Chapter 348: There's No Need to Talk About Professional Ethics with This Kind of Company!

There are various reasons why a matter can gain popularity; it requires the right timing, favorable conditions, and the support of the people, or perhaps one must add "a knife" to the mix.

Many "humanity has heart" fundraising platforms have various promoters behind them, leeching off donations in all sorts of ways; it has long been no secret that things like trending searches can be bought with money.

The reason this matter was able to catch fire is mainly because its inherent appeal was sufficient.

Returning to the original question, are there more bosses or more workers in this world? Naturally, there are more workers.

Likewise, when a young girl in the prime of her life ends up in the ICU due to excessive overtime, it makes many workers—these cattle and horses—feel a sense of empathy and relate it to themselves.

Working overtime, endless late nights—the damage this does to one's physical health is terrifying.

Even when you realize your body is feeling unwell, the problem is already very serious.

And what is very frustrating is that every time such a topic is raised, there will always be people playing devil's advocate, citing those successful big shots who didn't work their lives away when they were young; what's a little late night, they only sleep three hours a day!

Don't laugh... there are quite a few such people.

Everyone thinks they are made of iron, only realizing when they are lying in the ICU that, "So, I can also die suddenly..."

Once the heat is up, naturally some Self-Media or reporters will come to contact the Company for interviews.

But no matter how they contact them, they only get one answer: if the other party feels there is any issue, it is suggested to go through legal channels.

The Company does not believe there is any fault in its own behavior!

It was just working overtime late at night; we already gave her compensatory time off, what more do you want? Is it that employees nowadays can't even work late at night?

Outside the hospital, some Self-Media have already found Sun Tiantian's father.

"So if I film a video like this, it can be taken seriously, right?" the father said, looking at the group of people in front of him.

"Yes, uncle. When the time comes for the Human Resources and Social Security Department to intervene, it will be easy to handle. Working overtime like this, we will definitely fine the Company until it's bottomed out!" the man beside him laughed.

The heat of this matter is getting higher and higher; if they can send this video out now, they can definitely ride the massive wave of popularity!

Moreover, this matter is a win-win; he gets the traffic, and Sun Tiantian's matter can also be resolved.

The father agreed, then proceeded to film the video according to what they said; at this moment, no acting was needed, as everything was a genuine outpouring of emotion.

He only had this one daughter, and both he and his wife were elderly and had chronic illnesses that required treatment, so his daughter wanted to hurry and help the family earn money before she even graduated, working desperately to earn it.

This led to the current situation.

The video was finished, and the effect was excellent; the man doing Self-Media quickly wrote the title: A twenty-three-year-old girl worked overtime late at night excessively and was admitted to the ICU!

The video was sent out, and it immediately added even greater heat to the original popularity!

Many users on the internet are "emotional"; they often don't consider laws or regulations, doing whatever comes to mind.

For example, a certain man said it was bad luck because he had a daughter, and said many things that made Netizens feel particularly angry—things about committing sins in a past life, or that it's just not as good as having a son; in any case, the preference for boys over girls was almost overflowing in his words, making anyone even slightly normal feel their anger skyrocket upon seeing it!

And so, large-scale criticism and siege were launched online; is this situation normal? It feels normal.

Because those remarks of his destroyed the public's basic consensus on public culture; he is not fit to be a father.

But, is it right or wrong to develop from criticism and siege into endless verbal abuse, Human Flesh Search, making phone calls to abuse, and even going to the shop he opened to accuse and abuse him?

So, people are contradictory. On one hand, when some kind-hearted people commit suicide due to Cyber Violence, and the country is cracking down on "Cyber Violence" and "Human Flesh Search" in various ways, many people will support it in various ways, saying there shouldn't be Cyber Violence and that those who engage in Cyber Violence should die!

But on the other hand, when a "bad person" is subjected to Cyber Violence and Human Flesh Search, everyone will unanimously support it, feeling that the law cannot control you, but public opinion can!

Is it contradictory? It seems very contradictory, but in fact, it is not. To put it plainly, it is analyzing specific cases specifically; it's just that the behavior of Netizens is always influenced by various news information.

They are all impulsive, still not understanding the principle of "letting the bullets fly for a while." When something happens, they rush up in a hurry, which leads to the tragedies we mentioned before, where kind people commit suicide because they were subjected to Cyber Violence over a misunderstanding.

In the end, it is nothing more than a bunch of people reflecting there; after the reflection is over, they will continue to engage in Cyber Violence when it is time to do so.

Because, in the final analysis, public opinion like criticism has no problem at all, while Cyber Violence... is illegal and even suspected of being criminal!

