Recruiting in China

FEWER than 40 percent of office workers in Shanghai receive extra benefits during sweltering weather, a number that still surpasses other big cities around the country.

In the past, it was common for employers to hand out free drinks, ice cream and other treats to employees when temperatures rose, but that tradition has disappeared in many office to the discontent of modern office workers, according to a recent survey.

The survey, which was conducted by 51job.com, a Nasdaq-listed human resources company, asked office employees in 15 major Chinese cities, including 676 people in Shanghai, about their company's summer benefits policy.

About 37 percent of the respondents in the city said that their company offered some relief to employees, a percentage that topped that of other cities.

Pre-paid shopping cards are the most popular summer benefit, according to the survery. Half of the benefit providers distributed a card with an average amount ranging from 800 yuan (US$105) to 1,000 yuan.

Beverages, daily necessities such as towers, suntan lotion and cash allowances are also popular summer, the survey reported.