Chinese company links annual bonuses to how many miles a worker runs each month
Cash me if you can!
A Chinese paper company has introduced an unorthodox strategy to motivate employees to live a healthier lifestyle — by tying bonuses to their levels of physical activity.
Guangdong Dongpo Paper Co., located in the southern industrial hub of Guangdong province, will pay out bonuses based on the number of miles each employee runs, hikes or walks each month, according to Guangzhou Daily.
Workers who log at least 62 miles each month will earn an annual bonus worth 130% of their monthly salary, while those who get in at least 31 miles per month will receive an annual bonus equivalent to a month’s salary.
The idea is the brainchild of company chairman Lin Zhiyong, an avid fitness enthusiast with the claim to fame as “the first person in Dongguan to climb the north and south slopes of Mount Everest.”
It comes after Lin “spent more than three years” trying to get his employees to step up their exercise regimen, the Guangzhou Daily reported.
The company’s approximately 100 employees will have their exercise logged and tracked by an app.
Meanwhile, workers who dip below those lofty goals will see a sizable chunk taken out of their bonuses. Running under 25 miles each month will net the employee just 60% of their total annual bonus, while an employee who logs just 12 miles per month will only take home a meager 30% of their annual bonus.
To help encourage participation, employees who clock 31 miles for six consecutive months will receive a new pair of running shoes.
Lin said that the new bonus scheme has been well received by employees, with one unnamed worker telling the outlet, “not only do they exercise, but they also get paid. It kills two birds with one stone.”
Still, some comments accompanying the article posted on Chinese social media site Weibo mocked the plan.
“100 kilometers a month and more than 3,000 meters a day? Does this require employees to become long-distance runners?” one user quipped.
“You can pay attention to the future direction of this company. I think it may go bankrupt in the next five years,” said another.
Dongguan is an industrial city located in southeast China with a population of around 7.5 million. It is about 54 miles from Hong Kong.
