A Chinese supermarket chain named 'Fat Dong Lai' has adopted a new 'sad leave' policy for its employees that allows them to take leave for their well-being. Employees can take 10 days leave throughout the year under this policy and managers cannot deny this leave.
The policy was introduced considering the basic human need of emotional well-being. The 'sad leave' acknowledges that people are likely to go throw lows in the year. Supermarket chain founder, Yu Dong Lai, decided to prioritise employees' emotional needs through this policy.
"Everyone has days when they are sad, that's human nature," the founder said, according to an article in The Strait Times.
"When they have this 'sad leave', they can feel happy once more. This means that they sense the company’s understanding and support, and get a taste of work-life balance," the founder said in his statement.
Employees have the freedom to plan when they wish to apply for this leave, he added.
He set up his first store in 1995 and has now expanded to 12 outlets across the Henan province, according to The Straits Times.
The supermarket chain is commonly referred to as Haidilao. It offers exclusive customer services like pet feeding, blood pressure measurements, and handbag care.
This is not the first instance where the founder has adopted the worker-first culture. The retail chain offers several perks to its employees.
Employees are also eligible to claim 5,000 yuan (S$950) for grievances at work such as customer threats or insults.
The retail chain was trending when the media reported that all employees would be sent on an overseas holiday on April 5. The founder was reported saying the management level staff would be visiting Europe, while others would visit Japan.
According to several reports, apart from this policy, the company offers up to 40 days annual leave, besides the five days the retailer shuts during the Chinese New Year period. This is completely different from the demanding '996' work culture in some Chinese companies where workers struggle from 9 AM to 9 PM for six days a week.
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