A cleaner attends to a toilet in a hotel in Beijing. The cleaning lady, surnamed Zhang, works in a property management company in Hangzhou. She walked in on the manager mid-shower when she entered a men's bathroom to get some cleaning equipment. After receiving the complaint filed by the manager, the company fined Zhang 2,000 yuan ($304), more than half her monthly salary of 3,400 yuan.  Photo: VCG

A female cleaner in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, was fined over half of her monthly salary for accidentally walking in on a male manager showering, prompting debate among netizens over whether the punishment was too heavy.

The cleaning lady, surnamed Zhang, works in a property management company in Hangzhou. She walked in on the manager mid-shower when she entered a men's bathroom to get some cleaning equipment. 

After receiving the complaint filed by the manager, the company fined Zhang 2,000 yuan ($304), more than half her monthly salary of 3,400 yuan. 

"It was an honest mistake. The bathroom door was open, and I did not hear any sound. When I saw there was someone inside, I picked up my bucket and left immediately," Zhang said, refusing to pay the fine, which she believed was excessive. 

The company said the punishment was given in accordance with the evaluation regulations signed by both parties, but Zhang said that she was not aware of such rules. Zhang eventually agreed to pay 1,200 yuan over the incident. 

The topic has stirred up controversy among Chinese netizens. Some believe that entering a bathroom of the opposite sex without knocking should be strictly punished, while others said the fine was too heavy. 

Still others, however, asked if the company would have made such a decision if the man that she walked in on had not been a senior leader. 

"It can be seen from this that employers cannot arbitrarily impose fines on employees," said Xu Xudong, a lawyer at Jiangsu Yicheng Law Firm, "and there must be contractual agreements and limits on fines."

Global Times