BOSS Zhipin Photo: VCG

 
Chinese online recruitment platform BOSS Zhipin, which connects job seekers and enterprises, announced on Tuesday that it will bid farewell to its overtime practice which has deprived workers from taking time off, the old practice will be cancelled starting September 1.

BOSS Zhipin said it put an end to the practice of requiring workers to alternative between a so-called "big week" with two days off and a "small week" with only one day off, a work scheduling policy which has been common acrossChinese Internet companies.

The move follows other companies that have stated an intention to shift away from what many have labelled an unhealthy work culture, based on the "996" principle of working from 9 am to 9 pm six day a week which has been popularized throughout China's high growth internet economy. 

Prior to BOSS Zhipin's announcement, Chinese short video platform Kuaishou, which is backed by Tencent, said in June that it will end excessive overtime from July 1. ByteDance, the parent company of Chinese short video giant Douyin and TikTok, also announced on July 9 that it will end the weekend overtime from August 1.

Many companies state that they pay employees double for work on weekends and triple paid for work during statutory holidays, adding that staff should only work extra hours in accordance with actual need.

After the resumption of two-day weekend, salaries for those working overtime during the weekends will be remain unchanged, according to BOSS Zhipin. 

The net result of the move is an unexpected pay rise for all employees. BOSS Zhipin's pay structure includes a salary for weekend overtime work, which accounts for about 20 percent of an employee's annual salary, according to media reports.

Kanzhun Limited, which operates BOSS Zhipin, announced its planned IPO with a total offering size of $912.0 million on June 11. In the same month, BOSS Zhipin offered a two-month pay increase to more than 800 employees.

On July 5, the company was revealed as being part of a cybersecurity review by Chinese authorities, with truck-booking platforms Yunmanman and Huochebang under Full Truck Alliance, after ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing gained attention for questionable data management practices. During the review period, BOSS Zhipin is required to suspend new user registration in China pending approval from government regulators.

Global Times