Midea chairman declares overtime largely meaningless

Fang Hongbo, chairman of Chinese appliance giant Midea Group, has called overtime an "unnecessary and valueless" practice, arguing that most extended work hours are wasteful.

In a recent interview with LatePost, a prominent Chinese business and tech publication, Fang dismissed overtime as largely performative. "We need to simplify unnecessary and valueless business activities – over 95 percent of overtime is formalistic and meaningless," he said.

The executive, who is also president of the company, revealed that he has avoided overtime for two decades. "I never work overtime after 6 pm. For me, there is never any weekend overtime either."

Midea has taken steps to reduce inefficient work practices. In January, the company issued requirements for simplifying work methods, which included strictly prohibiting meetings after working hours and formal overtime.