A video allegedly showing a strange morning ritual at a Beijing company has raised the hackles of Chinese netizens.

Every morning, female employees are required to queue up and kiss their boss before beginning work at a company selling home brewery equipment, the Shanghaiist reported.

A short video showing the kissing has taken the Internet by storm.

While it is not known when the video was filmed, it has recently gone viral, and was widely reported in Chinese and international media.

The boss claimed the intimate ritual "bonds them like fish and water", a report said.

He has also said he got the idea after he saw this being practiced in a company in the United States.

Chinese netizens on Weibo were aghast but while criticising the boss, they also questioned why the employees accepted his outrageous behaviour.

Some asked if this was hygienic, others called the boss a pervert, and his actions sexual harassment.

According to the report on Chinese news site Sohu, the employees were deeply embarassed at first, but soon got used to it.

Two employees could not accept it, and had to resign.

It has improved cohesion in the company, the boss said. He also claims that his female employees miss him when he is overseas, and send him messages on WeChat.