Personally, I think this policy is clever---what better way to encourage healthier behavior and potentially less healthcare costs for the company?!?
Here's the scoop (not in the U.S., of course....):
TOKYO, Japan (WCMH) -
A company in Japan is offering its non-smoking workers an extra six days off per year to off-set the amount of time those who smoked took during cigarette breaks.
According to The Telegraph, Piala Inc., a marketing firm in Tokyo, decided to make a change after non-smoking workers complained that they were working more hours than they’re smoking counterparts.
"I hope to encourage employees to quit smoking through incentives rather than penalties or coercion", Takao Asuka, the Piala Inc CEO, told Kyodo News.
Since the new policy was put in place, no less than 30 of the 120 workers have taken the extra days off, and encouraged four to give up smoking, reports The Telegraph.
According to The Japan Times, Piala Inc. isn’t alone in trying to decrease the number of smokers in its workforce. Other Japanese companies have been enforcing smoking bans during work hours, even when their work takes them outside the office.
According to the World Health Organization, roughly 18 percent of adults in Japan smoke tobacco daily.