Beijing, December 28: A Chinese company is facing criticism for asking its female employees to allegedly apply light makeup to work to "motivate" their male colleagues. The company is reportedly said to be based in Shenzhen in southeastern China. The message to apply light makeup was reportedly sent by the company's boss who later deleted it saying it was a joke.

According to a report in the South China Morning Post, the alleged incident occurred on November 30, when Luo, an executive officer at the firm began a group chat on WeChat. While chatting with his staff which included five women employees, Luo asked the women to start applying makeup. China Shocker: Doctor Punches 82-Year-Old Patient in Face During Eye Surgery, Suspended After Video Goes Viral.

"Ladies, please wear light makeup to work from December to motivate our team," Luo's message read. He also said that the firm's "gentlemen" will crowdfund to treat women to afternoon tea. As he did not receive any message, he messaged again to state the importance.

"Please do reply when you receive the message, otherwise your performance bonuses will be slashed," he stated. The incident came to light after it was shared online by an influencer who happens to be a friend of one of the staff members. Soon the story was picked up by local media which led to Luo issuing clarification.

In his defence, Luo said that he was not serious and his joke was misunderstood. Luo confirmed that he had indeed sent that message and said that it was just a joke. "We’ve removed it," he added. Luo also stated that the exchange of jokes between the team members is frequent and that employees also have fun with each other. China: Asian Black Bears Imitate Zoo Visitor’s ‘Flower Handshake’ Dance Move, Video Goes Viral.

The executive officer further said that of the 300 employees majority are men. He accepted that the firm often disregarded the requirements of its female employees and hence now and then, they made decisions to provide more benefits to female employees. However, the incident did not go well with netizens with one user asking, "Why does he not ask the male staff to do workouts to motivate the team?"

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 28, 2023 04:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).