Chinese man wins $2,600 compensation after employer forced him into after-hours online sessions

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

A man in Beijing has successfully won a lawsuit against his former employer over unpaid overtime, after the company required him to repeatedly attend online training sessions outside working hours, according to a report by South China Morning Post (SCMP). A Chinese court ruled in favour of an employee, ordering his firm to pay overtime for mandatory after-hours online training sessions.(Representational image/Unsplash)
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Engineer fired after three years demands overtime pay
The man, referred to as Wang, joined an engineering company in Beijing in July 2020 and worked there until his termination in June 2023. Although the report does not disclose his salary, Wang claimed that he was routinely made to attend after-hours training through platforms such as Ding Ding and WeChat.
Wang initially filed for arbitration, demanding over 80,000 yuan (US$11,000) in overtime compensation. He submitted screenshots of the training sessions and chat logs with colleagues as supporting evidence.
According to Wang, employees who failed to attend these sessions were expected to make a 'voluntary donation' of 200 yuan (US$28), a practice he argued was coercive and implied the mandatory nature of the training.
Company denies overtime responsibility
The engineering firm rejected Wang's claims, stating that these online sessions did not constitute overtime work. They insisted that any overtime had to be pre-approved by management.
The company further argued that employees were only required to log into the sessions, without needing to engage or even listen, and thus it could not be proven that any actual work had taken place. Additionally, they maintained that the donation policy was unrelated to these training activities.
The arbitration authority initially dismissed Wang's claim, prompting him to escalate the matter to the Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court.
Court rules in favour of employee
As per SCMP, the court found that the employer did in fact arrange these training sessions after regular working hours, and Wang was required to participate. It emphasised that even passive participation infringed upon the employee's personal time, and that the threat of a donation confirmed it was a compulsory task.
'These activities occurred after working hours, with the employee lacking the option to decline participation. Therefore, they should be classified as overtime,' the court concluded.
However, the court also noted that on several occasions, Wang joined the sessions later than their scheduled start times.
In the final verdict, the court ordered the company to pay Wang 19,000 yuan (US$2,600) in overtime compensation, significantly less than what he originally sought.