Engineer in China fired for taking frequent bathroom breaks, 1 session lasted 4 hours

An engineer from Jiangsu province in eastern China was fired from his job for apparently taking lengthy and frequent bathroom breaks.

According to South China Morning Post, citing a report from the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions, the man, surnamed Li, took legal action against his company, claiming illegal termination of his contract.

Li apparently took 14 bathroom breaks, the longest of which lasted four hours, in one month in April 2024.

Pooping at work

Li's company submitted video surveillance footage during the court case.

It documented Li's frequent and time-consuming bathroom breaks, which it believed greatly exceeded his physical needs.

Li's position requires him to always respond promptly to work requests, but he did not reply to messages from the company when they noticed his absences.

For his case, Li submitted haemorrhoid medicine his partner bought in May and June 2024, and inpatient surgery records from January 2025.

However, the company argued that Li's medical records were for the time period after he was taking excessive bathroom breaks.

According to Li's contract, leaving one’s post for a certain period of time without permission is considered an absence.

Being absent for a total of three working days in 180 days leads to immediate contract termination.

Happy ending

The court eventually mediated a settlement between Li and his company, after two trials.

The company paid Li a sum of 30,000 yuan (S$5,500), taking into account his previous contributions to the company and his difficulties in finding employment afterwards.

Top image from Pixabay.