Firing an employee who fell asleep on the job cost the company dearly

 A company in China suffered huge 

financial losses after firing an 

employee who took an hour-long 

nap while working with his head on 

his desk.

According to media reports, a 

Chinese national named Zhang 

worked as a department manager at 

a chemical company in Tiexing, 

Jiangsu province, for 20 years.

However, Zhang was fired earlier 

this year after surveillance camera 

footage showed him sleeping with 

his head on his desk.

Two weeks after the incident, the 

company’s HR department issued a 

report saying that Zhang was 

caught sleeping on the job due to 

exhaustion.

In an online conversation, HR staff 

asked, “How long did you nap?” 

Zhang replied, “I slept for about an 

hour.”

After consulting with the labor 

union, the company issued Zhang a 

formal notice of termination, 

stating that his behavior violated 

the company’s strict zero-tolerance 

discipline policy.

In the notice, the company said that 

you joined the company in 2004 and 

signed an employment contract, but 

your behavior of sleeping on the job 

is a serious violation of company 

policy. As a result, with the 

approval of the union, the company 

decided to terminate all relations 

between you and the company and 

dismiss you from your job.

Zhang believed that his dismissal 

was unfair and decided to take legal 

action against the company. The 

court recognized that the company 

has the right to terminate contracts 

with employees.

The judge said that sleeping on the 

job is a first-time offense and that it 

did not cause serious damage to the 

company. Considering Zhang's two 

decades of outstanding service, 

promotions and salary increases, it 

is excessive and unreasonable to 

dismiss him for a single violation.

The court ruled in Zhang's favor 

and ordered the company to pay 

him 350,000 yuan in damages.