Local authorities in Zhengzhou, Henan province have changed their inconvenient office design after images of the office's poorly designed service windows were posted online.

In the images circulating online, several clients can be seen squatting or bending down in uncomfortable poses at the service windows of the city’s social insurance agency while talking to staff. The windows have been criticized as disrespectful to the public, indicating a perceived superiority on the part of the public servants.

In response to the criticism, the Party chief of the Zhengzhou social security bureau told Thepaper.cn that chairs are normally placed in front of the service windows, but they had been removed when the photos were snapped. In order to formally address the problem, local authorities have removed the windows that previously separated service staff from clients, and have installed more seats for the latter’s convenience.

In a commentary published on April 19, China Youth Daily called for more compassion to be shown to the public, adding that “officials and cadres should take people’s feelings into consideration.”