Company: "Employees Voluntarily Support and Participate"
On the 28th, China Southern Daily released a video on Weibo showing employees of the German furniture sales company Musterring repeatedly slapping their own cheeks mercilessly for a considerable amount of time inside a spacious building in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province. Photo by Weibo.
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A Chinese company is causing controversy for making employees repeatedly slap their own cheeks as a training method to improve sales performance.
On the 28th, the Southern Daily of China released a video on Weibo showing employees of the German furniture sales company Musterring in a large indoor space of a building in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, relentlessly slapping their own cheeks for a considerable amount of time.
In the video, dozens of male and female employees dressed in black were kneeling in a line, looking at the employees opposite them, shouting continuously, and hitting their own cheeks hard.
They were pounding the floor with their fists and palms, while some were punching the air.
One man took off his shirt and repeatedly struck the floor.
It appeared to be an act of self-reflection for not achieving higher sales results so far and a determination to improve future sales performance.
Behind them, dozens more dressed in black were standing, waiting for their turn.
The exact date when the video was recorded has not been disclosed.
On the 28th, China Southern Daily released a video on Weibo showing employees of the German furniture sales company Musterring repeatedly slapping their own cheeks mercilessly for a considerable amount of time inside a spacious building in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province. Photo by Weibo.
The company explained, "It is true that the training shown in this video took place, but it was done voluntarily by the employees."
The company added, "This occurred during a training seminar for outstanding salespeople from 12 sales branches nationwide, and the training was conducted by a commissioned company aiming to enhance the employees' sales capabilities."
The Dongguan City Human Resources and Social Security Bureau stated that it is investigating the circumstances under which the video was filmed.
There have been multiple reports of employees in China experiencing corporal punishment and similar treatment.
According to the British daily Daily Mail, a beauty salon in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China, made employees slap their own cheeks 100 times, eat spicy chili peppers, and run 10 kilometers for poor performance.
A company in Tengzhou City, Shandong Province, last year forced employees to crawl on the street because they failed to meet sales targets.
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