At Leshang Decorations Corporation, a Chongqing-based company, any employee whose weekly performance is below the expectations of his or her superior is forced to eat a bitter gourd. If the employee spits out any of the bitter gourd during his or her punishment, a subsequent punishment of eating even more bitter gourd is then assigned, according to a recemt WeChat post by a Leshang Decorations employee.

The post, which was published the night of July 16, includes photos of five or six employees standing on a platform eating bitter gourds. The employees are clustered around a table that holds several dozen gourds. 

These gourds, which are classified as biggest and most bitter available, were bought by the company at the price of 2.5 yuan per kilogram for the express purpose of punishing employees, according to company insiders. 

According to one employee, who wished to remain anonymous, the company used to endorse punishment in the form of physical tasks, such as mandatory squats, push-ups and sprints around the office. However, as some company higher-ups began to complain that employees had gotten immune to the physical tasks, they chose to update their disciplinary methods. 

The anonymous employee added that almost 50 percent of new recruits choose to resign shortly after joining the company.