China woman denied compensation after fired for obstructing office surveillance cameras with umbrellas
- Company says woman shielded desk from supervision, leaving uncertainty about whether she was working or engaging in tasks unrelated to job
A woman in southern China sued her employers after she was fired because she repeatedly opened two umbrellas over her desk to block the corporate surveillance system, which she said put her at risk of accidentally exposing herself to her all-male bosses.
The woman, surnamed Wang, from Shenzhen, Guangdong province in southern China, took the company to three different courts following her dismissal in 2019. All of them refused her claim of 300,000 yuan (US$41,000), according to the mainland outlet Labour News.
The Guangdong Provincial High Court was the final court to reject the woman’s claim.
The courts said Wang’s worry that the surveillance cameras would accidentally capture her private parts was based on an “extreme thought” and that she would not have “wardrobe malfunctions” if she was dressed to typical corporate standards.
The judges added that it is acceptable for a company to install surveillance cameras in their business.
