Sales execs who missed targets forced to kneel on public bridge and chant 'We are sorry'

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For most sales people, failing to beat their targets might mean a private dressing down from the boss or missing out on a bonus.

But these shamed execs in China were publicly humiliated for missing their targets – by being forced to kneel on a bridge and chant how sorry they were.

Pedestrians who were using a busy crossover in the city of Xiamen, the capital of south-eastern China’s Fujian Province, were stunned to see the men and women in suits on their knees with messages in front of them detailing their name, age, and exactly what it was that they had done to bring such shame on themselves.

One, named as Zhen Liu, 43, had the handwritten message on the ground in front of him saying: "I failed to beat my sales targets."

Another, Ming Chou, 39, had the message: "I have to kneel down on the bridge for one hour as punishment for not finishing my job."

The images of the named and shamed employees went viral after they were uploaded by shocked passer-by Zhu Ku, 29.

She said: "I saw people spread out across the bridge with their heads bowed, chanting they were sorry.

"There was no indication what sort of company they worked for but it certainly doesn’t look like a fun one.

"After a while one of them decided he’d had enough and stood up shouting and grabbing a piece of paper and throwing it on the ground before marching off.

"But the others remained, calmly accepting their punishment."

Internet users were unanimous in saying they would refuse to work for a firm that demanded such embarrassing apologies and many wanted to try and find out the name of the company in order to name and shame them for such bad treatment of staff.