TORONTO — Tech companies in China appear to be hiring women as “cheerleaders” with a job description that includes playing ping-pong with employees as well as retrieving food.
The country’s government-run news service China.org.cn reported on the growing trend among tech firms to hire the so-called “programming cheerleaders” to help boost motivation. Posted to the news service’s verified “Trending in China” Facebook page is a collection of photos and the description of the cheerleader’s jobs.
“Internet companies across China are embracing programming cheerleaders, pretty, talented girls that help create a fun work environment. Their job includes buying programmers breakfast, chitchatting and playing ping-pong with them,” reads the Facebook post.
It’s becoming more common for big tech firms to offer perks to employees: Google offers dry cleaning, free gourmet meals and nap pods. Microsoft and Adobe both offer extended parental leave for new parents. Netflix has a very loose, take-all-the-time-you-need vacation policy. However, the perks tend to be gender neutral.
READ MORE: Are unlimited holidays the key to work-life balance?
The description of the trend goes on to say, according to one human resources manager who has hired such cheerleaders, the women help improve “job efficiency and motivation” for the young male programmers who are “terrible at socializing”.
LOOK: Photos of the cheerleaders at work
Comments