The company, in Tongzhou District, Beijing, reportedy reasons that this practice enhances the corporate culture and unites its staff.
According to the news report, over half the company’s employees are women, who are required to gather together every day between 9am and 9.30am to kiss their boss.
A video showing the morning ritual was subsequently released, which has elicited a lot of outrage online. In spite of the reluctance for the daily ritual, almost all of the female staff members eventually gave in to the demand in order to hang on to their jobs. Till date, only two members have reportedly refused to participate, and eventually resigned.
Company requires female staff to kiss boss, claims it enhances corporate culture and unites team https://t.co/McMuUYPmrE pic.twitter.com/mLllEg4JzM
— People's Daily,China (@PDChina) October 8, 2016
There was no mention in the report on how the company’s male employees are required to ‘unite with other staff members’!
The genesis for the bizarre ceremony apparently came from a similar practice in a company in the US.
The head of the company claimed to have travelled abroad and witnessed a similar ritual in the US, where it generated “great cohesion within the company whereby the boss and his female staff could bond together like fish and water”.