Working Hours in Beijing

In Beijing, working hours seem much more firm than anything I get through in Europe or the US. Normally, office hours are 9 am to 6 pm in Beijing, and there is about no flexibility. At this time everyone gets to their work, therefore it also seems rush hours. 

I and my friend plan to go to a diner after office, and we decide to meet at the subway station close to her office. I reached there at 6 pm after work. There was a crowd of people teeming from the nearby office towards the subway station. Everyone was trying to get to their home as soon as possible. This crowd sustained increasingly for at least half an hour. The Chinese expression for an extreme crowd of people is rén shān rén hǎi 人山人海, which means people mountain people sea. It seems like a sea of people driving into the subway and streets. 

Drop the pen at 6 pm

I consider strict working hours are just for manufacturing or customer service jobs, or other jobs that require more time or shifts. But it applies to all types of jobs.

Even lunch breaks follow the proper timetable. My foreigner friend told me that his supervisor regularly walks through the office after the lunch break just to check that if everyone is turned to work. 

Why are Work hours in Beijing so inflexible?

A common aspect of the Chinese management style is that workers have to follow the instructions given by the boss. In foreign countries, employees are expected to do their projects and the tasks they are given. But if an employee wants to complete his task first and then have a lunch break or go another way around, it is his choice. The employees are usually responsible for their tasks and projects. Chinese workers, mainly with the typical management style, don’t have that sense of possession for their job. They just follow the orders given to them. 

One of my foreign friends wondered that strict rules and implementation are needed in Chinese offices. She told me that when her boss gets out of the office, many Chinese workers seem relaxed. They arrived late, take long lunch breaks, and swipe each other’s key cards to conceal it. 

Impact on Rush hour

The millions of Chinese people typically want to get into the office or drop the pen at the scheduled time daily. However, public transportation and traffic are generally overextended to their limit. 

In China, working hours are often longer than the typical 8-5 of many western countries. For most jobs it is 9-6, however, some people work later than that. In Beijing, it usually takes an hour or longer to reach the office. The main rush hour typically starts before 8 am and continue until 9 am. The evening rush hour starts at 6 pm. If your working hour gives you some flexibility, you can avoid the nastiest rush hours by being a bit before or later than the crowds. 

I am curious about other ex-pat experiences in Beijing or China if they have some experience with strict working hours. Please share your experience in the comments.