Would You Take Leave For A Celebrity Wedding? This Company Offers Breaks For Stress, Hangovers & Star News

Japan is facing a shrinking workforce and a shortage of job applicants. To attract young employees, companies are coming up with creative solutions. While larger firms are raising salaries, smaller businesses that cannot compete with higher wages are offering unusual benefits instead, The Sun reported.

One such company is TrustRing, a technology firm based in Osaka. It has introduced several unique leave options to make the workplace more appealing. Employees are allowed to take time off for hangovers, helping them recover and return to work feeling better. One worker, who arrived at the office at noon after a night of drinking, said the extra rest improved their productivity.

Unique Leave Policies

TrustRing also offers "celebrity loss leave," allowing employees to take time off when their favourite celebrities make major announcements, such as getting married. In 2021, a staff member used this leave when Japanese musician and actor Gen Hoshino announced his marriage to actress Yui Aragaki.

Company president Daigaku Shimada explained that these policies help them stay competitive, despite offering a relatively low starting salary of 2,22,000 yen (around US$1,400) per month, plus overtime pay. The strategy appears to be successful, as the company has been performing well, and no employees have resigned in the past three years.

To further improve the work environment, TrustRing has even set up a drinks bar in the office. The unusual benefits have attracted attention online, with many people praising the initiative. Some social media users joked about finding more favourite celebrities just to take additional days off.

A similar approach has been introduced in China. The supermarket chain Pangdonglai offers "unhappy leave," allowing workers to take up to 10 extra days off if they feel stressed or unmotivated. Founder Yu Donglai said it is important to give employees the freedom to rest when needed.