Story By: John Feng, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

Video Credit: AsiaWire

This is the moment a Chinese employee at an outsourcing firm used by phone maker Huawei collapses and faceplants the office floor in the middle of a shift.

A security camera inside Chinasoft International – which does outsource work for telecommunications giant Huawei – captured one of its employees collapsing without warning. 

The video dated 15th April shows the unnamed software engineer in Nanjing, capital of East China’s Jiangsu Province, trying to steady himself against a wall before finally fainting and face-planting the office floor. 

Pictures Credit: AsiaWire

His colleagues crowd around him and eventually took him to hospital, where he was not said to be in any life-threatening condition.

The news comes amid concerns about the long-hours work policy dubbed ‘996’ favoured by some Chinese firms.

It refers to employees in information technology who are commonly expected to work from 9am to 9pm six days a week.

Chinasoft International, which is headquartered in Beijing, has since denied enforcing a ‘996’ work regime on its staff.

In a statement on 17th April, the IT firm said the coder had fainted due to hypoglycaemia – or low blood sugar – because he had skipped breakfast.

The staff member has since been discharged and is back in the office.

A company spokesperson said: “The amount of overtime is dependent on each project. Many staff members adjust their work hours themselves.

“Some staff after work to finish incomplete work, but our projects in Nanjing and Xi’an are not large, so we ensure our staff get proper care and rest.

“We do not demand 996 on our employees.”

Chinasoft International did not reveal further details about its employees’ working hours.

Chinese billionaire Jack Ma called China’s six-day, 72-hour workweek a “huge blessing”.

Ma, who is the founder and executive chairman of the Alibaba Group, faces ongoing backlash online after he waded in on the notorious ‘996’ work regime in a blog post last week. 

The policy nicknamed ‘996’ refers to employees in information technology who are commonly expected to work from 9am to 9pm six days a week, with the constant overtime said to contribute negatively towards physical and mental health. 

The said: “I personally think that 996 is a huge blessing,” adding: “How do you achieve the success you want without paying extra effort and time?”

He continued: “If we work at 8am and go home at 5pm, this is not a high-tech company.”