讀後心得

Ms. Liu, who works at an internet company in Shanghai, mentioned that although the authorities emphasize reducing overtime, the overtime culture remains prevalent. Recently, "curbing involution" became a hot topic at China's Two Sessions, and many companies were urged to stop requiring overtime; however, most employees reported that the reality is that overtime continues unabated. Overtime has become the norm in the internet and automotive industries, and employees are afraid to openly discuss overtime issues due to fears of being dismissed. Although China's labor regulations limit working hours, they are difficult to enforce in practice. Even though the government promotes "anti-involution," many companies often cannot change the status quo due to competitive market pressures, resulting in employees still needing to work long hours to meet job demands.

“In reality, we just bring our work home, so when the lights in the building go out, it looks like we’re not working overtime, but who can actually avoid working overtime?” said Ms. Liu (pseudonym), who works for an internet company in Shanghai. During this year's two sessions in China, “curbing involution” became a hot topic, followed by media reports calling for companies to stop overtime in line with this demand. However, employees from several companies in the spotlight told the media that “overtime is still ongoing.” In recent years, the term “involution” has emerged online to refer to excessive internal competition or “race to the bottom.” Some netizens describe it as the phenomenon of squeezing oneself for a slight edge within a group. The most common form of involution, for example, involves a 7,000-word report, where the boss asks employees to submit 20,000 words to demonstrate their commitment, accompanied by an overtime culture.

In recent years, several large companies in China have had employees suffer from sudden death due to forced overtime and long working hours. For example, Chery Automobile was exposed for having employees work 120 hours of overtime in a month, yet the final monthly salary was only 4,800 yuan. In 2023, Chery even required all departments to work overtime on Saturdays, with similar reports emerging about the electric vehicle company NIO. According to Chinese labor law, companies cannot require employees to work more than 8 hours a day and an average of over 44 hours a week. During the prevalence of the term “996,” the Supreme People's Court of China once ruled that “996” violated the Labor Law, but its practical impact was minimal.

On July 30, 2024, the Central Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China emphasized nurturing emerging industries and future industries, demanding enhanced industry self-regulation to prevent “involutionary” malicious competition. On the opening day of the meeting, China's leaders also stressed the need to actively eliminate “involutionary” competition. The term “rectification” was used officially to describe the higher-ups' requirements for companies, and the media reported on new practices like Meituan canceling overcharge deductions for couriers, Dajiang's office building turning off lights at 9 PM, and Midea enforcing a 6:20 PM end to work. Moreover, the phrase “no overtime” even trended on Weibo. However, Ms. Liu requested anonymity for fear that “discussing the status of overtime at companies with the media could lead to being fired.”

Amid the surface-level calls for “anti-involution,” the government mainly focuses on sectors like automobiles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaics. Besides controlling price wars, Chinese authorities have also requested the integration and reform of production modes in these industries. Is “anti-involution” really effective? Employees from several Chinese-funded automobile and internet companies indicate that overtime remains the norm. Mr. Li, an employee at an electric vehicle company, stated that he accepted overtime as a default when joining the company, and discussing details of overtime with the media could lead to dismissal.

Another worker in the automotive industry indicated that he had been on business trips for three consecutive months, required to work every Saturday, leading to a complete disruption of his daily routine. He mentioned that he only rushed to sleep in hotels, waking up to immediately start working, and saw his girlfriend only three times in three months. A designer from a smart automotive company, who requested anonymity, mentioned that while his overtime intensity “is not as severe as that of colleagues in other departments,” being on standby at all times is the norm. The boundaries of professional life have blurred to the extent that he is unwilling to leave home without a laptop.

Mr. Wang, a parts manufacturer in Jiangsu, stated that he was unwilling to collaborate with Chinese-funded automobile companies over the past few years due to “excessive pressure.” Even when orders were urgently needed, once he accepted them, he had to ask his workers to work overtime, as he wanted to be present for his child's growth. Even though the government has issued warnings to car companies to avoid low-price competition, BYD still issued a notice at the end of 2024 to suppliers, demanding a price drop of 10% starting in 2025. Mr. Wang noted, “How does forcing overtime and requiring me to lower costs relate to the ‘anti-involution’ slogan?”

Within the frequently mentioned “involutionary” competition, it seems that Chinese-funded automobile companies have become typical representatives of overtime. Many employees expressed surprise and asked, “How could there be a car company that doesn't have overtime?” Mr. Yu, from a smart car company in China, stated that positions requiring overtime generally offer higher salaries, and job seekers are already prepared for this during interviews. The complex and lengthy process from design to road use makes it difficult for each individual to autonomously choose not to work overtime during the acceleration.

According to data from the industry media “Autohome,” the Chinese market announced 1,028 new models from 2016 to 2023, while transaction values for new vehicles contrasted sharply, resulting in increased competitive pressure. Mr. Li remarked that the domestic market has long been saturated and brands have been divided, making going abroad nearly a forced choice. According to customs data, in 2023, China exported a total of 1.773 million new energy vehicles, with a growth rate of 67.1%. Facing fierce internal market competition, Chinese car companies are forced to look overseas, but the demands for rapid iterations and market adaptations exacerbate the situation of employee overtime.

For instance, Li Auto released the L9 in June 2022, followed by the L8 three months later and the L7 five months later; such rapid iteration exposes employees to high levels of work intensity. Multiple staff members reported that working from 9 AM to 11 PM, six days a week, is commonplace, and BYD even began pre-selling models for 2025 in 2024. This series of circumstances has significantly increased employee stress.

Although China's labor law stipulates that employees cannot work more than 8 hours a day and no more than 44 hours a week, in actual enforcement, workers find it challenging to protect their legal rights.

With the impending implementation of the “Forced Labor Ban,” companies may be forced to transition; however, some businesses might also choose other ways to evade scrutiny over overtime. Under the harsh realities of market competition, how to resolve the culture of overtime in the future remains to be seen.