A 24-year old Ogilvy & Mather China employee died of a sudden heart attack while working in his office on May 14. He had been overworking for more than a month, not leaving his office every day before 11 pm, reports Yangtze Evening News. Overwork has become a serious problem in China.
According to China Youth Daily, over 600,000 Chinese workers die of overwork every year. Working overtime has become a routine in China, and there is no longer a boundary between work and personal life.
The employee, identified as Li Yuan, let out a yell and collapsed on the ground in his Beijing offices around 5 pm. The co-workers rushed him to Peking Union Medical College where he was declared dead. According to a co-worker, the doctors said Li died of sudden cardiac arrest.
Ogilvy China Mourns His Death
An Ogilvy China spokeswoman said that Mr. Li worked as a junior staffer at the advertising agency, and he was part of a team working for a Chinese technology client. Ogilvy China posted a message about Li’s sudden death on the Sina Weibo microblog. The agency mourned the demise of a young worker, and said that Li was admired by his clients and colleagues for his team spirit and professional skills.
Though media reports have been circulating that Mr. Li died of overwork and stress, the cause of heart attack hasn’t been released officially. Li Yuan’s supervisor Selina Teng told the Beijing Times that Li hadn’t been feeling well lately, and he had taken a week off before returning to work on Monday. His previous medical checkups were absolutely normal, said Selina Teng. She said that Mr. Li was waiting for his cousin to accompany him to additional tests, right before the heart attack.
It’s not the first time a young Chinese employee has died. Earlier, A PricewaterhouseCoopers female auditor had worked to death. Mr. Li would frequently share photos and music on his Sina Weibo microblog.