Therefore, after this video was released, there were soon all kinds of comments.

"Recently, there have often been young people dying suddenly from excessive overtime; so, when will we be able to stop working overtime?"

"What about the relevant departments? Are they not going to manage it? Is the Labor Law just for show?"

"I won't say anything else; this Company should just go bankrupt. Poor girl..."

Unsurprisingly, many people's focus was concentrated on overtime, which is also normal, after all, everyone encounters "voluntary overtime" too often in life.

Under such constant appeals, the Human Resources and Social Security Department of Guangming District finally responded.

It was also a blue-background announcement, stating that they had already noticed the relevant discussions online and that the Labor Inspection Brigade had already intervened to investigate!

Once this announcement came out, many Netizens were immediately boiling; their efforts were finally not in vain!

Such a Company should be thoroughly investigated to see just how serious their overtime situation is, to the point that a girl who is only twenty-three years old has to enter the ICU.

Online public opinion had some impact on reality, but the impact was not as great as imagined.

"Mr. Jiang, I will tell you again, the previous one hundred thousand was lent to you by the Company out of humanitarianism, and there is an IOU as evidence. However, whether Miss Sun's condition is an occupational injury, and how to handle it, these things cannot be decided just by a few words from you."

"I have already told you many times, there is no labor relationship; she was just an Intern, and there is no such thing as excessive overtime. Recently, there have been many reports, and you have told the media that Sun Tiantian worked excessive overtime every day, but in fact, there is no overtime problem at all!"

"She might have stayed up a bit late for a few days, but we gave her corresponding compensatory time off the next day, so there is no such thing as an overtime problem!"

"We also suggest that you clarify this with Sun Tiantian's family and the media, and do not continue to mislead; otherwise, our side reserves the right to file a Lawsuit!"

Today, it was not just the legal department here, but also that General Manager Xu, only the other party did not say a word from beginning to end.

"So that is to say, the person was working at your Company, and you required her to stay up late, right?" Jiang Hao suddenly spoke up.

Consulting a Lawyer like Huo Pengfei and not consulting one are two completely different things.

Because after consulting, you will find that what you previously heard from the other party's legal department—the things you didn't understand at all—now feel like you can find the threads; the meaning behind the other party's words is to clear themselves of labor relationship and occupational injury issues.

But unfortunately, he doesn't want to talk about labor relationships at all right now; this is the benefit of finding another way. You want me to understand there is no labor relationship and it's not an occupational injury? Fine, I'll just set that aside!

This sentence left the legal counsel on the opposite side a bit confused. He thought about it carefully for a while and couldn't think of any problem, so he still said: "It's not that we required her to stay up late, but that the Company's work requirements are like this; it must be completed, so one has to stay up late."

"That is to say, it was the Company that made her stay up late, right?"

Now the legal counsel didn't know what to say. General Manager Xu, who was beside him, suddenly spoke up: "If you must understand it this way, I have no way to help you. If everyone were like you, and the Company had to pay for every time an Employee got sick, then the Company might as well go bankrupt."

"In short, I am telling you that this matter has nothing to do with the Company, and the Company has already paid out one hundred thousand."

"Now, because you are talking nonsense on the internet, the Labor Inspection has already intervened to investigate. So, if the final result has nothing to do with us, that one hundred thousand is a debt. Of course, the Company can donate some money out of humanitarianism, but these are two different things. Do you understand what I mean?"

"If you still feel unconvinced, it is suggested to go through legal channels!"

The video from Sun Tiantian's father had quite a large effect; the Company has been receiving calls incessantly these past few days, which has made the senior management extremely annoyed.

A worker should just work hard; if you don't want to work overtime today, I don't even dare to imagine what you'll want to do tomorrow!

I got carried away... it's mainly because the atmosphere was already there, and it felt uncomfortable not to say that line.

The point is, she wasn't even working overtime!

As for legal channels, perhaps only a certain handsome guy would remain indifferent or even want to laugh after hearing that; as for others, especially workers, who wouldn't feel a fire burning in their hearts upon hearing it?

Why was it said before that "you should make others come to you, rather than you going to others"? People can break the law unscrupulously, but if you want to seek Legal Aid, you have to pay a cost that is unknown how many times higher; this is where the problem lies.

General Manager Xu does not believe the other party will file a Lawsuit or do anything else, and he has already talked to the Company's legal department; even if they do sue, it doesn't matter, there is no need to do anything at all—an Intern, and it wasn't a death within forty-eight hours, yet they still want work-related injury compensation? It's basically impossible!

