When a Worker Holds a Video Conference in a Pool of Blood: An Absurd Drama about Anxiety of Survival
Hello everyone, I'm your financial journalist and friend economist. Today, we're not talking about a set of cold stock market data or the financial report of a giant company, but about a real story that happened on the streets of a major city in the north and that has touched the nerves of countless people.
The protagonist of this story is a young man who was riding a shared electric bike. While on his ride, he was focused on a video conference on his phone and ended up crashing into a van that had stopped by the side of the road. His right hand was scratched by a broken vehicle light, and the blood kept flowing. However, what happened next left all the onlookers in silence: the bloodied man didn't check his wound immediately, nor did he panic. Instead, he sat cross-legged in the middle of the road, staring intently at his phone and continuing his work communication. Even after being taken to the ambulance, he remained "online."
The traffic police determined that he was mainly responsible for the accident, and the driver was secondarily responsible. But in my view, the allocation of blame for this incident is no longer important. What truly deserves our in-depth exploration is the alienation of the workplace, the difficulties workers face in terms of their rights, and the anxiety of survival that modern people experience.
Below, I will break down the deeper logic behind this news for you in plain language, from five dimensions.
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1. The Absurd Scene: When "Biological Instincts" Give Way to "Workplace Fear"
Let's first return to that suffocating scene.
According to human biological instincts, when the body experiences severe pain and bleeding, the first reactions should be fear, pain, and self-protection. We would instinctively cover the wound, cry out for help, and seek medical attention. These are survival instincts that have evolved over millions of years.
However, this young man defied these instincts. His first thought was, "Don't lose the connection; don't drop out of the meeting."
Why? Because in his subconscious mind, the consequences of a "work mistake" seemed more frightening, or at least as frightening, as the physical injury itself.
- If the meeting is interrupted: He might be criticized by his boss, his performance could be affected, and he could even be labeled as unreliable.
- If he gets injured: Although it hurts, maybe it's just a superficial wound? Maybe he can endure it? Maybe taking a day off will result in a deduction from his salary?
This twisted logic reveals a cruel reality: in many workplaces, the "availability" of employees is placed above human dignity. We no longer see ourselves as beings with flesh and blood who can feel pain and fear, but as tools that must always be on standby. As long as the tool can still produce value, even if it's malfunctioning, it must continue to operate.
This kind of "conditioned online" behavior is not a sign of dedication; it's a deep-seated fear. What we fear is not death, but being abandoned—abandoned by our team, by our company, by this fast-paced society.
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2. The Invisible Shackles: How "Always Being Online" Becomes a Form of Mental Violence?
The news mentions that the traffic police asked, "Does your company regulate this?" That question hits the nail on the head.
For many people, "getting off work" means cutting off all connections with work. But in reality, "always being online" has become an invisible workplace rule, even a form of moral coercion.
- The anxiety of not replying to messages on WeChat/DingTalk: Even outside of working hours, many people don't dare not reply to messages in work groups, fearing that a slow response might be seen as a lack of professionalism.
- Blurred boundaries: The popularity of remote and mobile work has eliminated the traditional office, but work has not disappeared. It has permeated our commutes, dining tables, and even hospital beds.
- The threat of punishment: Although the law does not require replies after work, many companies use performance evaluations, promotion opportunities, or even direct verbal warnings to create an invisible system of punishment. Would you dare not reply to a message? Your bonus for the year might be gone, and your promotion chances could be ruined.
As a result, workers internalize this logic: "Getting sick or injured is my own problem; delaying work is the real issue."
This self-discipline is the most terrifying. It doesn't require a boss with a whip; workers punish themselves. We willingly give up our right to rest, our right to health, and even our basic dignity as human beings, just to keep a job that may not be stable.
This is the extreme form of what's known as "involution"—not only during working hours, but every second outside of them as well.
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3. The Cold Reality: When "People" Become "Consumables"
The article mentions a heartbreaking case: a 32-year-old programmer named Gao Guanghui had work requests still popping up on his WeChat 8 hours after his sudden death.
This case serves as a mirror reflecting the true attitude of some companies towards their employees: employees are not seen as people, but as consumables.
