'Get married, or get fired': Chinese company gives employees bizarre ultimatum and it backfired spectacularly

Imagine getting fired from your job—not because of poor performance or company downsizing, but because of your marital status! Sounds unbelievable, right? Well, Shuntian Chemical Group, a Chinese company, recently announced that unmarried and divorced employees must marry by September 30, 2025, or face termination. Yes, you read that right! However, after facing backlash from both the public and government officials, the company reversed its policy, according to Daily Express U.S.

In February, the Chinese company, which employs more than 1,200 people, issued a strict warning targeting unmarried workers aged between 28 and 58, including divorcees. The bizarre notice, as per the outlet, read, "If not completed by the first quarter, you must write a self-reflection. If not completed by the second quarter, the company will conduct an evaluation. If you cannot get married and establish a family by the third quarter, the company will terminate your labor contract. Please take note." The initiative was meant to motivate young couples to marry and have children to help China's declining population, as per a report in Reuters. But what the company claimed was a move for the nation's well-being received widespread criticism.

Interestingly, in response to the backlash, Shuntian Chemical Group ultimately withdrew its policy. "This announcement has been withdrawn because some of the words used were inappropriate," an official shared with NBC News. Meanwhile, when the news outlet u/theexpressus shared this on Reddit, the post quickly went viral, drawing a flood of comments condemning the company. u/nefariousquick26 commented, "This is such a bizarre policy. It’s not like a single person can just decide to get married on their own. They need a willing partner, for one thing!" u/myladybits wrote, "There are too many people in this world. Population decrease is what’s better for our world. It’s just not better for capitalism." u/twystedmyst added, "Slaves. They want slaves. They want workers to be thrown into the cogs of capitalism to keep them rich and comfortable."

u/kind_stranger_weeb shared, "They should at least have done a mixer for them all to help out, lol. I could see some malicious compliance to this, but isn't this plain impossible for some people? I remember the gender ratio in some places in China being 110-113 men to every 100 women or around 30 million more men than women (if I'm wrong, correct me; this is half-remembered). Wouldn't that mean a lot of men will never get married just because they don't know any single women and the ones there can afford to be a little picky?" u/nigricincto said, "They received a government visit and suddenly changed their minds. Maybe it's a good idea that the US could pick." u/marcgw96 wrote, "To be honest, when I read the headline, I thought it might actually be the US. It would hardly be surprising given what’s gone down here in the past few weeks."

Notably, the Shuntian Chemical Group reportedly criticized its single employees, calling them disloyal for not abiding by the national call to improve the marriage rate. "Not listening to your parents is not filial. Letting yourself be single is not benevolent. Failing your colleagues’ expectations is unjust," their controversial notice read, as per Independent.