'Slap your colleague in the face': Hong Kong firm uses violence to motivate lax staff, draws outrage

Annual dinners can be a great way for employees to let loose, bond with their colleagues and celebrate achievements.

But for one insurance company in Hong Kong, things apparently got out of hand at its annual dinner. 

An anonymous person, who claimed to work for the company, took to Facebook on March 23 to reveal the company's unique 'motivational' strategy for employees who apparently did not meet their sales target.

According to the poster, the company's supervisor called around a dozen "poor performers" on stage, split them into pairs and told them to "slap your colleague in the face", reported the South China Morning Post on March 29.

The poster said everyone “froze for a few seconds” but then proceeded to slap their colleagues, as instructed.

“I wonder if this is a crime?” he asked.

The Facebook post quickly drew angry comments, with one saying that they would rather be fired and another suggesting that the employer is breaking the law by doing so. 

Some even likened the company's behaviour to that of a cult.

There were others who asked for the company's details so that they could avoid buying insurance from them. 

There were those who found it funny though. 

Making employees drink toilet water as punishment

In 2017, a photography studio in Sichuan came under the spotlight for making its staff drink toilet water as punishment for not meeting their targets. 

Three employees were filmed while using paper cups to scoop water from a squat toilet before hesitantly drinking from the cups.