent years.

Earlier in 2021, a woman had dropped dead after working a string of excessively long shifts.

Employees for the e-commerce company Pinduoduo came forward to claim they were working more than 300 hours a month.

At least ten cases had been brought before the high court in which workers asserted that they had been denied overtime pay.

One such case revolves around a man called Li, who died from overworking in 2018.

He worked for an employment service firm, who placed him with a media company. He was working 300 hours or more a month, with no more than three days off.

A work-life balance is something valued by most employees. (Getty Stock Images)

He fainted in a work bathroom and died of a heart attack, whilst on an overnight 12-hour shift.

His relatives sought compensation as well as money for funeral expenses.

The court ruled that both the media company and service company beared responsibility for compensating his family.

Online protests in opposition the 996 schedule started up in 2019, when workers connected with each through a project called 996.ICU.

The organisers noted that this name had a dark undertone to it - namely that following the 996 lifestyle was likely to put you into the ICU (Intensive Care Unit).

Although the People's Supreme Court acknowledged that Chinese companies are driving by maximising profits, they noted that extreme overtime is harmful to the mental and physical health of workers.