Cowboy Caleb the liberal arts, grown-up stuff & random mischief

Mismanagement Due To Cultural Misunderstandings

Remember how I sent one of my staff home earlier this week because she had chicken pox and I didn’t anybody else to catch it especially one of my other staff who was pregnant?

Turns out I mismanaged the situation big time.

You see, in China if you get sick - you only get paid 80% of the minimum wage (currently RMB25/day) for each day that you are on MC. I had totally forgotten this.

The poor girl was about to have her paycheck for this month reduced to 40% of her basic salary because she had been sick for 1 week, and had to spend another week at home because I told her not to come to the office.

And there I was, thinking that she was relaxing at home, playing with her kids and watching television all day long. This would be true, if we were in Singapore but we are now in China!!!

She was very very unhappy when I called spoke to her today. I apologized and said I would see what I can do.

I can’t believe the cultural screw-ups I am making over here. What’s wrong with me?

I don’t see what is the problem here. U did what u had to do. A sensible staff would know the implications of infecting the rest of teammates and bringing down productivity esp if there are deadlines tied to your kind of work (what it is I dun know). But wonder if the rules is applicable on contagious illnessess as well. After all it is unavoidable and it is not those fake MC to avoid work.
Thanks for sharing the story on China labour law. Interesting and adds to our knowledge.

Actually what I should have done was post her to a more remote part of the office on another floor to work.

stupid rules. can one actually work 100% when suffering from chicken pox?

could this be one of the reason why the bird flu and now F&M disease spread so widely in china? people sick and still working?

Had you just risk everybody to infection including the unborn foetus, you wouldn’t have this problem today.

Welcome to China.

Must be your subconscious probing you to move on.

Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Why the f**k should you care?

In china, ‘Better you die than I die’

You did the right thing.

Maybe there are too many cases of fake MCs. That’s why their gahmen implement that law.

In my office, you know who I was referring to, always take MC after her Doctor’s appt in the morning. And it’s always Monday.

She is lucky that Singapore dun have such a law.

Well you did what you presume to be the best. Seriously moving her to another remote part of the office would still risk the others being infected as Chicken Pox is an air borne virus. Hence dont berate yourself too much.. We cannot make everyone happy all the time

There’s no perfect solution for this sort of situation. In company policy, sending her home was the right action. No matter what, you cannot be too sentimental about the outcome of the poor girl. Imagine if you were too sentimental to keep her in the office, she happened to die or collapsed in your office because of her illnesss, you will be questioned over your sense of humanity, you will be sued by her family for negligence, abusing worker when she is ill. You did the right thing, bro.

No way to have best of both world here.. Get her something to make her happy.. rice or food or blah blah blah.. I’m suddenly glad i’m living in singapore..