An employee in China was fired for taking a nap for an hour after working late, but the court ruled in his favor and ordered the company to pay 350,000 yuan (approximately Rs. 41.6 lakh) in damages. The incident occurred earlier this year in Taixing, Jiangsu Province. The employee, named Zhang, had worked for the company for over 20 years.
CCTV footage captured him dozing at his desk after he had worked until midnight the previous day, well beyond his regular hours. Despite his long service, the company immediately terminated his employment, accusing him of violating discipline and the terms of service. Zhang felt this was unfair and decided to take legal action.
In court, the company questioned Zhang about the duration of his nap at work, to which he admitted he had dozed off for one hour. He was sent home the following day.
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The court's verdict emphasized that this was the first instance in Zhang's two decades of service where he was found to be sleeping at work, and it did not cause any significant harm to the company. Throughout his tenure, Zhang had received promotions and salary increases, highlighting his value to the organization. Justice Ju Ki, in delivering the ruling, stated that it was unjust to dismiss him over a single mistake.