Recently, the supervision and management bureau of the market in Bayuquan District of Yingkou City was reported for employees sleeping during working hours.
On September 2nd, a citizen from Yingkou, Liaoning Province named Mr. Wu reported to the media that on August 30th in the afternoon, when he visited the supervision and management bureau of Bayuquan District in Yingkou, he found multiple staff members sleeping covered by blankets in the office, and even the office of the bureau chief was unattended.
Several video clips provided by Mr. Wu showed multiple individuals lying down on sofas or makeshift beds covered by blankets in the office.
Mr. Wu mentioned that it was past 1 PM, which was well within working hours.
According to the official website of the market supervision and management bureau in Bayuquan District, their working hours are from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM and from 1 PM to 5 PM.
After the incident was exposed, the government of Bayuquan District announced on the evening of September 2nd that the preliminary investigation confirmed the authenticity of the situation and initiated an accountability investigation process.
The news of “public officials sleeping during working hours” sparked discussions online. Netizens commented: “They even brought their own blankets to the office”, “Getting paid for doing nothing, such a life”, “Sleeping on the job without worries about food and clothing”, “Who pays for the electricity of the air conditioner, what brand is it, using a blanket when it’s cold”, “Investigate in Beijing as well, there must be many cases like this”.
Some netizens joked: “This office is not good, they need to provide full beds for a good sleep”, “Is it possible that many are sleeping at home, not planning to come at all”.
A netizen named “Lao Song” predicted: “Those caught sleeping during work hours will definitely face consequences, and the leaders responsible for them will receive warnings or disciplinary actions! Other relevant departments will be wary of taking ‘naps’ as well, they might have trouble sleeping for a while”.
In recent years, instances of public officials sleeping, playing games, shopping online, trading stocks, washing cars, and even collectively sunbathing and chatting during working hours have been frequently reported.
Some regions have started penalizing “lying flat” officials who are inactive. The Communist Party even held meetings at the central level to rectify such officials. However, Wu Zuolai, a scholar residing in the United States, believes that the authorities’ efforts to crack down on “lying flat” officials are largely ineffective.
He previously told Dajiyuan that when the economy was doing well, the Chinese Communist Party continuously increased investments with numerous projects, enabling officials to benefit and achieve political successes. But in recent years, this incentive has diminished, making it challenging for the state to provide investments to local authorities. The entire economy is stagnant, and local officials are left without actions, merely waiting for instructions from higher authorities.
“As long as they study Xi Jinping’s instructions every week, make public statements, and avoid being caught in personal and work-related misconduct, they will have a peaceful life,” Wu remarked.