Japanese company rewards non-smokers with 6 extra holidays per year

Cigarette breaks have been a known as a method for socializing and relieving stress among workers.

However, non-smokers in Japan have complained that they work longer hours than their colleagues who take such breaks, and should be compensated more.

One Japanese company has heeded their plea, granting six additional days of holiday per year for its non-smokers.

According to the Telegraph, Marketing firm Piala Inc. began implementing the new scheme, after several staff members expressed their disdain for colleagues who took multiple smoking breaks throughout the day.

“One of our non-smoking staff put a message in the company suggestion box earlier in the year saying that smoking breaks were causing problems,” company spokesman Hirotaka Matsushima told the news outlet.

“Our CEO saw the comment and agreed, so we are giving non-smokers some extra time off to compensate.”

Furthermore, the complainants  noted that their Tokyo-Based office is located on the 29th floor, and smokers had to go all the way to the basement—which took up around 15 minutes of working time.

Meanwhile, Piala Inc. CEO Takao Asuka said he hopes the incentives will boost productivity and urge his employees to live a healthier lifestyle and give up the dreaded “cancer sticks”.

So far, four workers have vowed to quit smoking, the report said. Khristian Ibarrola

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