Hongkongers recall the worst ways they were abused at work

Last month, a Facebook post by Maysum makeup artist resulted in public outrage regarding a case of mistreating employees. In the post, a shopper shared her encounter with a cleaning lady in the toilet of a mall at Tsim Sha Tsui.

The cleaning lady apologised for not being able to greet shoppers because she was very thirsty - the company policy prohibits employees who are on duty from drinking water.

It is hard to imagine a developed economy like Hong Kong allows workers to be abused in such an inhumane manner. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ill-treated employees. You only have to open your internet browser to gain access to stories of people being mistreated, disrespected and abused at the workplace.

Quoting a headhunter, HK01 reported a company forced newcomers to sit in the corner far away from other team members and made them carry out chores like ordering take-outs and taking out the trash.

In similar stories of terrible treatment, local workers took to LIHKG discussion group to share their bad experiences:

1. Helping to reduce food waste?It is common for hotels to provide free meals for employees, but one worker revealed that their boss feeds them leftovers. How petty and disrespectful is that?

2. Shutting down the office at 6pm sharpIf you think it is a policy to hack the overtime culture, you will be disappointed. A netizen shared that employees are required to go home on time and then contuinue working from there, so the boss can save money on utility bills.

3. Broken leg, who cares?A worker complained he had to lift heavy objects despite walking on crutches.

HR practitioners, are you aware of these dodgy practices in the office? Please be the better person and save your employer brand by stopping them.

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Photo/ 123RF