- Consumable mindset: A machine can be repaired or replaced if it breaks. In the eyes of some companies, employees are the same. If they're worn out, they can be replaced with younger, cheaper, and more willing to work long hours workers.
- Misaligned criteria for value: Companies care about KPIs, revenue, and market share. Whether employees are tired, sick, or have family to care for is often ignored.
- The shadow of background checks: Many workers dare not ask for leave or get sick, fearing it will affect their next job prospects. This pressure of "workplace credit" keeps everyone on the go, for fear of being permanently excluded from the system.
In such an environment, "health" becomes a luxury. We don't dare to get sick because it means a disruption in income and the potential for being marginalized. We don't dare to rest because it means falling behind and being eliminated.
This is why, when the young man was bleeding, the people on the other end of the screen probably didn't even know he was injured. In their eyes, his profile picture just indicated he was "online," not a person in pain.
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4. The Lag in Law and the High Cost of Seeking Rights: How Far Are We from the "Right to Offline Rest?"
The good news is that society and the law are beginning to pay attention to this issue.
- Refinement of work-related injury recognition: This year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security introduced new regulations that provide more flexibility in determining "working hours," including overtime and work-related injuries.
- **The call for the "right to offline rest": National Committee member Lü Guoquan has been suggesting for three years to establish this right for workers, clearly stating that workers have the right to refuse non-urgent work contacts.
- Breakthroughs in judicial practice: The Beijing Third Intermediate People's Court heard the first case of "invisible overtime" and awarded 30,000 yuan in compensation.
However, legal protection often lags behind the harm, and the cost of seeking rights is extremely high.
1. Difficulty in proving: Just like Ms. Li's case, it took 15 months, with one trial being dismissed and another ruling changed, before she received the compensation. For ordinary workers, the time, effort, and financial cost are enormous.
2. Vague definitions: What counts as "work"? What counts as "personal life"? Is holding a meeting on a shared electric bike considered commuting or work? If it's work, why did the traffic police determine he was mainly responsible, making it impossible to claim a work-related injury? These gray areas leave the legal protection system vulnerable.
3. Difficulties in enforcement: Even if the law establishes the "right to offline rest," how can it be enforced? How can it be proven that a company has "punished" an employee for not replying to messages? These issues require more detailed legal interpretations and enforcement.
Currently, the law is still catching up with reality. Before the rules are improved, every worker is paying the price with their health and lives for the workplace ethics of this era.
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5. Awakening and Self-Defense: Treat Yourself as a "Person," Not a "Tool"
Finally, I want to say that although changing the macro environment takes time, the awakening at the individual level must start today.
1. Redefine "success":
Don't view "always being online" as a sign of dedication, and don't consider "working while sick" as proof of loyalty. True professionalism means maintaining sustainable health while efficiently completing work. An employee who constantly overworks poses a greater risk to a company than they bring value.
2. Build a "mental firewall":
Learn to distinguish between what is urgent and what is important. Not every message needs to be replied to immediately, and not every meeting needs to be attended to. During non-working hours, try to put down your phone and give yourself some time that truly belongs to you as a person.
3. Pay attention to your body's signals: Your body is the most honest. When you feel persistent fatigue, anxiety, or pain, it's your body signaling for help. Don't ignore it; don't try to cover it up with "endurance." Health is 1; everything else is 0. Without health, all wealth, status, and achievements are meaningless.
4. Come together for support and drive change: Individual power is small, but the collective voice is strong. Pay attention to workers' rights, support legitimate cases of rights protection, and participate in social discussions. Only when more people begin to question the合理性 of "996" and "always being online," and when the "right to offline rest" becomes a consensus, will the system truly change.
Conclusion
The young man holding the video conference in the pool of blood is not an isolated case; he represents thousands of alienated workers.
We don't want to see such stories anymore. We don't want to see lives being wasted in front of screens, people bowing their heads in front of machines.
Workers, from today on, please treat yourself as a person.
Your life is more important than any meeting, and your health is more valuable than any KPI.
Because only when you treat yourself as a person will the world treat you as one as well.