By in Business & Economics —

An Incentive, Not a Penalty: The Tokyo Firm Giving Non-Smokers Extra Holidays

A Tokyo marketing firm, Piala Inc., addressed complaints about smokers' breaks by rewarding non-smoking staff with six extra paid vacation days a year. The 2017 policy aimed to compensate non-smokers and incentivize smokers to quit through positive reinforcement.

An Incentive, Not a Penalty: The Tokyo Firm Giving Non-Smokers Extra Holidays

The Grievance on the 29th Floor

In the bustling world of Tokyo corporate life, the smoke break is a familiar ritual. But at Piala Inc., a marketing firm located on the 29th floor of a high-rise, it was also a source of growing imbalance. For an employee to have a cigarette, they had to travel down to a designated smoking area in the basement, a journey that, by most accounts, took around 15 minutes per break. Over a day, this time added up, creating a noticeable disparity in hours worked between smoking and non-smoking staff. The issue finally came to a head not through a formal HR complaint, but via an anonymous note dropped into the company's suggestion box. A non-smoking employee pointed out the perceived unfairness, and the company's CEO, Takao Asuka, listened.

Rewarding Time, Not Punishing Habit

Instead of instituting stricter rules or penalties, which can often breed resentment, Asuka chose a path of positive reinforcement. His solution was as simple as it was novel: grant all non-smoking employees an additional six days of paid vacation per year. The policy, introduced in September 2017, was designed to directly compensate non-smokers for the extra time they spent at their desks. It was a move aimed at balancing the scales and fostering goodwill. The company's leadership made their philosophy clear.

I hope to encourage employees to quit smoking through incentives rather than penalties or coercion.

This statement from CEO Takao Asuka captured the essence of the initiative. It wasn't an anti-smoker policy; it was a pro-fairness and pro-health incentive.

A Corporate Policy in Cultural Context

Piala Inc.'s decision was particularly noteworthy given Japan's traditionally tolerant stance on smoking. While rates have been steadily declining from their mid-20th-century highs, smoking remains more integrated into corporate and social life than in many other developed nations. Even a nationwide smoking ban that took effect in April 2020 was criticized for being "watered-down," with numerous exemptions for smaller bars and restaurants. In this environment, a private company taking such a direct and creative step to address the issue stood out. It represented a bottom-up approach to a problem that top-down legislation was addressing only gradually.

The Tangible Results

The impact of the new perk was felt almost immediately. According to reports shortly after its implementation, at least 30 of the company's 120 employees had taken advantage of the extra days off. More significantly, the incentive proved effective in its secondary goal: encouraging smokers to quit. At least four of the company's 42 smokers gave up the habit to become eligible for the extra vacation time. It was a clear demonstration that a well-designed reward could be more persuasive than a punishment. The policy transformed a source of workplace friction into a celebrated benefit, a case study in how creative thinking can resolve common human resources challenges.

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