Chinese company requires employees to go to the toilet on the hour, no more than 2 minutes

Three Brothers Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd., based in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China, issued a toilet usage regulation on February 11 to "maintain order, improve efficiency and adjust attitudes in the workplace."

According to company policy, employees are allowed to use the restroom before 8:00, from 10:30 to 10:40, from 12 to 13:30, from 15:30 to 15:40 and from 17:30 to 18:00. Overtime workers are allowed to use the restroom after 21:00.

In other cases, if there is an urgent need to urinate, the employee may go but must limit the time to no more than 2 minutes.

The company also imposes a strict ban on toilet use at certain times in the morning and afternoon, including during overtime shifts.

Employees with “special medical conditions” who require limited bathroom use may submit a request to human resources for approval. Bathroom time in these cases will still be deducted from pay.

The company said it would monitor employees through surveillance cameras and fine violators 100 yuan ($13.73). The rule is scheduled to be tested until the end of February, with an official rollout scheduled for March 1.

An employee, who declined to be identified, confirmed the existence of the policy but did not disclose the size of the staff.

Chen Shixing, a lawyer at Guangdong Yiyue Law Firm, said the regulation violated labor laws because it could endanger employees' health.

According to Chen, workers have the right to criticize and report any regulations that threaten their safety or health.

Three Brothers' regulations also faced backlash on Chinese social media.

"How unethical! They even claim to be based on the 'Huangdi Neijing'. That book also advises against working after dark and emphasizes the need for adequate rest. Isn't the company ignoring that?", one netizen asked.

An article in the Beijing News commented: "Any reasonable person can see that the above regulations are arbitrary decisions made by the management. It shows the autocratic approach in this enterprise, showing the harsh management style of employees."

On February 13, in response to backlash from employees, the company decided to revoke this policy.