Intern Complains About Cleaning Bathrooms at Thai Workplace
A Thai intern sparked online debate after complaining about excessive work including bathroom cleaning, with experts noting that such treatment violates labor laws capping intern hours at 8 per day and prohibiting overtime or hazardous task
A young woman posted on social media asking whether interns could take unpaid leave, saying she was exhausted from excessive work. Another commenter replied with her own experience, explaining that during her internship she performed every task in the company just like a full-time employee—from cleaning bathrooms to sweeping the office to handling all manner of work, and even waking up at night to answer phones. She advised the original poster that her health and well-being were more important and that taking sick leave was acceptable.
When asked which company she interned at and why she had to clean bathrooms, she explained that management justified it by saying it was a small company where everyone had to help out.
The post went viral and was shared across multiple platforms, shocking many who viewed such treatment as abnormal for either interns or permanent staff. Several others shared their own internship experiences. Under Thai labor law, internships are limited to a maximum of 8 hours per day with at least 1 hour of rest per day. Importantly, companies are prohibited from requiring interns to work overtime, work on holidays, or perform dangerous tasks as defined by law.
