Wah lau,this workplace story in China is really next-level toxic—miss KPI never mind, but instead of writing a standard warning letter or performance review, this boss made his staff do physical punishments like a BMT recruitspan_1span_1!

It all happened in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, where a financial consultant named Ms. Yang was working for a loan assistance agency, making over 200 cold calls a day just to hit her daily targets.span_2span_2 When she fell short of her aggressive sales quota, her supervisor, Mr. Zhang, enforced a strict company “penalty menu.span_3“span_3

Missing a metric meant choosing between two options: pay a 50 yuan (approx. S$9) fine per incomplete task, or perform 100 deep squats.span_4span_4 Because Ms. Yang missed two targets that day, her punishment doubled to either paying 100 yuan or doing 200 squats.span_5span_5

Looking at her tight bank balance, Ms. Yang chose to save her hard-earned money and started squatting right there in the office.span_6span_6 To prevent staff from cutting corners, employees were required to record video proof across the office building and send the files directly to the manager.span_7span_7 Ms. Yang filmed herself as video proof like a tragic fitness vlogger.span_8span_8 She later suspected the firm was intentionally setting impossible daily quotas to force staff to resign voluntarily, saving them from paying severance.span_9span_9

When “Tahan” Goes Horribly Wrongspan_10span_10

By the next morning, her legs had turned to complete jello.span_11span_11 She could barely stand, let alone walk, but wanting to save money on medical expenses, she decided to just tahan (endure) the excruciating pain.span_12span_12

For five agonizing days, she struggled through her normal routine.span_13span_13 Then, disaster struck: her urine turned a terrifying dark reddish-brown, resembling a cup of strong Teh-O Peng.span_14span_14 Realizing something was dangerously wrong, she rushed to the hospital emergency room.span_15span_15

Medical tests revealed that her creatine kinase (CK) levels—an enzyme that signals muscle breakdown—had exploded past 16,000 U/L, compared to a normal healthy range of around 20 to 200 U/L.span_16span_16 The doctors diagnosed her with severe rhabdomyolysis, a dangerous medical condition where damaged muscle tissue breaks down rapidly, releasing toxic myoglobin into the bloodstream that can quickly trigger acute kidney failure.span_17span_17

The Boss Plays Tai Chispan_18span_18

After spending over S$265 (approx. 1,400 yuan) out of pocket just to save her own life, a traumatized Ms. Yang promptly submitted her resignation.span_19span_19 She requested 15,000 yuan (approx. S$2,800) from the company to cover her medical bills, lost wages, and recovery expenses.span_20span_20

Instead of taking responsibility, Mr. Zhang played major tai chi.span_21span_21 On a local TV news segment covering the incident, he openly admitted on camera that forcing physical punishments broke labor regulations, but casually dismissed her claim, telling her to go ahead and sue the company if she wanted money.span_22span_22 Unwilling to let the matter slide, Ms. Yang reported the firm to the local labor oversight authorities, where Mr. Zhang faces potential administrative detention of up to 15 days for imposing illegal corporal punishment.span_23span_23

Beyond Hangzhou: The Wild World of Extreme Corporate Penaltiesspan_24span_24

Ms. Yang’s experience is far from an isolated incident.span_25span_25 Extreme corporal punishment and public shaming practices under the guise of “building employee resilience” or “gamified performance tracking” have repeatedly surfaced:span_26span_26

Under standard labor laws, employers are strictly prohibited from imposing physical punishment, fines, personal shaming, or restrictions on personal freedom.span_47span_47

Moral of the story: next time your boss asks you to “stretch your potential” or “take one for the team” at work, make sure he doesn’t mean your actual leg musclesspan_48span_48!