Surveillance, Timers, and a Culture of Snitching: Nine Years as a Low-Wage Worker (opens in new tab)

It was the dinner rush. Wang Ronghao, a waiter at Haidilao, had just finished taking an order from a new table of customers. She turned around and spotted a customer reaching for the kettle. Almost on instinct, she rushed over. "Let me get that for you!" she said, radiating warmth with a practiced smile on her face. With her right hand supporting the bottom of the kettle and her left pressing down the lid, she poured lemonade into the customer's cup. The moment she turned away, the smile inst...