The man, surnamed Li, had been working as an engineer for a company in Jiangsu Province for over a decade when he was let go because of his frequent and long bathroom visits during work hours. The case was recently reported by the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions after the engineer took his former employer to court over his termination.
In its defense, the unnamed company submitted surveillance footage showing Li taking14 extremely long bathroom breaks, the longest of which lasted four hours, in a 30-day period between April and May 2024. Its lawyers also presented evidence that management had contacted Li via chat app when noticing his disappearance, but received no replies, mentioning that his position required him to always be available during work hours.
The engineer, on the other hand, presented haemorrhoid medicine that his partner had bought online in May and June of last year, as well as his surgery records from January 2025. He and his lawyers tried to convince the Court that his long bathroom breaks had been justified by his condition, and demanded 320,000 yuan ($45,000) in compensation for the termination of his contract.
Surprisingly, the Court sided with the defendant in this case, arguing that the time Li spent in the bathroom during work hours “greatly exceeded” his physical needs. It also found that he had failed to inform the company about his health problems and take medical leave, as required in his contract. The judge noted that the company had also asked for the labour union’s permission before firing Li on grounds stated in his work contract.
After two trials, the two parties settled the case, with the company agreeing to provide Li with an allowance of 30,000 yuan ($4,200) for his past contributions and as compensation for his financial difficulties due to unemployment.
