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An engineer in China was fired by his company for going to the bathroom. The engineer used to spend many hours in the bathroom.
A strange case has come to light in China where an engineer was fired by the company just because he remained locked in the bathroom for hours during work. This incident took place in Jiangsu province, where this engineer named Li sued the company for illegal dismissal. But the court finally ruled in favor of the company and got the settlement done.
Lee had been an engineer at a tech company since 2010 and signed an indefinite contract in 2014. According to company rules, leaving the post for a long time without permission is considered absence and absence for 3 days in 180 days can lead to immediate dismissal. Between April and May 2024, Lee took 14 bathroom breaks in 26 work days, many of which were more than an hour and one of which was nearly 4 hours. The company checked the CCTV footage and found that Lee was not even responding to messages at work, even though his job required immediate response. The company fired Lee with the approval of the union.
employee reached court
After his dismissal, Li claimed in the court that it was illegal dismissal and sought compensation of 3.2 lakh yuan (about Rs 41 lakh). He presented evidence in which his partner had purchased Piles medicine online in May-June 2024 and had also undergone an operation in January 2025. Lee said that due to piles she had to stay in the bathroom for a long time. But the company produced CCTV footage which showed Lee’s breaks were well beyond normal physical requirements. The court said that Lee did not inform the company about his illness during the break nor did he take sick leave. The medication and surgery records were from after the break period, so the evidence was weak. The court accepted that Lee’s behavior was hindering work and the company’s decision was correct.
got the settlement done
All of Lee’s demands were rejected in the first trial. On appeal, the second court mediated and got a settlement between both the parties. Considering Li’s long service and unemployment difficulties, the company agreed to pay 30,000 yuan (about Rs 3.5 lakh) as ex-gratia. This matter is now going viral because a debate has erupted on the rights of employees and company rules in the Chinese workplace. Many people are saying that employees should get support in case of diseases like piles, but it is wrong to take long breaks without prior notice. On the other hand, some believe that CCTV violates privacy.
