▲ Notice of dismissal of 'Billie Billy'


Chinese IT companies are being shunned by using the phrase "Congratulations on graduation" to the dismissed employees as they carry out large-scale layoffs.



According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) and Insider reports on the 29th local time, major Chinese IT companies such as China's largest e-commerce site 'Jingdong.com' and video site 'Billie Billy' have implemented large-scale layoffs.



However, among Chinese netizens, a controversy arose over the process of the layoffs of these companies. 



This is because these companies used the word 'graduation' instead of 'dismissal' when delivering written notice of termination.



In the case of Billy Billy, the expected retirement date was conveyed as if graduating from school, and JD.com called the dismissal notice itself a 'graduation notice' and notified the employees of the dismissal, saying, "Congratulations on your graduation" and "It is a successful graduation."


▲ 'Jingdong.com' dismissal notice


If you look at the details of the notice of dismissal, it is no different from a general notice of dismissal as it contains information on the procedures for dismissal, such as social security benefits provided after retirement, handling of personnel records, and how to issue a resignation certificate. 



Regarding this, Chinese netizens often compared 'resignation' to 'graduation' in China, but pointed out that it is not an appropriate expression in a situation where layoffs are unilaterally notified. 



At the same time, responses such as "there is no responsibility to the company", "what on earth should a dismissed employee be congratulated for", and "when did graduation mean unemployment?"



"Some experts are trying to protect a company's reputation from going downhill when it comes to layoffs," the economic magazine Insider wrote about the use of the phrase.



Meanwhile, in recent months, Chinese IT companies have been experiencing layoffs.



Major Chinese IT companies such as JD.com, Alibaba, and Tencent have laid off 10-30% of their employees. 



This is a 'news pick'.



 (Photo = Weibo)