At least two executives at a bank in western China have been suspended after a video surfaced showing staff members being spanked with a wooden plank in front of coworkers for poor performance at a training seminar over the weekend.
According to the Chinese newspaper People’s Daily, the Shanxi Rural Credit Cooperatives Union launched an investigation after the video surfaced Sunday, showing at least eight bank employees being spanked with a plank on a stage during a training seminar.
The video shows the employees, who are reportedly from the Changzhi Rural Commercial Bank, lined across the stage as a man with a microphone speaks to a crowd of other employees.
“Why you ranked the lowest today?” the trainer asks, as translated by People’s Daily. As the trainer walks across the stage, each employee responds: “Because I have not exceeded myself.”
The man then proceeds to beat the bottoms of employees with a large wooden plank.
After three rounds of spanking, the video shows one woman on stage trying to cover her backside before taking another beating.
“Take off your hand!” the trainer said, as translated by South China Morning Post.
The Post identified the man as Jiang Yang from the Shanghai Hongfeng Leadership Academy.
According to the Post, Yang issued an apology following backlash from the video but said the spanking was “one of the most effective ways to raise consciousness.”
The newspaper said 16 other male employees were forced to have their heads shaved during the training course.
Comments