Job Seeker Questions Cotti Coffee's Policy on Self-Purchasing Uniforms: "Did Your Family Fall on Hard Times?" Is It Legal to Pay for Your Own Work Clothes?

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Cotti Coffee Recruitment Controversy

Recently, a netizen posted about their communication with a Cotti Coffee store's recruitment manager on a recruitment platform. When questioning the requirement to purchase work uniforms at their own expense, they were met with an unexpected response.

Although the complete screenshot of the recruitment requirements wasn't provided, based on the applicant's replies, it appears the recruitment manager asked job seekers to purchase work uniforms themselves through Taobao. When the applicant questioned this requirement as unreasonable and potentially illegal, the recruitment manager responded: "Has your family fallen on hard times?"

Subsequently, media outlets contacted Cotti Coffee's customer service center regarding the requirement for employees to purchase their own work uniforms. The customer service representative explained: "Currently, all operational stores are franchise locations, and this matter is handled by our partners (store managers). Regarding work uniforms, it depends on the partner's policy. Some stores require employees to purchase them, while others have the partners bear the cost."

Public Opinion on Uniform Requirements

Netizens hold divided opinions on companies requiring employees to purchase their own work uniforms. Some argue that many companies have similar requirements, while others agree with the original poster that such practices are unreasonable and illegal.

Those who consider it illegal point to Article 9 of the Labor Contract Law, which states that employers cannot withhold employees' identity documents or other certificates, nor require employees to provide guarantees or collect money from them under any pretext. The law explicitly prohibits collecting money from employees under any pretext.

Legal Analysis

This issue can be analyzed from two perspectives. According to the labor law provision mentioned, if Cotti Coffee requires employees to purchase specified/customized uniforms from designated stores, or if employees pay for uniforms at the store and then the company requires returning the uniforms without refunding the purchase cost upon resignation, this would constitute illegal behavior.

However, if employers don't mandatorily require employees to purchase uniforms from specific stores/brands/customized designs, but merely ask employees to purchase similar clothing themselves, this doesn't necessarily equate to collecting money from employees under any pretext, and might not be illegal in such circumstances.

From the screenshot, when the applicant pointed out that purchasing uniforms themselves was equivalent to indirect fee collection, the recruitment manager replied with "purchase it yourself on Taobao," without specifying any particular store, merely suggesting a way to purchase similar clothing.

Meanwhile, the applicant hadn't fully understood the relevant laws and the recruitment manager's explanation before repeatedly emphasizing the illegality of the practice. Nevertheless, the recruitment manager's response was certainly inappropriate...

Industry Perspective

As shown by netizens' responses, many employers actually require employees to prepare their own work attire, primarily due to high employee turnover rates.

In such cases, employers typically specify requirements regarding color and common styles that can be easily found on e-commerce platforms, with prices that employees can choose according to their financial situation. If this practice were truly illegal, so many companies wouldn't adopt it.

Employment is a two-way selection process. When job seekers find requirements unreasonable during the understanding process, they can simply not consider the position further and look for other opportunities. Similarly, when recruiters find applicants unsuitable, they can provide clear responses in a timely manner.

Image source: Internet, Jiupai News

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