Bizarre footage has been shared showing a line of employees crawling on their hands and knees after reportedly failing to meet their sales targets.
In the leaked clip, which has been viewed more than 16 million times, members of staff at an unnamed firm in Changchun, China, can be seen on all fours, crawling along a red carpet.
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According to reports, the supervisors whose teams are said to have missed their annual targets for 2019 queued on the side of the stage, in an apparent act of contrition for under-performance.
The person who captured it all wished not to be named, but claimed the senior staff did three circles around the gala venue.
During the weird display, they also allegedly chanted phrases like 'I swear' and 'I'm responsible' while other employees looked on.
Since the video was shared, a member of staff has spoken to local media, claiming that none of the company executives demanded the bizarre act.
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Addressing the video, an unnamed spokesperson said: "The company didn't force staff members to crawl on the floor. They volunteered to do it themselves, and I have no idea why.
"There's no way we'd have forced them to crawl on the floor, and we cannot control what they willingly do themselves."
Those who have viewed the clip on social media, however, said they were horrified by what they have seen, with thousands leaving comments on Weibo, criticising the firm.
One person wrote: "This looks like multi-level marketing nonsense."
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A second user also said: "There must be seriously wrong with the company's owner."
While another added: "Quick reminder that this is the year 2020."
This is not the first time a video of this kind has done the rounds online.
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Last year, a video was leaked that allegedly showed staff members from a company in Tengzhou crawling through busy traffic as punishment for missing targets.
Shocked onlookers watched on as the line of employees slowly made their way through the streets while cars drove past them, down what appears to be a busy main road.
According to btime.com, all of the staff members seen crawling in the video were women who worked for a company which sells beauty products.
Reports claim police turned up after having been informed of the incident, and ordered the supervisor to put an end to the punishment, even giving him a verbal warning.