A PR chief has come under fire for demanding staff do 50-day business trips and dismissing concerns about long hours by saying: “I’m not your mother”.
Qu Jing, the public relations head for China’s largest search engine Baidu, told staff they must be willing to accompany her on weeks-long trips as a matter of course and boasted that she was so devoted to her job that she didn’t know what year her son was in at school.
In a series of now-deleted videos posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, Ms Qu said she didn’t care about the impact of her hardline policies on her employees’ home life as she is “not their mother” and only cares about results.
“If you work in public relations, don’t expect weekends off,” Ms Qu said. “Keep your phone on 24 hours a day, always ready to respond.”
In a warning to anyone thinking of complaining, she added that she could make it “impossible for you to find a job in this industry with just a short essay”.
The videos sparked an online backlash, with some calling her out of touch.
Ms Qu apologised after the posts went viral, saying that she accepts the criticism and her view does not reflect Baidu’s stance. Baidu has not commented.
She wrote on WeChat: “I apologise that the inappropriate videos led to the public’s misunderstanding of my company’s values and corporate culture.
“I will learn from my mistakes and improve the way I communicate, and care more for my colleagues.”
Commentators have pointed out the irony of the public relations crisis, given Ms Qu leads Baidu’s PR department.
The saga has shone a spotlight on the work practices in China’s tech sector. Jack Ma, who founded Internet giant Alibaba, has previously endorsed what he calls “996” weeks – working 9am to 9pm for six days a week.
A global slowdown in the technology sector has led to increased competition and renewed concerns about toxic working practices, particularly in China which has suffered an economic slowdown.
Chinese social media group Kuaishou last month started pushing out staff above the age of 35 in a reorganisation known internally as “Limestone”, sources told the Financial Times.
Older workers are seen as less willing to work long hours given increased family responsibilities. Kuaishou declined to comment to the FT.
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