A Chinese Company rewards employees who run 2 miles a day with a 130% salary bonus. A paper company in Guangdong, China, demands employees to target 31 miles per month to achieve a yearly bonus and 62 miles to achieve 130% of their salary bonus. The initiative aims to boost active and physical strength in employees, promoting fitness. The company wants the employees to ‘run for their bonuses’
The chairperson Lin Zhiyong of Guangdong Dongpo Paper Company explained media that the number of miles would determine employee bonuses they ran each month. He stated, “My business can only endure if my employees are healthy”. The initiative encourages employees to stay healthy and fit by maintaining an active lifestyle.
Furthermore, he suggested hardcore runners can get a free pair of running shoes if they run 31 miles every month, continuously for six months. An employee expressed, “Not only do we get to keep fit, we also get paid for it as well. That’s killing two birds with one stone”.
However, the plan does not exclude employees who are unable to meet this objective. Employees who run 31 miles a month would receive a bonus equal to one month’s pay, while those who run 24 miles a month would receive 60%.
Few appreciate the scheme considering it as a fruitful initiative, other criticizes and question it. People criticized it as an excessive requirement for a bonus. One of the comments quoted, “So, the company wants their staff to be track athletes?”
While the initiative promotes health and productivity, it raises the question: Should fitness be a personal choice or a corporate condition for reward?
