A worker in China’s Jiangsu province has won a legal battle against his former employer after being dismissed for allegedly faking his illness, despite providing official medical documentation.
The man, identified by his surname Chen, had taken two periods of sick leave in February and March 2019 due to a back injury sustained at work. After resting for about a month, he returned to work but soon applied for additional leave, citing pain in his right foot.
Hospital examinations later confirmed that Chen was suffering from a heel spur, and doctors advised him to rest for a week. However, his company accused him of dishonesty after discovering, through an app, that he had walked more than 16,000 steps on the day he applied for leave.
The employer also produced surveillance footage showing Chen moving quickly near the workplace and later terminated his employment on the grounds of absenteeism.
Chen filed a labour arbitration complaint, and investigators ruled in his favour. The court found that the dismissal was unlawful and ordered the company to pay him 118,779 yuan (approximately RM82,000) in compensation.
Although the company appealed the decision, two subsequent court hearings upheld the original ruling.
The case has since gone viral on Chinese social media, sparking heated debate over workplace surveillance and employee rights.
“App data isn’t always accurate. Even if he did walk 16,000 steps, it could have been because he went to the hospital or to buy medicine,” one online commenter said.
Another user criticised the company’s actions, saying, “Employers have no right to access private data such as step counts, let alone use it as grounds for dismissal.”
The case has reignited discussions across China about workers’ privacy, employers’ monitoring powers, and the boundaries of fair treatment during sick leave.
-HR HUB
