Paper Company Offers Bonuses To Employees For Running
Does your employer share any kind of year-end bonuses with you? If so, I’m guessing they’re tied to job-related metrics. But what if you could get a bonus just for taking care of yourself? That’s what one paper company is doing and, no, it’s not Dunder Mifflin. Although, the fictional company on The Office did offer extra vacation days for something similar. See below.
According to Oddity Central, Guangdong Dongpo Paper in China has replaced its work-based employee bonuses with a plan that incentivizes physical fitness. Specifically, the paper company is encouraging its 100 employees to exercise more by offering a bonus for running 50 kilometers, or roughly 31 miles, per month. Can’t make it the entire 50 kilometers? Workers can get 60 percent of the full bonus for running 40 kilometers (24.9 miles), and 30 percent for 30 kilometers (18.6 miles). If an employee manages to clock over 100 kilometers in a month (62.1 miles), they stand to get a bonus worth 30% of their overall salary.
How does management at Guangdong Dongpo Paper facilitate this bonus plan? Employees use an app on their phones to track their running. Mountain hiking and speed walking can account for 60 and 30 percent respectively of the total exercise required. So far, the program has been successful and employees like that they can make extra money while getting into shape.
The company claims that all employees qualify to get full bonuses, but there is a potential problem with this plan. What if an employee is physically unable to run, hike, or speed walk for some reason? Could the bonus requirements be considered discriminatory? I don’t know how it is in China, but I’m guessing a lawyer in the U.S. could pick this plan apart.