"50% of Salary to Parents' Account"... Chinese Company Implements 'Filial Salary System'

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A Chinese company has sparked controversy by announcing a system that sends half of employees' salaries to their parents' accounts ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival (China's Chuseok).

On the 8th, Chinese media Zhonghua Net reported that Company A in Sanya, Hainan Province, recently issued an official notice introducing the so-called 'Filial Salary System' ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.

According to the report, the company informed employees that 50% of their September salary would be transferred to their parents' accounts. The notice also included that a traditional tea set worth 1,600 yuan (approximately 318,000 KRW) would be sent to their residences. The cost of purchasing the traditional tea set must be borne by each employee. The company plans to deduct the corresponding amount from employees' September salaries after publicly sharing the purchase receipts.

This system has sparked ongoing controversy on local social networking services (SNS). Critics argue that forcibly deducting incentives from workers' wages to provide such benefits is inappropriate. One netizen criticized, "The money is taken from employees, but the company takes credit for this salary system."

Some have compared this to a similar salary system operated by a private company in Yichang, Hubei Province. Since 2011, this company has been running a program called the 'Gratitude Incentive,' paying an average of 200 to 500 yuan (approximately 39,000 to 99,000 KRW) monthly to employees' parents' accounts. This was mainly designed as consolation money for young workers who left their hometowns to work.

The company is reported to have spent a total of 4 million yuan (approximately 796 million KRW) over the past 11 years through the 'Gratitude Incentive.' Notably, the entire incentive cost is borne by the employer, contrasting with Company A's Filial Salary System.

In response, netizens said, "Company A, which bizarrely decided to take employees' salaries to show filial piety to their parents, should reflect on itself," adding, "Compensation provided as a sacrifice by the employer can boost workers' motivation." Another netizen commented, "There is a problem with the employer's management style," and said, "They should consider whether parents prefer receiving allowance voluntarily from their children or having it forcibly deposited under the company's name."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.