However, contrary to his expectations, Jiang Hao in front of him just nodded and said, "Fine, I understand, General Manager Xu. My girlfriend still has some things at her workstation; can I go and get them?"

"Of course you can. We also welcome Miss Sun to come back to work after she recovers. If she doesn't want to work here anymore, that's fine too; let's part on good terms."

Jiang Hao went to the workstation, took the things, and left directly.

Everything seemed to have returned to calm, and many people were waiting for the investigation results from the relevant departments; in such an atmosphere, at the Old Place Cafe, the Iron Triangle began their daily chat once again.

"So, Lawyer Fang, what kind of result do you think this matter will have?" Zhou Yi asked while taking a sip of coffee.

Lawyer Fang had just finished a divorce case and was in a very good mood.

The other party had originally only wanted him to make the cheating spouse get a smaller share of the money, but as it turned out, after the case was over, the other party ended up going inside...

Zhou Yi didn't know the specific situation either, but he heard that the wife's expression was particularly complex when she found out her ex-husband was going inside...

Although they were already getting a divorce, if their children wanted to take the civil service exam, this political vetting would still have an impact.

But she really didn't know what to say, because it was she who had told Lawyer Fang before that she hated the other party so much and wanted the other party to die!

What kind of person is Lawyer Fang? A client's request is an order; it's just that if you want the other party to die, I can't do that, but getting the other party to go inside, I still have some confidence in that.

"I've also heard a little about this matter you mentioned, but I didn't expect Huo Pengfei to come up with such an idea," Lawyer Fang said with a smile, sipping his coffee.

"Then is this idea good or bad?" Zhou Yi asked curiously; at the very least, from his perspective, it seemed there was no problem.

Upon hearing this, Lawyer Fang said, "From a legal standpoint, this idea is quite good; even I don't have a particularly better method. When it comes to fighting a Lawsuit, one can only do it this way."

He, surnamed Fang, is also just a person, and when it comes to fighting a Lawsuit, there really aren't many methods.

"But there is a problem: the person here is still waiting in the hospital for money. If the Company wants to drag it out—First Instance, Second Instance, Compulsory Execution—all the way to the end, the money can indeed be obtained, but by then, the opportunity will have long passed."

"This is a big problem, so basically, there will be Mediation."

Zhou Yi frowned: "But the Company probably won't agree to Mediation, right? Look, Lawyer Fang, just like the company I stayed at before, they would rather pay up when the time comes than fight the Lawsuit to the end."

It's just to let the other monkeys see: you want to fight a Lawsuit with the Company? Fine, then we'll fight to the end, drag it out for a year or two, and see if you have the time for it.

"Then do you remember how we handled it back then?" Lawyer Fang suddenly asked.

"Back then... it seems we took a different path?"

Zhou Yi suddenly had a feeling of sudden enlightenment; Lawyer Fang's thinking was too erratic, and he couldn't keep up at all.

But the core thinking was that: make others come to you, instead of you going to others, because only in such a situation can Mediation proceed.

That's how it was done for labor disputes, and that's how it was done with the Property Management.

When the Property Management causes trouble, I don't bicker with you about things like water or power cuts; I go straight to the root of the problem, sue you using the Right to Know, and force you to come to me for Mediation!

"Then is there any way to use this for this Company?" Zhou Yi asked again.

Lawyer Fang rolled his eyes: "I'm not a god; I haven't looked into anything, and I only heard about the case from your mouth, so how could I possibly know what to do."

"But I can give you a line of thought: causing trouble for a company is nothing more than those few aspects; you should have done all of them, right?"

What do you mean I should have done them? Zhou Mouren expresses his opposition; Lawyer Fang, you are slandering me!

"Taxation, Fire Department, market supervision, human resources—dare you say you haven't done them?"

It seems I have done them all... then it's fine.

"Then what does this Company do?"

"It seems to be a company that does live streaming, a small platform, but there are quite a few Anchors, and they make money very effectively."

The two chatted casually like this, and soon the topic shifted from how to mess with a live streaming company to the question of "whether live streaming tips should be invoiced."

"I don't think they should, right? If it were really calculated according to this, wouldn't those big live streaming companies and Anchors have long since been fined into bankruptcy and gone inside..." Zhou Xinran, who was nearby, spoke up.

After all, when big Anchors compete on the leaderboards, that's fifty million in a minute.

One sentence after another that was "very criminal" kept appearing; it was a good thing Jiang Hao wasn't here, otherwise he would definitely have had a sudden realization!

