Three managers of a company in south-west China have been detained by police for punishing their staff. A worker of a home improvement firm in Zunyi, Guizhou province said employees were whipped by belts, forced to drink urine and eat insects because they had not met sales targets, Chinese media reported.
Local police launched an investigation after shocking video footage emerged last week showed several men getting whipped by their bosses with a belt in front of other employees. Another clip shows people drinking cups of yellow liquid while holding their noses.
Other extreme punishments for failing to meet expected profits at the company including kneeling, eating mustard and shaving their heads, according to Beijing Youth Daily.
One text message apparently sent by managers showed that staff would have to eat three cockroaches for each failed sale, according to video news site Pear. Other punishments including selling condoms and sanitary pads on the street.
Two of the company managers, surnamed Guo and Cai, have been detained for 10 days, while a third manager, surnamed Huang, have been detained for five days, Honghuagang District Police said in a statement on Weibo on Sunday.
The topic page on Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo titled ’employees who failed to meet their goals forced to drink urine’ has been viewed more than 30 million times.
While many users slammed the company and offered their sympathy to the employees, some questioned why the staff members have not resigned.
