In China, despite the government's promotion of the "anti-involution" policy, the culture of overtime remains prevalent. A Ms. Liu, who works at an internet company in Shanghai, stated that although it may appear that employees are not working extra hours, in reality, the work often continues at home. During this year's Two Sessions, "curbing involution" became a hot topic, with media reports indicating that major companies have begun to halt overtime. However, employees reported that the situation has not changed, and many are afraid to disclose the reality of their overtime work for fear of being fired.
The issue of overtime is particularly pronounced in the automotive and technology sectors, where many employees are required to work in extremely high-pressure environments, facing excessive fatigue and health risks. Although the law stipulates that the workday should not exceed eight hours, employees still confront unreasonable work patterns like "996" and find it difficult to protect their rights.
As market competition intensifies, Chinese automotive companies are gradually shifting their focus to overseas markets, but adapting to rapid market demands inevitably requires overtime work. Analysts point out that while the government intends to limit price competition and labor exploitation, genuine change still faces challenges.
"In fact, we just take work home; when the lights in the building go out, it looks like we're not working overtime, but who can avoid it?" said Ms. Liu, who works at an internet company in Shanghai.
During this year's Two Sessions in China, "curbing involution" became a hot topic, with Chinese media reporting urging companies to stop overtime to comply with this requirement.
However, employees from multiple companies pointed out that overtime is still widespread.
The term "involution" refers to the phenomenon of excessive internal competition and bottom-level competition, with some netizens describing it as squeezing oneself for a slight advantage within a group.
Common forms of "involution" include excessive reporting requirements, leading to the spread of an overtime culture.
Recently, several large companies have been criticized for forcing employees to work long hours, even resulting in cases of overwork.
For instance, a car company was exposed in 2024 for an employee working 120 hours of overtime in a month, yet receiving only 4,800 yuan in monthly salary.
China's labor laws clearly state that employees should not work more than 8 hours a day and should not exceed an average of 44 hours a week.
However, in practice, many companies do not adhere to this regulation.
The Politburo of the Communist Party of China emphasized the need to prevent "involution-style" competition and encouraged self-discipline among enterprises.
Media reported that some companies have started to implement restrictions on overtime, but some employees still feel punished for discussing actual overtime situations internally.
Interviewees generally reflected that overtime remains the default option and expressed that they dare not openly discuss this issue.
Not only car companies, but many suppliers are also reluctant to collaborate with these companies due to the overwhelming work pressure.
Against the backdrop of fierce internal market competition, Chinese car companies are beginning to turn their attention to overseas markets in hopes of increasing revenue.
However, the pressure of rapid product iteration and market demand has intensified the overtime situation for employees.
Employees of some emerging companies stated that working hours are extremely irregular and they need to be on standby at all times.
Although there are relevant government regulations, in practice, many companies still evade supervision using various means.
Some companies attempt to avoid overtime records with flexible work systems, such as not having fixed clock-in times.
In such an environment, how to truly achieve "anti-involution" remains a challenging problem.
