The rumor I heard the other night was extremely shocking: a comrade responsible for research and development at Ku6.com died suddenly from spitting up blood on the job after working overtime continuously for half a year due to exhaustion. A good friend of mine said that it's no wonder the friends at Ku6.com have been so listless these days, there is a reason behind it. Another young life has fallen. Perhaps this is the current state of China's IT industry - aren't IT workers often referred to as "IT peasants"?
In the technology and information industries, there are frequent reports of employees dying suddenly from overwork due to excessive overtime. Article 36 of China's Labor Law stipulates that the country implements a work hour system where the worker's daily work time does not exceed 8 hours and the average weekly work time does not exceed 44 hours. Article 38 stipulates that the employer must ensure that workers rest at least one day per week.
Overtime is acceptable, but the law clearly stipulates daily and monthly limits for overtime. Article 41 of the Labor Law states that if an employer needs to extend work hours for business or operational reasons, after consultation with the union and the worker, they may extend work hours, generally not exceeding one hour per day; if special reasons require extending work hours, under the condition of ensuring the worker's health, work hours can be extended by no more than three hours per day, but not exceeding 36 hours per month.
Employees need to work to earn economic income, just as companies need skilled and experienced employees to create benefits. The relationship is clear like water and fish. Employers who pursue economic benefits at the cost of their employees' lives may not intentionally cause death, but this disregard for employee lives and health could be considered indirect intentional homicide if done by an individual.
A post online once said, "Overtime and fatigue are eternal topics for IT people." The departure of many IT professionals might be proof of this. But what I want to say is: everyone should master the art of keeping the tree of life evergreen, learn to adjust, adapt, and self-relieve pressure. It is overly simplistic to blame the occurrence of overwork-related deaths solely on external factors. Indeed, with the rapid development of China's economy, the acceleration of work and life rhythms, and the intensification of workplace competition, this inevitably leads to increased physical and mental stress. However, white-collar workers should understand that since the arrival of pressure is irreversible, we should start by improving our personal ability to adapt, advocate scientific and rational work methods and attitudes towards life, thus confronting pressure head-on, effectively adjusting ourselves, and relieving pressure.
Despite Ku6.com’s PR department trying every possible method, very few relevant messages can be found through search engines, but they cannot completely erase all traces. The power of netizens cannot be ignored, and Ku6.com must take responsibility for the sudden death of its employee. The deceased is gone, but the living remain - may the living receive the compensation they deserve. (By Yu Bin)