You people who study law really are bold; as expected, when you're out in the world, you should have the Criminal Law in one hand and a watermelon knife in the other...

And in such an atmosphere, quietly and without a sound, the relevant departments of Guangming District announced the investigation results.

To put it in plain language: because they were Interns, they were not employees, so no labor relationship existed, let alone the excessive overtime phenomenon circulating online; if they worked overtime late at night, corresponding time for compensatory rest would be arranged the next day.

Of course, the Company also had non-standard practices in personnel management, which would be seriously investigated and dealt with.

Once the news came out, many Netizens who were looking forward to it exploded!

The person is already in the ICU, and you actually say there was no situation of excessive overtime? How is that possible!

Compensatory rest, but even with compensatory rest, doesn't that mean they still stayed up late?

But no matter what is said, according to the results of the investigation based on relevant evidence, that is what it is.

The Netizens were in an uproar, but Sun Tiantian and Jiang Hao in the hospital were not too surprised, because Lawyer Huo had said before that it was highly probable this matter would not be recognized as a work-related injury.

Then let's file a Lawsuit; the evidence collection is almost done, but to file a Lawsuit, one must hire a Lawyer. Who should they call?

Huo Pengfei is the Company's legal counsel and definitely cannot come out to fight the Lawsuit; they already have a complete idea on their side, but Jiang Hao doesn't have the ability for Debate and needs a Lawyer who charges low fees and is willing to be a tool...

After asking around several times, there was no suitable candidate; after all, Lawyers have their own reputations. You come to me and say, "Do it this way, do it that way"—well, whoever told you to do it that way, go find them!

Furthermore, when it comes to the issue of money, it cannot be less.

Just when they were at their wit's end, Zhou Yi, who was strolling around the Company, heard about this problem and suddenly said, "I do have a relatively suitable candidate here, it's just... that Lawyer is a bit strange."

Jiang Hao couldn't care about anything else at this moment and hurriedly asked, "General Manager Zhou, as long as they can naturally engage in Debate in court and the fees are a bit lower, that's fine; everything else doesn't matter."

"If it doesn't matter, then fine. That Lawyer, although he likes to engage in some weird operations, although he is constantly complained about, although he has been suspended from practice and forced to undergo study a few times, he is a good Lawyer..."

"Moreover, the amount of money you are asking for this time should be quite substantial, so you could go with a Risk Agency."

Speaking of this, Huo Pengfei suddenly froze: "General Manager Zhou, the person you mentioned, I think I have heard of him too; he is quite famous here in Jingzhou..."

Fang Dazhuang is also quite famous in Jingzhou, but famous and famous are two completely different concepts.

Inside a law firm on the other side of Jingzhou, Wang Daoren had been idle for many days; ever since he was complained about last time, he had almost no source of cases.

Those people spread all sorts of things, saying that this Lawyer had a very bad temper, and would call himself 'your father' at the drop of a hat, with an extremely poor attitude.

He did not care; he had already given up and was just coasting anyway, but even if he was coasting, he still had to eat.

And just at this moment, his phone rang; he picked it up to look, Zhou Yi?

"What? You want me to be a tool? Let me tell you, no matter what, I am still a proper Lawyer, and even if I starve to death, I will not be any kind of tool. Zhou Yi, don't think that just because you and Fang Xujing have beaten me many times, you can insult me!"

"The subject matter of this Lawsuit is quite large, so we can go with a Risk Agency."

"Where is my client? I want to see them right now!"

Emmm...

In the Company, Zhou Yi hung up the phone, done!

What followed was just a matter of routine; for the Lawsuit, Zhou Yi looked at Jiang Hao and still brought up the suggestion from Fang Dazhuang.

Specifically, there is no need to talk about chivalry with this kind of Company; holding the initiative in one's own hands is the best way!

A five-thousand-word throat-soothing chapter; to avoid making everyone feel uncomfortable while following, today's subsequent burst will be released all at once!

Thanks to Wu Gou Fei Jian, You Yi Ge Xin Shou, and Shu You 2019, the three brothers for their tips, thank you.

Everyone can basically rest assured having read up to here; I am a very easy person to talk to. Generally speaking, if everyone feels something is unreadable and wants it modified, as long as it doesn't affect the plot, it's fine—for example, the watch was too cheap before, so I changed it as requested. If it affects the plot, I won't change it easily. Please really rest assured; the situation of this case is special. I explained it to many people in the group yesterday; it belongs to a temporary insertion. According to the outline, it wasn't originally supposed to be this, but because I couldn't stand this matter, I temporarily wrote a new plot, hehehe.

(End of this chapter)