According to Jiupai News, Xing Zhi died in his company's restroom in Shenzhen in april, leaving behind a wife and two children.
On the morning of his death, after clocking in, Xing went directly to the restroom on the second floor instead of proceeding to his desk on the 11th floor. He never returned. Later, colleagues discovered him collapsed inside the restroom.
Xing was confirmed dead after unsuccessful attempts to revive him. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
The company proposed that Xing's case be recognized as a work-related death, but the local human resources and social security agency rejected the application in july.
The agency argued that when he was found, Xing was "not at his workstation and also not working". According to the authorities' reasoning, because Xing went straight to the restroom after clocking in, had not turned on his computer, and had not started his tasks, he "had not truly entered his work shift".
Xing's wife has reportedly requested an administrative review of the decision. She emphasized that during his four years at the company, Xing frequently worked past 9 PM and sometimes stayed at the office until nearly 2 AM.
Long working hours and unpaid overtime remain common in some Chinese technology companies, where heavy workloads raise concerns about employees' physical and mental health.
Under Chinese law, the family of a deceased worker whose death is determined to be work-related can receive funeral subsidies and dependency allowances, in addition to a one-time compensation payment. This year, this one-time compensation is approximately 1,1 million yuan (165,000 USD).
In Xing's case, the company has compensated his family, but the amount has not been disclosed.
Lawyer Zhang Jian of Zhuohao Law Firm in Beijing argued that using the restroom is a necessary and reasonable physiological need, closely linked to the work process. Therefore, workplace restrooms should be considered an extension of the work environment.
He suggested that Xing's heavy workload could strengthen his family's argument. However, to gain official recognition, the family might need to pursue further legal procedures.
Previously, some similar incidents have been accepted. In 2024, a court in Guangdong ruled that the case of a chef who died in a workplace restroom was a work-related death.
Xing's case has sparked outrage across various Chinese social media platforms. "Such a human resources and social security agency lacks compassion and is not protecting the rights of workers", one user commented.
Other comments urged office workers to avoid overwork and maintain physical activity, prioritizing their own lives above all else.
Such cases are not uncommon in China. Last november, a 32-year-old programmer died after years of high-intensity work. Eight hours after his death, his phone was still receiving work messages.
In 2023, a man in his 30s in eastern China died from multi-organ failure after working 104 consecutive days with only one day off.
By Tue Anh, reporting from SCMP.
