Company will hire 1,000 new workers to reduce workload on existing employees
Chinese video platform Bilibili is mourning the passing of one of its content moderators, which the public claimed is a victim of being overworked. The company issued a statement on Weibo saying the worker's death is a warning for the company.
"The passing of an excellent employee like 'Twilight wooden heart' is not only a huge loss to the company but also sounded a warning to us," the firm said as quoted by Channel News Asia (CNA). The 'Twilight wooden heart' is a nickname given to the deceased staff member.
"We should take more proactive measures to guarantee the health of our content moderators in order to prevent similar tragedies from happening again," it added.
As a result of the incident, the platform also announced that it will be hiring an additional 1,000 new content moderators in a bid to reduce the workload of existing employees. It would also conduct more health check-ups for its content safety teams, CNA reported.
Netizens in China are attributing the case to an overworked employee, but the tech company has denied the situation.
Chinese tech companies have been facing a lot of criticism over its culture of overworking dubbed as the '996' work culture. It refers to the practice of rendering work for over 72-hour workweeks, from 9am to 9pm for six days a week. It is speculated to be the cause of most deaths among employees.
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While long hours in the workplace may seem like a good thing for companies because it looks like more productivity time, workers from a study said they feel demotivated and it has a negative impact on their mental and physical health.
The research also indicated that instead of more hours of productivity for them, it could actually cost them money because of increased illness and absenteeism as a result of overworked staff.
Dr. Leena Johns, Head of Health & Wellness at MAXIS Global Benefits Network, said that instead of measuring work hours, employers should focus on creating an environment that encourages productivity.
"All organisations should look to create a nurturing and supportive environment that encourages productivity," said Johns.
"It is important that managers distinguish between employees simply sitting at their desks and working harder. They need to measure real productivity and output."
