Chinese worker develops severe muscle breakdown after manager punishes her with 200 squats
A Chinese woman developed life-threatening muscle breakdown after her company forced her to perform 200 squats as punishment for unfinished work. The young woman, surnamed Yang, recently moved to Hangzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang province and began her first job as a financial consultant at a loan assistance company in June. The role is essentially a tele-sales position. Her team manager,…
A Chinese woman named Yang developed severe muscle breakdown after her employer forced her to perform 200 squats as punishment for failing to meet her work quota. Yang, who had recently started a job as a financial consultant in Hangzhou, was instructed by her manager Zhang to either perform the squats or pay 50 yuan for each incomplete task.
Unable to afford the payment, Yang chose to do the squats, leading to her symptoms. She documented her ordeal in videos, but only sought medical help after her condition worsened five days later. Upon diagnosis, Yang was suffering from rhabdomyolysis, a condition causing rapid muscle tissue damage, which can lead to kidney failure.
Although she fortunately avoided kidney failure, she incurred medical expenses of 1,400 yuan and resigned from her job on July 30. Yang believed the company was intentionally pressuring her, demanding reimbursement for her losses and compensation for personal injury. Despite Zhang's refusal to pay, Yang turned to a local TV show for assistance.
Zhang acknowledged violating labor laws but refused the compensation amount, stating the matter was unrelated to the company. Yang reported Zhang to the labor inspection unit, who promised to investigate. According to Chinese labor law, if an employer physically or verbally mistreats an employee, the responsible person could face up to 15 days in detention.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
