cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1868112
A Chinese company is facing backlash after it sent staff members to photograph other employees using the toilet and later posting the compromising images on the wall of the restroom. Shenzen-based Lixun Electro-Acoustic admitted it was creepily monitoring the employees, whilst explaining the rationale behind its decision, according to a report in South China Morning Post.
The company said it undertook the surveillance to warn employees against using the bathroom for too long with few spending time smoking while others played video games.
“The staff were spending too much time in the bathroom smoking or playing games, which made other staff uncomfortable,” the company said.
“Smoking in the bathroom is prohibited and the purpose is to prevent people from staying in the bathroom for long periods of time due to video games and other activities.”
Notably, when the worker would not open the bathroom door for long, the other staffer would stand on the ladder and use the phone to click the pictures.
As the controversy snowballed, the company said it had taken down the photos a few hours later because “they do not look good”.
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the first sentence already confirms this werent some pissed off vigilante workers, they were indeed send by the company. so yes, its company vs. workers
Fair, but also I am not sure how clear cut the situation is: workers do have a legit need to actually use the toilets for their intended purposes. It’s natural to assume that the company is merely being a dick here, but it also makes a certain kind of sense to me that it at least could have been trying to ensure that workers have toilets available to poop in (even more so for women). I lack the context here to accurately judge, I just see an article that like all the other articles is trying to make me angry. Okay.
You don’t need to get mad about it. There’s plenty in the world to get upset about.
I’m just not interested in coming up with an excuse for a company ordering people to take pictures of people on the toilet. Their problem is probably real, if it’s about toilet access and not work efficiency. The solution they came up with is inexcusable, though.
I am now so torn between my distrust of corporations and my distrust of the media - perhaps really I should not trust either!? :-P