A Chinese man won his case after his employer fired him for walking 16,000 steps while on sick leave for foot pain, with the court ordering compensation.
A man in China reportedly took his employer to court after he was allegedly sacked when the company discovered how many steps he had taken during his sick leave for foot pain.
The case dates back to October 2019 and was revealed by China’s Ministry of Justice on social media, according to the South China Morning Post.
The man, surnamed Chen, first applied for sick leave between February and March after sustaining a back injury at work, providing a medical certificate from the hospital as evidence. He was granted a month’s rest.
After recovering from his back pain, Chen applied for sick leave again — this time for an ache in his right foot. He once again submitted a doctor’s letter, which advised him to rest for a week. A later check-up at the hospital revealed that he had developed a heel spur, resulting in an extension of his sick leave.
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Initially, Chen’s employer requested that he drop by the workplace to submit his medical documents. However, several days later, Chen was informed of his termination on the grounds that he had allegedly fabricated his medical condition to justify his absences from work.
Chen then took legal action against his employer by filing a labour arbitration case. The authorities ruled in his favour and ordered the company to pay financial compensation totalling 118,779 yuan (approximately RM69,108). The employer later retaliated by taking the matter to court.
According to the company, surveillance footage allegedly showed Chen “running” towards the workplace on the same day he applied for sick leave. The employer also presented data from a chat application indicating that Chen had walked more than 16,000 steps that day.
Chen, however, challenged the validity of the company’s evidence and provided his hospital records, including scans of his waist and foot.
Ultimately, after two rounds of legal proceedings, the court ruled in Chen’s favour, finding that the company had unfairly dismissed him and ordering it to pay financial compensation.
