Work Avoidance Goes Viral: Qwen Sees 530% Spike in Leave Request Help
The Post-Holiday Blues Hit Hard
February 24 marked more than just the first workday after Chinese New Year celebrations - it became the day artificial intelligence got drafted into humanity's eternal struggle against the Monday morning alarm. Qwen, Alibaba's AI platform, reported a jaw-dropping 530% surge in requests for help crafting convincing leave applications.
Creative Excuses Flood In
The platform saw waves of desperate queries like:
- "What if I just...don't go?"
- "Need a boss-proof excuse ASAP"
- "How to ask for tomorrow off without sounding lazy"
Qwen's team responded with characteristic Chinese pragmatism. While happily providing template letters (after all, that's their job), they gently reminded users that holidays can't last forever. Their solution? Strategic planning.
The Ultimate Vacation Hack
The AI suggested combining this year's Mid-Autumn Festival (September 25) with National Day holidays and annual leave could create a 17-day marathon break from September 25 to October 11. Suddenly, writing one more email before vacation doesn't seem so bad.
This phenomenon reveals deeper truths about modern work culture:
- The universal dread of post-holiday routines
- How AI becomes our digital confidant for workplace anxieties
- China's evolving relationship with work-life balance
While robots might write our excuses, they can't (yet) actually do our jobs for us. At least not until next year's holiday season.
Key Points:
- 530% increase in AI-assisted leave requests post-holiday
- Most popular prompts sought "boss-proof" excuses
- Qwen suggested strategic holiday planning instead of avoidance
- Reveals growing role of AI in workplace psychology
