Page 45 - 15DEC2019E-5

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Non-smoking staff in Japanese He started walking at

firm get six extra vacation days midnight in order to
reach in time.
Pelham Police spotted
A company in Japan, where smoking is deeply ingrained Walter in the early hours
into culture, has decided to do something about it. After of December 1 morning,
a non-smoking employee submitted a complaint about after he had been
how smoke breaks were walking for four hours
affecting productivity, from Homewood to
marketing firm Piala Inc. Pelham. The officers then
made a change to its paid bought him breakfast
time off policy. and drove him to work -
The company granted a home in Pelham where Walter’s company Bellhops was
non-smoking staff an scheduled to help move a family.
additional six days off
each year to make up for
the time smokers take for
cigarette breaks. Hirotaka
Matsushima, a spokesman Startup offers Rs 1 lakh to
for Piala Inc., reportedly said, “One of our non-smoking sleep for nine hours daily
staff put a message in the company suggestion box earlier
in the year saying that smoking breaks were causing A startup is offering Rs 1 lakh to sleep for nine hours in the
problems.” comfort of your own home. The sleep solutions company,
After hearing about the complaint, the company’s CEO, Wakefit, has announced an internship programme called
Takao Asuka, decided to give non-smoking employees the ‘Wakefit Sleep Internship’, through which selected
time off to compensate. The frequent cigarette breaks candidates will be asked to sleep for nine hours a day for
meant many employees were away from their desks 100 days. “Think you can avoid binging on your favourite
upwards of 15 minutes each day, Matsushima added. The shows every night and just sleep for 9 hours instead?
change in company policy is intended to encourage staff Then you could be the ideal candidate we are looking for,”
to quit smoking. Wakefit writes on its website, inviting applications for the
internship programme.
The job description, the company says, is “just sleep”.
Ideal candidates should be able to fall asleep within
Boss gifts car to employee who 10-20 minutes of hitting

walks 32km to reach office the pillow and possess
the “innate ability to fall
asleep at the slightest given
A man who was willing to walk 32km to reach on time on opportunity”. Preferred
his first day of work has been rewarded for his dedication. qualifications for this
According to CBS News, Walter Carr from Alabama was internship also include
supposed to start his new job with a moving company the ability to resist binge
on December 1. However, when he realised that his car watching shows at bedtime
had broken down before his first day at his new job with and “the ability to blissfully
Bellhops, Walter began to walk to his place of work. ignore phone notifications.”.

45