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Demand from Chinese company to check employee phone battery power sparks privacy debate
- The company said it was checking battery power to reduce phone use during work
- Experts said it is unlikely that the company violated any laws when making the request
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A company in central China is in hot water for making its employees send screenshots of their phone battery status to management to ensure their staff is not wasting time when they could be working.
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The company, which is based in Wuhan, in Hubei province, and whose name was not disclosed, made their staff show their remaining battery power before getting off work for the day.
A viral post on Weibo showed that the staff must send a direct message on WeChat with an attached screenshot of their battery power, along with data that shows the power consumption used by specific apps.
According to the person who posted the screenshot, the policy received resistance from the staff, with some employees telling management that it was a violation of their privacy.
After staff questioned the policy, the company told them that its performance had been declining and said the inspection was meant to “inspire work efficiency and team spirit”. It added that the bosses wanted to dissuade people from using their phones to play games, watch videos or send personal texts at work.
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