In China, a young tutor died at work, unable to withstand overtime work with 400 students
Kyiv • UNN
In China, a young teacher died at work due to overwork. He worked as a tutor and taught 400 students, which led to a tragic incident.
In central China, a young teacher died in his office after suffering from stress due to teaching 400 students and excessive overtime work. This was reported by the South China Morning Post, writes UNN.
Details
A man named Li, who was about 30 years old, worked for five years at a tutoring and education company in Wuhan. The firm, founded in 2012, operates an online platform that offers English and math courses for elementary and middle school students.
According to online sources, it has over 160 million users. After graduating from college, Li joined the company as an online tutor. Mainland media reported that he had recently worked overtime for several days to complete his assignments before a long vacation.
On April 22, Li went to the office and worked late. His fiancée was unable to contact him and called the police. The next morning, a cleaner found Li unconscious in the office. His death was later confirmed as he suddenly suffered a cardiac arrest.
Li's relatives said that he grew up in a family that had financial difficulties. He was the second child of an older unmarried sister. His father died many years ago, and his mother later remarried. His fiancée said they were planning to get married on May 2.
The local labor administration reported that Li's family and the legal company involved in the case are preparing documents to certify that his death was work-related.
Employer Reaction
On April 25, the company where Li worked issued a statement expressing condolences over Li's death and promising to cooperate with his family.
The statement emphasized that overtime work for Li's team was not planned, as the day fell on a general corporate holiday. The company also praised Li's work and asked the public to respect his family's privacy.
However, many netizens questioned this statement. "Is the company implying that Li voluntarily chose to work overtime? Without strong pressure on productivity and fear of losing his job, no one would voluntarily overwork," one wrote. One online observer said:
Teacher Li should have been celebrating his wedding, not saying goodbye to the world by working overtime
Many companies force employees to "voluntarily" work overtime through pressure on productivity and subtle tactics of elimination
Mainland media previously reported on the prevalence of overtime work at the company. Former employees said that one teacher managed 400 students, responded to countless requests from parents, and regularly worked more than six hours a day. Employees had to report to supervisors when they used the restroom or lunch breaks.
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One former employee named Wang said that she developed anxiety due to prolonged overtime work, and she resigned at the end of last year. Another, named Zhang, resigned the day after hearing about Li's death. The incident has garnered significant attention on mainland Chinese social media, with related topics exceeding 70 million views.
"Culture of overwork"
Chinese labor law limits work to eight hours per day, 44 hours per week, with no more than 36 hours of overtime per month.
However, reports of a "culture of overwork" continue to emerge. In June last year, a technology company in southeastern China sparked national outrage by introducing a six-day work week from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
In another case, a startup programmer slept only two hours a day during peak periods before suffering a brain hemorrhage that paralyzed him for months.
Supplement
In Australia, a man lived 100 days with an artificial titanium heart while waiting for a donor transplant. This is a record term for the use of this technology. The heart supported his life until a heart donor appeared earlier this month.