"Did Not Bring Coffee in the Morning" Executive Fires New Employee... Controversial Ending Completely Changes

Ordered New Employee to Buy Coffee and Eggs During Commute
Fired for Refusal...New Employee Posts on SNS Causing Stir
As Criticism Grows, New Employee Reinstated and Executive Fired

Recently, a subordinate employee in China was fired for refusing to buy breakfast for their boss, sparking public criticism.

According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP), a new employee named A working at an educational company in Shanghai was recently dismissed after refusing their boss B's breakfast demands.

[Image source=Getty Images]

Mr. B demanded that Mr. A bring a warm Americano and a boiled egg every morning. He also mentioned that a bottle of water should always be prepared so that he could drink it anytime. Mr. A considered these demands unfair and refused, but shortly after, he received a dismissal notice from the company's HR department. During this process, Mr. A was informed that he would not receive any form of compensation. Reflecting on the situation, Mr. A said, "I felt powerless and thought it was absurd."

Mr. A shared his story on social networking services (SNS), and it quickly spread. Local netizens expressed outrage and raised their voices against Mr. A's unfair dismissal. Comments included, "The boss treated the subordinate like an assistant. This is unethical and constitutes workplace harassment," and "Mr. A showed great courage by exposing misconduct."

As criticism intensified, the company fired Mr. B and decided to reinstate Mr. A. They also issued a statement saying, "Mr. B abused his authority and forced Mr. A to assist with personal matters, leading to the dismissal." The company's HR representative explained, "The decision to fire Mr. A was Mr. B's unilateral decision and does not align with company policy."

Meanwhile, a 2020 survey conducted by the Chinese online recruitment platform Zhilian Zhaopin found that 64% of Chinese respondents experienced workplace harassment. More than half of those who experienced harassment chose to resign, and 6% reported the issue through SNS.

However, China does not have clear regulations regarding workplace harassment, and punishments vary by case. A local lawyer advised, "To fight workplace harassment, employees should collect evidence such as audio recordings to protect themselves," adding, "Employees have the right to refuse unreasonable requests."