Too many WeChat work groups a drain on workers

Editor's Note: Xiangzhou district of Zhuhai, Guangdong province, has issued a directive to solve the problem of formalism and reduce the work burden of grassroots government employees. According to the directive, one department can set up only one work chat group on WeChat, Tencent's popular instant messaging app, and seniors should not send work-related WeChat messages to their subordinates after office hours. Two experts share their views on the directive with China Daily's Liu Jianna. Excerpts follow:

Directive should be promoted nationwide

The directive of the Xiangzhou district is quite encouraging and should be extended nationwide. Most employees today, grassroots civil servants in particular, are under severe work pressure because numerous work chat groups keep buzzing all the time, demanding their immediate attention and replies. This blurs the boundary between their working hours and free time.