- A Japanese tech company lets workers drink on the job and offers hangover leave. The unusual recruiting strategy is luring Gen Z workers—and there has been zero turnover despite very low salaries.
A night of excess is usually not a valid excuse for taking a day off. Your boss might not have a problem with you having a good time the night before, but they definitely have some thoughts when it impacts your performance the next morning.
A Tokyo tech company, however, is willing to let that hangover slide. In fact, it will even let you take some time off to gobble aspirin and chug Alka-Seltzer.
Trust Ring Co., based in Osaka, is taking a markedly different approach to recruitment, offering not only hangover leave to prospective Gen Z employees, but also offering them a drink during the workday, with both a beer tap and a selection of other spirits in the office. The company says it has had no turnover in the past three years, despite not paying much more than the minimum wage.
The policies come as competition for workers in Japan becomes fiercer, as the birth rate in the country falls. Offering a work environment that is more appealing to younger applicants is one way to stand out.
The hangover leave doesn’t necessarily mean you can take the entire day off to swear that you are never, ever drinking again. Workers who are supposed to report at 9 a.m., however, can saunter in at noon and not face repercussions.
Workers make 222,000 yen per month, the equivalent of just under $17,500 per year in the U.S.
“Our salary is set just over minimum wage and we can’t use a lot of money, so they’re free to do what they want,” the CEO told Kansai TV. “I think it’s a good idea to have a more enjoyable working environment.”
Roughly 60 people currently work at the company.