(Yicai Global) July 19 -- A number of big Chinese internet companies, including TikTok owner ByteDance and food delivery provider Meituan, began to abandon the long-practiced six-day working week this month. Though the extra time off will be welcome, staff worry about their pay checks.

ByteDance and Meituan followed short video platform operator Kuaishou in announcing that they will give up the so-called ‘big and small weeks’ schedule that forced staff to work an extra day every two weeks.

“I will lose lots of income,” a member of staff at ByteDance told Yicai Global, while a worker at another internet firm said they were worried that their employer would cancel overtime pay but keep everyone’s workload unchanged.

ByteDance’s staff will not need to go in every other Sunday starting from next month, but they can still apply for weekend overtime if they need to, the Shanghai-based company said.

A person responsible for app operations at Kuaishou said she now has more incentive to get things done quickly and enjoy the extra free time, even though the amount of work she needs to do remains the same.

By adjusting working hours internet firms aim to save labor costs and improve work efficiency, Lou Yu, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law, told Yicai Global. These companies have gone through a period of rapid expansion, during which the way workers are compensated has changed, with equity accounting for an ever greater share of total income, Lou said.

But increasing labor efficiency is more important than overtime, according to Yao Kai, a professor at Fudan University's School of Management. Businesses should focus on improving productivity through training, motivation, and skills enhancement, thereby creating a better work-life balance and stimulating creativity, Yao said.

Editors: Zhang Yushuo, Futura Costaglione