[...] This study shows how a data-driven labour regime forces warehouse workers to compete against the clock and other workers. Not only does algorithmic management push many workers to their physical and mental limits, but it also obscures wage and working time records, making it impossible to detect unfair treatment or seek remedy through labour arbitration. Social media posts by employment agencies and micro influencers add to a lack of rights awareness. Fake photos, movies, and stories portray perseverance in the face of impossible targets as a matter of character, while the option to give in is a free choice.

Shein and Temu’s corporate cultures involve cut-throat competition and long working hours, which affect both floor workers and office staff. Employees suffer from both physical and mental hardship. Many of them work 300-380 hours per month, feel constantly stressed, and are required to be available even when off duty. Office staff compete with one another via individual perfor- mance rankings and team-based ”horse races”. In a toxic atmosphere, employees face a constant fear of punishment or dismissal as well as unreasonable performance expectations and power abuse. Office staff and their partners post on social media about their socially deprived lives and sometimes failed relationships.

The voices in this study demonstrate how ‘datafication of employment relations’ has replaced human interaction and reciprocity with algorithmically controlled performance metrics and rankings. Similar to our previous report “Suppliers and Workers Straightjacketed by Ultra-fast Fashion”, we conclude that ultra-fast fashion is unsustainable in more ways than earlier thought. Regulators and policymakers must act to ensure that the ‘datafication of employment’ does not violate the rights of ultra-fast fashion employees in China and elsewhere. [...]