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TencentMandated 6PM clock-out policy ending notorious 996 work culture

Tencent implemented a mandatory 6PM clock-out policy, requiring employees to leave the office by 6PM on Wednesdays. This represents a significant shift away from the '996' culture (9am-9pm, 6 days a week) that has been endemic in Chinese tech. The policy came after Chinese courts ruled 996 schedules illegal and following increased government pressure on tech companies to improve working conditions.

Scoring Impact

TopicDirectionRelevanceContribution
Worker Rights+towardprimary+1.00
Overall incident score =+0.429

Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (medium ×1) × confidence (0.57)× agency (reactive ×0.75)

Evidence (1 signal)

Confirms Policy Change Jan 1, 2025 documented

Mandated 6PM clock-out policy ending notorious 996 work culture

Tencent implemented a mandatory 6PM clock-out policy, requiring employees to leave the office by 6PM on Wednesdays. This represents a significant shift away from the '996' culture (9am-9pm, 6 days a week) that has been endemic in Chinese tech. The policy came after Chinese courts ruled 996 schedules illegal and following increased government pressure on tech companies to improve working conditions.

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