Foxconn, a Taipei-based manufacturer of high-tech goods like Apple iPads and iPhones, installed safety nets around the building earlier this year after more than ten employees jumped to their deaths. But some of the nets have been removed in conjunction with rallies the company hosted today to boost employee morale. Because nothing makes you love your job more than being forced to attend a public spectacle to show the world you don’t want to die. As part of the rallies, held across China today, more than 100,000 workers signed a pledge called, “Treasure your life, care for your family.” Earlier attempts to boost morale included increasing salaries and hiring older, healthier workers. Foxconn, whose name has been mentioned with regards to rumors of a seven-inch iPad by Christmas, also announced plans to hire 400,000 additional workers this year. The company is shifting its facilities inland to let workers live closer to their hometowns and is hiring outside management for its on-premise dormitories.
Update: Business Insider has photos from the rallies, including Halloween costumes, fanboy posters of Foxconn chairman Terry Gou, and “I ♥ Foxconn” t-shirts.
Foxconn Removes Safety Nets, Holds Rallies After Suicide Spree [Bloomberg]
iPad, iPhone Manufacturer Foxconn To Hire 400,000 Extra China Workers [TechCrunch]
