[PHOTOS] This Sales Team Had To Eat Worms In Public For Failing To Hit Targets
For every client they missed, they had to eat four live worms.
By John Lim — 15 Nov 2016, 11:15 AM
A Chinese furniture company is reportedly punishing employees by forcing them to eat live worms mixed with rice wine for not hitting sales targets
Employees were forced to eat live worms soaked in hard liquor after they failed to reach their sales target.
Image via Huashang DailyAccording to Chinese news site Huashang Daily, the bizarre incident occurred in a plaza in downtown Hanzhong on 8 November 2016, where 60 young employees were gathered for a meeting.
The employees - all wearing yellow uniforms - were seen holding leaflets promoting building materials and construction services in the square. A supervisor then approached the group with bags containing the worms, chopsticks, cups and rice wine.
Employees who had failed to meet their quotas were then called up by the supervisor and forced to swallow the live worms with rice wine.
"Today we are punished to eat worms. For every client we missed, we have to eat four worms," one employee told the reporter from Huashang Daily.
Around five to six employees ended up eating the worms and the public punishment attracted the attention from onlookers
A pregnant female employee, who had also missed the sales target, backed out from the punishment due to her unborn child.
The firm's boss, a man surnamed Cao, said that the workers had willingly accepted their gross punishment, which is meant to encourage "higher productivity"
Employees were ordered to carry out the punishment in front of their colleagues.
Image via Huashang DailyApparently, this was not the first time staff from the company had been given cruel punishments. Employees have eaten live ants and squid as punishments.
Despite the alleged agreement from employees, officials are said to have contacted the firm after snaps of the bizarre punishment went viral
According an official from the Hanzhong Labour Inspection Department, who wished to remain anonymous, said the game was “beyond encouragement”, and urged workers at the company to come forward and speak out in order to protect their rights.