A company in China has requested job applicants and recruiters to wear masks to avoid any discrimination based on physical appearance.
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Chengdu Art Logistics went viral on social media after a video of applicants wearing masks while waiting to be interviewed by a recruiter who also wore a mask. According to Oddity Central, the video was recently recorded at the company’s biannual recruitment fair. The masks were requested because the company wanted to eliminate discrimination based on appearance. Furthermore, the masks were used to alleviate job candidates’ anxiety and to communicate that they value individual abilities.
The video received positive feedback on Chinese social media and received over a million views. Users stated that if companies followed a similar policy, they would feel more at ease during job interviews. “As a person with social phobia, I would really enjoy such a job interview,” one user wrote on Donyu.
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In a South China Morning Post report, some users addressed the controversy surrounding China Railway No.3 Engineering Group after they published an advertisement seeking potential female employees with a “nice face” and a “good body shape” in December last year. “Female. Good facial features. Good figure. College degree and above. Preferably a fresh graduate,” the advertisement said. It also listed the salary as 4,000 yuan. However, the company released an apology after facing backlash on social media.
They said their requirements were based on the company needing women to serve tea for visiting officials and inspectors. China has a history of discriminating against women in the workplace and objectifying them based on their job position. The law states that women who work in “physically intensive” jobs must retire at 50, whereas men can retire at 50. However, those who work in schools or government jobs can be retired at 55 for women and 60 for men.
A 50-year-old flight attendant reportedly lost her job because she was too old, but she was given more job opportunities after learning English and Finnish.
“I exercise routinely, and I insist on eating a healthy diet. These are major reasons that I am still able to handle this physically demanding job which requires flying for long hours. It’s hard for a person aged over 30 to find a job in China. Those aged 40 or older are regarded as old people by companies,”