A company in China has sparked a heated discussion on social media after issuing a new rule to fire married employees if they are found cheating on their partners, South China Morning Post reported. The Zhejiang-based company introduced the “extramarital affairs prohibition” order on 9 June, which applies to all married staff.
In a document explaining the rule, the company announced, ''To strengthen the company's inner management, to advocate a corporate culture of being loyal to family and love between a husband and wife, to better protect the family and to focus on work, all employees who are married are barred from vicious behaviours like having an extramarital affair or keeping a mistress.''
The company also said it was implementing the 4 'N's – ''no illicit relationship, no mistress, no extramarital affair, and no divorce''.
Anyone who is found violating these stipulations will be fired.
An unnamed staffer from the company told Jimu News the ban was to encourage employees to maintain a ''stable and harmonious family'' and productivity at work.
However, the exact reason or trigger for the company's decision or whether any workplace affairs influenced it remains unclear.
While many on social media welcomed the decision, others criticised the ban as an infringement on personal freedom and privacy.
One person said, ''Cheating in marriage is probably quite common. The state authorities should intervene. Now a company takes the initiative to fight against this bad behaviour. This is a positive energy for society, and the company deserves our respect.''
Meanwhile, a lawyer said that employees could only have their role legally terminated if they can no longer work or their capabilities do not match the requirements of their role.
“Even if a company includes the affair ban in the employee manual, it still can't form a legitimate basis to fire staff. If a worker is dismissed for this reason, they can take action to protect their rights according to the law. We encourage employers to promote the right values, but companies can't infringe on employees' rights because of extramarital issues,” Lawyer Chen Dong told SCMP.
