(ORDO NEWS) — A superstitious manager at a Chinese education company has come under fire for denying employment to people with the number 5 in their phone number.
Chinese news outlets report a strange incident in Shenzhen, Guangdong, where an education company allegedly rejects job applications from people who have “5” as the fifth digit in their phone numbers.
The fact is that its owner considers it a failure. Such applicants are advised to change their phone numbers if they are truly interested in working for the company.
The strange condition, which has nothing to do with competencies or work ethic, has sparked heated debate in China, where superstition is still a big part of everyday life.
Many can’t understand how an education company can have such a ridiculous hiring policy. However, there were also comments from superstitious people who seemed to understand and agree with the manager’s decision.
What’s On Weibo recently reported that a blogger named Jimenjun, who specializes in astrology and numerology, explained that the odd hiring condition was most likely inspired by the ancient Chinese divination text I Ching, also known as the Book of Changes, which includes the theory many fives.
Himenjun added that a person with “5” as the fifth digit in their phone number will clash with their superiors and also bring bad luck to their boss.
“My mom told me it would be better if my phone number didn’t contain 0 or 5 so there isn’t a single 5,” one Weibo user commented on the story.
Overall, feedback on the unnamed company’s hiring policy was negative. Many believe that whether or not a manager is superstitious, this practice has no place in today’s world and that denying candidates their phone numbers can be seen as discrimination.
“It’s the 21st century, and the bosses are still so superstitious. Why don’t you just hire a feng shui fortune teller?” one person commented.
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